The Hummus-ization of Arabic? Towards a Political Evaluation of the Resurgence of the Arabic Language in Popular Music by Israeli Jews

In recent years, the field of popular music in Israel has seen a resurgence in the use of the Arabic language in recordings that are primarily by and/or for Hebrew-speaking Israeli Jews. Songs featuring Arabic lyrics, exclusively or alongside Hebrew, can be heard on all the leading radio stations, and notably on the army-run station Galgalatz. These songs are usually performed by Israeli Jews (often of Middle Eastern descent), but also by Palestinian citizens of Israel. Many of the new recordings feature reclaimed traditional or popular Judeo-Arabic songs, while some are newly-composed. For several musicians, such as the groups Yemen Blues and A-WA, Arabic-language songs have been a springboard to international success. This paper reflects a first attempt to assess the scope and meaning of this recent trend, and to consider its significance vis-à-vis multiple relevant contexts: the history of popular music in Israel, the global “world beat” scene, contemporary identity politics of Mizrahi Jews in Israel, and, most importantly, the persistence of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Importantly, it appears (prima facie) that this recent trend is by-and-large unaccompanied by a political sentiment of empathy towards Palestinian Arabs or other neighboring Arab-speaking populations. Will the Arabic language follow in the footsteps of Hummus, in being integrated into Israeli cultural self-perception and global image while keeping intact the politically-produced antagonism of “Israeli” vs. “Arab”? Or, are we witnessing the budding of a more significant trend of re-Arabization of Mizrahi Jews, for which popular music provides a safe space of incubation and experimentation?