19 apr 2016
Prime Minister Netanyahu with Yemeni Jews who recently immigrated to Israel with the Torah scroll they brought with them
67 Yemeni Jews turned down the Jewish Agency's offer to make aliyah; they say their neighbors treat them poorly and fear no one can provide a Jewish education for their children.
The 67 Yemeni Jews who refused to join the recent secret airlift to Israel organized by the Jewish Agency are now having second thoughts. Sources in Yemen report that the group, comprised mostly of children and the elderly and located in the Yemeni capital Sana’a and its neighboring province of Amran, has been subject to constant harassment.
The 67 Yemeni Jews who refused to join the recent secret airlift to Israel organized by the Jewish Agency are now having second thoughts. Sources in Yemen report that the group, comprised mostly of children and the elderly and located in the Yemeni capital Sana’a and its neighboring province of Amran, has been subject to constant harassment.
“The Jewish Agency’s decision to release the news about the manuscript arriving in Israel caused us even more seclusion. In Raydah (a city in Amran), they treat us like strangers, even though we are Yemenis just like them. Our religion, which is different from theirs, has made them look at us as (inferior). They have fenced our houses in with stones and cut off the roads leading to our homes (to prevent) us from escaping and to make it difficult for us to get food or any other supplies we need into our homes,” he explained.
“After the news about the manuscript became public, people became very wary of us, accusing us of treason against our country, Yemen. Now they are always watching us. We cannot stand to live here anymore.”
Some Yemeni Jews remained for economic reasons. Saeed Al-Natehi and his wife Muzal Bint Uda, were unable to sell their home, a three-story structure with a large yard enclosed by a stone fence, where they live with their three daughters, a son and two grandchildren. Muzal said they will join the others as soon as their home is sold – which should not be long.
Muzal also expressed her love for Yemen, but concludes that, “currently the best solution is to leave.”
In sharp distinction to Rayda’s Jews, those in Sana’a refused to discuss their situation or reasons for not having left for Israel. Of those who did offer comments, one Sana’a resident said the silence is due to “security reasons,” while another said that he cannot afford to buy a ticket to leave. That, however, seems unlikely given the Israeli government’s commitment to relocate Yemen’s remaining Jews.
Yemen has also been accused of prohibiting Jews from leaving the country, but officials deny such a prohibition exists. Khalid Al-Shaif, chief of Sana’a’s International Airport, told The Media Line that Jews are free to leave the country and there is nothing stopping them.
He explained that, “They are Yemenis, who are subject to the same rules as other citizens. We check their bags, and see their exit and entrance visas. Being Yemenis, we treat them as such; there is no religion-based bias at all,” said Al-Shaif.
Arrests were reported to have been made after the Jewish agency secretly transferred 17 Jews to Israel. But Yemeni officials and local Jews told The Media Line that is not true.
When The Media Line asked the Jewish Agency to comment on word that the airlift failed to rescue all of those who want to go to Israel, spokesman Avi Meyer said, “It was supposed to be the last massive operation. Our understanding was that those people remaining intended to stay there. We said that if any individual who wishes to make aliyah, we will facilitate and they should know that they are welcome in Israel.”
To the question of jeopardizing the safety of those who remained, Meyer said, “The immigrants themselves approved the publicity surrounding their arrival and have proudly spoken to numerous media outlets about their journey home.”
67 Yemeni Jews turned down the Jewish Agency's offer to make aliyah; they say their neighbors treat them poorly and fear no one can provide a Jewish education for their children.
The 67 Yemeni Jews who refused to join the recent secret airlift to Israel organized by the Jewish Agency are now having second thoughts. Sources in Yemen report that the group, comprised mostly of children and the elderly and located in the Yemeni capital Sana’a and its neighboring province of Amran, has been subject to constant harassment.
The 67 Yemeni Jews who refused to join the recent secret airlift to Israel organized by the Jewish Agency are now having second thoughts. Sources in Yemen report that the group, comprised mostly of children and the elderly and located in the Yemeni capital Sana’a and its neighboring province of Amran, has been subject to constant harassment.
