Eight Burning Issues Placed on Israel’s Public Agenda in 2007

December 4, 2007

Land Allocation: A major campaign by the NIF family, along with court petitions against the Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) policy of allocating land to “Jews only,” has ignited a passionate public debate on the issue.  At the same time, in an unrelated petition, the Supreme Court ruled that the Northern Israeli village of Rakefet must allocate land to Fatina and Ahmed Zubeidat, an Arab couple rejected by the regional selection committee as “unsuitable.” The petition was submitted by NIF grantees who claim these committees regularly discriminate against a wide range of Israelis including Mizrachim, gays and new immigrants.

A continuing problem: a survey conducted by NIF grantee Center against Racism indicated that 75 percent of Israelis Jewish respondents would not want to live in the same apartment building as Arabs.

Discrimination: NIF, Machsom Watch and other organizations are spearheading a campaign to end humiliating discrimination against non-Jewish passengers flying to and from Israel. Machsom Watch and NIF offered to monitor security checks at Ben Gurion Airport and train staff to be more sensitive. As a result, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) acquired high-tech x-ray equipment to decrease invasive searches. The IAA has invited NIF and Machsom Watch delegates to Ben Gurion Airport to witness the new procedures next week.

A continuing problem: Sikkuy, the Association for the Advancement of Civic Equality in Israel has uncovered systematic discrimination in government budgetary allocations. Despite the far greater poverty rates among Israel’s Arab minority, the government allocates NIS 378 per capita per year for welfare in the Jewish sector compared to NIS 246 in the Arab sector.

Racism: The NIF volunteers who report on the racist behavior of fans at Israeli soccer matches have gauged a nearly 20 percent decrease in incidents over the past year. In particular the chant “Death to Arabs” is now rarely heard in the country’s stadiums. Although racist taunts against Arab and black soccer players were once prevalent, NIF’s campaign against racism in society through soccer has resulted in a new law outlawing racism in soccer stadiums.

A continuing problem: racism remains endemic in Israeli society. Today, Y-net, Israel's most popular Internet news site, reported about a school in Petach Tikvah that has set up a separate class for its Ethiopian immigrant students.

Refugees: The NIF family has put the plight of Israel’s African refugees on the public agenda. The country has nearly 4,000 African refugees including 2,000 who reached Israel from Sudan, of whom 500 are fleeing the genocide in Darfur. The newly-formed Coalition for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, funded by an emergency grant from NIF, seeks the release of all refugees from prison and a review of their asylum requests in line with UN procedures.

A continuing problem: 600 refugees are still detained in prison, and the government is threatening to expel 3,500 non-Darfur refugees.

Environment: As part of the Israel Union for Environmental Defense (IUED) campaign to protect the country’s beaches, the Nahariya Municipality was recently ordered to stop digging graves on the western edge of the city cemetery adjacent to the beach because it posed a danger to public health.  IUED, which is supported by NIF through the Green Environment Fund, was instrumental several years ago in the passing of the Coastal Protection Law, banning all construction by beaches not owned by municipalities.

A continuing problem: the annual report of the IUED published this week documents Israel’s very high levels of pollution and exposed a new danger, oil contamination in Israel’s underground water aquifer.

Gay Rights: Recent decisions by the Israeli government to benefit the LGBT community include housing assistance through subsidized mortgages to same-gender couples, and a new committee that will examine ways of making gay students feel less alienated at school. These were just two more achievements in the NIF family’s campaign for complete equality for Israel’s LGBT community, which have made the country one of the world’s most advanced in terms of gay rights.

A continuing problem: NIF grantee Jerusalem Open House continues to face relentless bigotry from Orthodox Jewish, Moslem and Christian leaders who oppose the gay community’s activities in the city.

Bedouin: The struggle on behalf of the unrecognized villages continues as the government has announced plans to recognize the Negev Bedouin village of Abu Tlul. This means that 10 out of 45 unrecognized Bedouin villages have been recognized by the Israeli government since 2004, housing 35,000 of the 75,000 residents of these settlements.

A continuing problem:  last week Israel Radio stopped airing ads by NIF grantee Bimkom: Planners for Planning Rights, which explain the plight of the unrecognized Bedouin villages. The Israel Broadcasting Authority claimed that the topic is politically controversial. Bimkom is appealing to the Supreme Court on the matter. 

The Disabled: The Equal Rights for Disabilities Law, which was formulated by NIF grantee Bizchut: Israel Human Rights Center for People With Disabilities, and passed in two stages in recent years, provides Israel with some of the most advanced legislation on the rights of the disabled anywhere in the world. In the summer a new law was passed which regulates work opportunities for severely disabled Israelis. The government announced this week that 60 more picnic areas with access for the disabled will be built for the country’s 60th Independence Day next May.

A continuing problem: A report published this week by Israel’s Commission for Equal Rights for the Disabled revealed the dire employment situation of the disabled. 70,000 Israelis with severe disabilities are unemployed, while 25 percent of employers refuse to hire disabled workers.