Northern Israeli school principal becomes a prominent pro-Israel voice in the Arab world

Since the October 7 attacks, Israeli advocates have been looking for ways to explain Israel’s position internationally. One of the most visible voices doing that work is Naille Zoubi, a school principal from northern Israel who has spent more than 20 years leading schools and, over the past two and a half years, has become one of the most influential speakers on Arab media platforms.

In the interview, Zoubi described facing hostile questioning on television and online. He said some interviews began and ended with accusations that he was complicit in murder simply because he is Israeli. He said the harder challenge is often not the interviewer but the studio pundits, who attack him personally and shout over him. His method, he said, is to enter every interview with solid facts. “When they have nothing to answer, they start cursing. In that situation, I know I have won.”

Zoubi used the conversation to argue that Iran is the real enemy in the region. He said Iran is active in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq and is not leaving, while Israel is only trying to protect its security. In his view, Iran is destroying those countries from within, tearing Syria apart and controlling militias that undermine Lebanese sovereignty. He said the current war is not against Lebanon, but against an Iranian terror arm, Hezbollah, which he described as fully tied to Iran in ideology, money and logistics.

Before the interview ended, he delivered a direct message to Arab viewers: “Israel wants peace, and I say that with complete confidence. We extend a hand of peace to all Arab states and to every Arab citizen. Israel has no territorial ambitions in Egypt, Syria or Lebanon. Everything Israel does is to protect the security of its residents.” He added that the region should be able to live in security and peace, and urged continued public rebuttal of false claims: “We must keep responding, not leave their lies hanging in the air, and spread the truth everywhere.”