“The Jewish Agency’s decision to release the news about the manuscript arriving in Israel caused us even more seclusion. In Raydah (a city in Amran), they treat us like strangers, even though we are Yemenis just like them. Our religion, which is different from theirs, has made them look at us as (inferior). They have fenced our houses in with stones and cut off the roads leading to our homes (to prevent) us from escaping and to make it difficult for us to get food or any other supplies we need into our homes,” he explained.
“After the news about the manuscript became public, people became very wary of us, accusing us of treason against our country, Yemen. Now they are always watching us. We cannot stand to live here anymore.”
Some Yemeni Jews remained for economic reasons. Saeed Al-Natehi and his wife Muzal Bint Uda, were unable to sell their home, a three-story structure with a large yard enclosed by a stone fence, where they live with their three daughters, a son and two grandchildren. Muzal said they will join the others as soon as their home is sold – which should not be long.
Muzal also expressed her love for Yemen, but concludes that, “currently the best solution is to leave.”
In sharp distinction to Rayda’s Jews, those in Sana’a refused to discuss their situation or reasons for not having left for Israel. Of those who did offer comments, one Sana’a resident said the silence is due to “security reasons,” while another said that he cannot afford to buy a ticket to leave. That, however, seems unlikely given the Israeli government’s commitment to relocate Yemen’s remaining Jews.
Yemen has also been accused of prohibiting Jews from leaving the country, but officials deny such a prohibition exists. Khalid Al-Shaif, chief of Sana’a’s International Airport, told The Media Line that Jews are free to leave the country and there is nothing stopping them.
He explained that, “They are Yemenis, who are subject to the same rules as other citizens. We check their bags, and see their exit and entrance visas. Being Yemenis, we treat them as such; there is no religion-based bias at all,” said Al-Shaif.
Arrests were reported to have been made after the Jewish agency secretly transferred 17 Jews to Israel. But Yemeni officials and local Jews told The Media Line that is not true.
When The Media Line asked the Jewish Agency to comment on word that the airlift failed to rescue all of those who want to go to Israel, spokesman Avi Meyer said, “It was supposed to be the last massive operation. Our understanding was that those people remaining intended to stay there. We said that if any individual who wishes to make aliyah, we will facilitate and they should know that they are welcome in Israel.”
To the question of jeopardizing the safety of those who remained, Meyer said, “The immigrants themselves approved the publicity surrounding their arrival and have proudly spoken to numerous media outlets about their journey home.”
The Israeli TV Channel Ten revealed that the immigration rate of Jews who came from Russia to Israel in the 1990s has recently escalated.
The Israeli channel also revealed that one fifth of the estimated one million Russian Jews migrated to Canada because they felt that they did not belong to Israel.
The channel pointed out that 15% of migrants to Israel in the 1990s had actually left it for the same reasons and used TV interviews with some cases as evidences.
Hebrew reports further revealed that Jewish migrants from the former Soviet Union suffered from discrimination policy by the western Jews and their successive governments.
The Israeli channel also revealed that one fifth of the estimated one million Russian Jews migrated to Canada because they felt that they did not belong to Israel.
The channel pointed out that 15% of migrants to Israel in the 1990s had actually left it for the same reasons and used TV interviews with some cases as evidences.
Hebrew reports further revealed that Jewish migrants from the former Soviet Union suffered from discrimination policy by the western Jews and their successive governments.
EU foreign policy chief Mogherini and Prime Minister Netanyahu in joint press conference
Federica Mogherini stresses that the European Union 'recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, regardless of the (Israeli) government's claims on other areas.'
The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini reiterated on Tuesday that the EU does not recognize Israel's claim to the Golan Heights, echoing a similar statement from the US the day before.
"The EU recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, regardless of the (Israeli) government's claims on other areas, until a final settlement is reached," Mogherini said before a meeting in Brussels of international donors in support of the Palestinian economy.
