PUBLIC RADIO INTERNATIONAL
by Daniel Estrin
April 22, 2015

During Israel’s Olympics-style Independence Day spectacle on Wednesday, 14 Israelis will participate by lighting torches. They were all chosen in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the country, but one torch bearer stands out from the rest: the first Arab Israeli newscaster in the country’s history. Lucy Aharish anchors an English-language evening news show on i24news, Israel’s 24-hour cable news network. She also hosts a Hebrew-language talk show on Israel’s biggest TV channel, moderating a panel of Israelis debating the burning issues of the day…While Arabs make up a fifth of the Israeli population, few of them feel a part of Israeli society. Most simply identify themselves as Palestinians. Aharish is different. She grew up in a Jewish town and speaks flawless Hebrew. She considers herself a proud Israeli, and while she supports the creation of a Palestinian state, she thinks Israel should remain a Jewish democracy. READ MORE