I got the motivation that I needed and now I try to pass that motivation on to others as well. Lieutenant Muhammad Hudai Irati. Photo: IDF Spokesperson

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The IDF is an ‘army of the people,’ and as such, all sects of Israeli society are able to serve the State of Israel. Secular people, religious people, Arabs, and Jews can join the IDF, and people from all groups do indeed.  With this being the case, it may even seem normal that at the IDF Officers’ Course, a Druze, a Bedouin, and a Jew slept side by side in the same room. "Room of the minorities," said Second Lieutenant Muhammad Hudai Irati, with a smile in his face. "We are best friends and have formed a meaningful connection amongst ourselves." Perhaps it’s not surprising to hear that Muahmmad is also the first Bedouin medical officer in the IDF, now serving as an officer in the Department of Medicine (Ka'ar), in the Bedouin tour battalion; he’ very proud of this, rightfully so. "When I began my examinations in order to become an officer, they told me, ‘Did you know that there has never been a Bedouin before you?’ And I responded, ‘Oh really? Never knew that.’”  This gave Muhammed the necessary motivation to excel. "I got the motivation that I needed and now I try to pass that motivation on to others as well," he explains. Now people are saying, "Wow, he is not only the first- but he is also very good at what he does."

Muhammad was born in a Bedouin village in Northern Israel. He says that it has been clear to him that he would join the IDF since childhood, mostly because his family and the rest of his village were supporters of the army and served in the IDF as well. "My little brother followed in my footsteps and is now a commander of a Bedouin force." He noted and jokingly added that, "Our village tells everyone that is going to the army that if they don’t advance to become officers, they’re just embarrassing themselves. If you come to our village on a Sunday and look at the bus stop, you’ll see that everyone is a soldier." Since he was very young, Muhammad has known that he wanted to study medicine, but was not able to pursue a career as a doctor because his examination scores weren’t high enough. However, Muhammad joined Givati, a combat unit. During basic training, officers from his unit told him that they were looking for a medic in a specific Bedouin unit. Two weeks after arriving to the unit, he underwent training courses at the Medical Corps military base.

The course was very difficult and he completed it successfully. "I learned interesting things; I loved the material, the work, and the on-the-job action in which you sometimes have to function under a lot of pressure." In a conversation with Muhammad, it becomes clear that being a combat soldier comes naturally to him, as his favorite tasks are done while under pressure and in the field. He totally discards the question of whether his origins present a problem while serving in the IDF. "What is a Bedouin? We are all brothers in the army, regardless of anything else." He continues: "I believe that the army is a small world in of itself; when you join, you meet lots of different with different beliefs and traditions." After returning from the unit at the end of his course, Muhammed began to serve as a platoon medic and during Rosh Hashana, he received an honorary Certificate of Excellence from the Southern Division Commander. "When I received the award, I realized that they recognized my hard work and I then requested to go to the Commanders’ Course," he recounted. "I was very motivated and in addition, friends of my father convinced me to go to the Officers’ Course. I loved the idea, and they saw that I was a good soldier and allowed me to participate.”

After he finished Officers Course, Muhammad asked to return to his original battalion even though there was no position available there. "I wanted to go back to become an officer in my battalion and to improve the unit that supported me until the end" he said. Within the framework of his position, he visits the Cadet Medical Course of the battalion in order to motivate, encourage, and offer guidance to the soldiers there.

As for Muhammed’s future goals, he wants to see his Bedouin units full of medics until all the positions are filled. And on a personal level? When we asked if he wants to become the first Bedouin to be the Chief Medical Officer of the IDF, he laughs and points out that this is a very distant thought. "If I become a doctor, I will call you and let you know." To Bedouin youth, his message is clear: "I want all of the young men to join the IDF and see what it is about; the army is a place where you can succeed and move forward.”