A Mayor of the People … NOT

"Because some Jamal wants to change it (street name) or some
Muhammad wants it changed? Let him change his God….
….They (the Arabs) can all go f*** themselves! … You've (the media)
also become every butt-f****** Arab's lackey? What –
don't you have any respect for the legacy of your own people?"

Extracts from an interview with Ramle Mayor Yoel Lavie, 11-30-06

Something is rotten in Ramle. The racist attitudes informing the Mayor of Ramle's policies vis-à-vis the Arab population of the city he serves were given an astonishing public airing during the last few days. SHATIL's Mixed Cities project staff are both sad and proud to have played a direct role in bringing this horrendous display of racial incitement and verbal violence by an elected official to the public agenda.

In his capacity as Mixed Cities Field Coordinator and Director of the A'Dar Association, Jamal Salameh recently wrote to Mayor Yoel Lavie requesting that in the Old City of Ramle, where the population is predominantly Arab, some street names be changed to those that have cultural resonance for the Arab community – names such as that of writer (and Israel Prize laureate) Emil Habibi, or poet Sultan Sulimein.

Salameh, his colleagues, and the residents they represent view this as a matter of "responsibility toward the Old City, toward the residents' sense of belonging and as a first step in building trust between the Arab population and the municipality."

Their letter, however, was ignored and the matter was taken up by local journalist Ron Feinreich, of the central region's Ayalon newspaper. Feinreich recorded and published an interview with Mayor Lavie, in which the latter, as indicated in the extracts quoted above, made his racist views overwhelmingly and obscenely clear.

Since then, Mayor Lavie, given several media opportunities, has not apologized to the population he has so deeply offended, but expressed his sorrow that comments, which he claims were made "off-the-record", were published! (Feinrach's tape recording was played in a story on IDF Radio.)

A protest rally organized by SHATIL's Mixed Cities Project staff and the A'dar Association (the local Ramle Housing Forum) was held yesterday, December 4th, in Ramle, opposite the municipality, and drew the support and attendance of some 1000 Ramle residents, as well as numerous social action groups and coexistence organizations and Members of the Knesset. Several of the MKs addressed the peaceful demonstrators and were joined on the podium by other speakers.

Jamal Salameh acted as master of ceremonies, making sure that the rally focused on more than a call for the resignation of Yoel Lavie, but that constructive messages reflecting the needs of Ramle's Arab residents were heard. For several years, the Mixed Cities project has helped the Arab population contribute to the development of Ramle, to the nurturing of Arab-Jewish coexistence, and to the creation of a flourishing social and cultural fabric through fair representation of the 25 percent Arab population of Ramle in municipal planning bodies, including its street naming committee.

These positive sentiments were echoed by Mixed Cities project director Buthayna Dabit in the many interviews she gave to media correspondents at the rally, and earlier in the day, including during an ugly confrontation session with Mayor Lavie on Israel Radio Channel 2's "Another Matter" program.

This struggle for the protection of Ramle's Arab residents from racist incitement by their mayor is not confined to the local scene. SHATIL's advocacy and media staff have made sure that the campaign is on the agenda of the national leadership. The Minister of the Interior has been asked to review the statements of the Mayor of Ramle, with the possibility of firing him. Some 8 party fractions (over 80 MKs Knesset) submitted urgent motions for the agenda and for a Knesset discussion of the matter. These were rejected at the Presidential committee meeting yesterday; however, Knesset Member Dov Chenin, appealed this decision before the Knesset committee, on the grounds that a majority of MKs wish to hold a Knesset debate on this issue.

As NIF News goes to press today, the appeal was accepted and there will be a Knesset Assembly discussion tomorrow.

Rachel Liel, SHATIL Director, said, “This accomplishment – facilitated by Shatil staff - cannot be overemphasized. SHATIL’s Mixed Cities project in its three years of existence has made remarkable progress at the grassroots level in inspiring and building the capacity of local leadership to promote planning and housing solutions for Ramle, Lod, Jaffa and Acco’s severely deprived and discriminated against Arab neighborhoods. The project has also earned the respect and cooperation of national and regional planning authorities – and we are now making our mark on municipal governments, even the ones that least want to acknowledge minority rights in their communities.”