"This is a shared position reaffirmed by the European Union and its member states," she added.
Israel captured 1,200 sq. km. of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. Its annexation of the territory in 1981 has never been recognized by the international community, and some 510 sq. km. rest under Syrian control.
In a special government meeting on Sunday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Golan "will forever remain in Israel's hands," and urged the international community "to recognize finally that the Golan will remain permanently under Israeli sovereignty."
His declaration was condemned by the Arab League and Syria. "The occupied Golan is Arab land according UN Security Council resolutions," said Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad.
"We are prepared (to do) everything to restore the Golan employing all necessary means including military means," he added.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry also sent two letters to the UN Secretary General condemning the Israeli cabinet meeting that was held in the Golan Heights for the first time.
"Syria condemns in the strongest terms the holding of a provocative meeting of the occupation government in the occupied Syrian Golan," the letter said. "Syria emphasizes that the meeting is null and void. Syria calls on the UN and the UN Security Council to intervene immediately and to condemn the irresponsible meeting, and demand that the meeting that took place on Syrian soil not happen again."
On Monday, the US signalled its opposition to Netanyahu's statement as well. "Every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of Israel," US State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Kirby went on to say that the conditions under which the Golan Heights should be returned must be decided through negotiations between the respective parties. "And obviously, the current situation in Syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time," Kirby said.
Federica Mogherini stresses that the European Union 'recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, regardless of the (Israeli) government's claims on other areas.'
The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini reiterated on Tuesday that the EU does not recognize Israel's claim to the Golan Heights, echoing a similar statement from the US the day before.
"The EU recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, regardless of the (Israeli) government's claims on other areas, until a final settlement is reached," Mogherini said before a meeting in Brussels of international donors in support of the Palestinian economy.
"This is a shared position reaffirmed by the European Union and its member states," she added.
Israel captured 1,200 sq. km. of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. Its annexation of the territory in 1981 has never been recognized by the international community, and some 510 sq. km. rest under Syrian control.
In a special government meeting on Sunday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Golan "will forever remain in Israel's hands," and urged the international community "to recognize finally that the Golan will remain permanently under Israeli sovereignty."
His declaration was condemned by the Arab League and Syria. "The occupied Golan is Arab land according UN Security Council resolutions," said Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad.
"We are prepared (to do) everything to restore the Golan employing all necessary means including military means," he added.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry also sent two letters to the UN Secretary General condemning the Israeli cabinet meeting that was held in the Golan Heights for the first time.
"Syria condemns in the strongest terms the holding of a provocative meeting of the occupation government in the occupied Syrian Golan," the letter said. "Syria emphasizes that the meeting is null and void. Syria calls on the UN and the UN Security Council to intervene immediately and to condemn the irresponsible meeting, and demand that the meeting that took place on Syrian soil not happen again."
On Monday, the US signalled its opposition to Netanyahu's statement as well. "Every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of Israel," US State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Kirby went on to say that the conditions under which the Golan Heights should be returned must be decided through negotiations between the respective parties. "And obviously, the current situation in Syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time," Kirby said.
US VP Joe Biden
US State Department spokesman, 'territories are not part of Israel,' Vice President Joe Biden says settlements leading Israel towards a 'one-state reality.'
The United States signalled its opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent declaration that the Golan Heights will forever remain a part of Israel, stressing on Monday that Washington did not consider the Golan a part of Israel.
"Every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of Israel," US State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Kirby went on to say that the conditions under which the Golan Heights should be returned must be decided through negotiations between the respective parties. "And obviously, the current situation in Syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time," Kirby said.
Meanwhile, US Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged "overwhelming frustration" with the Israeli government and said the systemic expansion of Jewish settlements was moving Israel toward a dangerous "one-state reality" and in the wrong direction.
