(Times of Israel) When Imam Youssef Masbeh introduced himself to President Isaac Herzog on Monday, he could not help but start singing a special chant in Arabic, offering a reinterpretation of the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah.
Masbeh, who has served as a religious leader in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway for 20 years, was part of a delegation of about a dozen imams and Muslim community leaders who were visiting Israel from several European countries, including France, the United Kingdom, and Italy.
Masbeh also encouraged his colleagues and all those present to join him in singing and dancing, celebrating the moment of togetherness.
“We are all children of Abraham, and I believe the historic progress in our region is a progress of dialogue between Muslims and Jews, and Jews and Muslims,” Herzog said.
