The mayor of Ashkelon is behaving like a racist jackass. Virtually the entire rest of the country of Israel and her leadership is reacting in a way that inspires me. From Haaretz: There is no place for discrimination against Arab Israelis, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We cannot make generalizations about an entire population based on a small unruly minority. Most Arabs citizens of Israel are law-abiding. Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said he would work to overturn the decision. We are experiencing a difficult time, a wave of terror, but we know that 99.9 percent of Arab Israelis are loyal to Israel, he said. There is a very small minority that is against us. As economy minister, I will not allow any worker to be harmed based on religion or race – this will not happen in Israel. Interior Minister Gilad Erdan called the Shimonis decision unacceptable and said he asked officials at the Justice Ministry to look into its legality. We cannot generalize and tarnish an entire community within Israel, he said, adding that such decision could increase tensions between Israeli Jews and Arabs. I understand the mayor and citizens concerns, but we have an army and police to restore security, and municipalities can also safeguard public institutions, he said. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, meanwhile, asked Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to investigate the Ashkelon mayors decision, saying it undermines the basic principle of equality and violates the equal opportunity employment law. Labor Party chairman Isaac Herzog also chimed in, saying, This is an unacceptable, immoral decision that can only contribute to the atmosphere of fear and intimidation. Even during times of war that have been more difficult than recent days, Israel didn’t adopt steps that discriminate against and deprive the Arabs living among us as equal citizens. Where will we be if we fan the flames between us?
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 11:36:50 +0000
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