Addressing J Street's annual gala, Biden said despite disagreements with Israel over settlements or the Iran nuclear deal, the United States had an obligation to push Israel toward a two-state solution to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
"We have an overwhelming obligation, notwithstanding our sometimes overwhelming frustration with the Israeli government, to push them as hard as we can toward what they know in their gut is the only ultimate solution, a two-state solution, while at the same time be an absolute guarantor of their security," Biden said.
Biden said his recent meetings with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas left him discouraged over the prospects for peace at present.
"There is at the moment no political will that I observed among Israelis or Palestinians to move forward with serious negotiations," Biden said, "The trust that is necessary to take risks for peace is fractured on both sides." He said both Palestinians and Israelis needed to tamp down rhetoric that fueled violence and actions that undermined confidence in negotiations.
Efforts by the Palestinian Authority to join the international criminal court were "only damaging moves that take us further from the path to peace," he said.
For Israel's part, Biden said the "steady, systematic expansion" of Jewish settlements on disputed land wanted by the Palestinians moved "Israel in the wrong direction."
"They are moving toward a one-state reality and that reality is dangerous," Biden said, warning that moving in that direction would mean an endless cycle of conflict and retribution.
Biden condemned the bombing of a bus and attack on another in Jerusalem on Monday by "misguided cowards" and offered prayers to the injured and their families.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry echoed Biden's remarks, also addressing J Street's gala. “We will continue to try to advance a two-state solution, the only solution, because anything else will not be Jewish, and it will not be democratic.”
US State Department spokesman, 'territories are not part of Israel,' Vice President Joe Biden says settlements leading Israel towards a 'one-state reality.'
The United States signalled its opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent declaration that the Golan Heights will forever remain a part of Israel, stressing on Monday that Washington did not consider the Golan a part of Israel.
"Every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of Israel," US State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Kirby went on to say that the conditions under which the Golan Heights should be returned must be decided through negotiations between the respective parties. "And obviously, the current situation in Syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time," Kirby said.
Meanwhile, US Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged "overwhelming frustration" with the Israeli government and said the systemic expansion of Jewish settlements was moving Israel toward a dangerous "one-state reality" and in the wrong direction.
Addressing J Street's annual gala, Biden said despite disagreements with Israel over settlements or the Iran nuclear deal, the United States had an obligation to push Israel toward a two-state solution to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
"We have an overwhelming obligation, notwithstanding our sometimes overwhelming frustration with the Israeli government, to push them as hard as we can toward what they know in their gut is the only ultimate solution, a two-state solution, while at the same time be an absolute guarantor of their security," Biden said.
Biden said his recent meetings with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas left him discouraged over the prospects for peace at present.
"There is at the moment no political will that I observed among Israelis or Palestinians to move forward with serious negotiations," Biden said, "The trust that is necessary to take risks for peace is fractured on both sides." He said both Palestinians and Israelis needed to tamp down rhetoric that fueled violence and actions that undermined confidence in negotiations.
Efforts by the Palestinian Authority to join the international criminal court were "only damaging moves that take us further from the path to peace," he said.
For Israel's part, Biden said the "steady, systematic expansion" of Jewish settlements on disputed land wanted by the Palestinians moved "Israel in the wrong direction."
"They are moving toward a one-state reality and that reality is dangerous," Biden said, warning that moving in that direction would mean an endless cycle of conflict and retribution.
Biden condemned the bombing of a bus and attack on another in Jerusalem on Monday by "misguided cowards" and offered prayers to the injured and their families.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry echoed Biden's remarks, also addressing J Street's gala. “We will continue to try to advance a two-state solution, the only solution, because anything else will not be Jewish, and it will not be democratic.”
17 apr 2016
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the Golan Heights would “forever remain in Israel's hands,” during a controversial cabinet meeting held in the annexed territory on Sunday.
Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and later annexed it, in a move never recognized by the international community.
Israel’s Channel 2 reported on Friday that Israeli officials had decided to hold a meeting in the area as a gesture of defiance, as world leaders work on drafting an agreement to end the five-year civil war in Syria which calls on Israel to hand back the annexed Golan to Syria.
“I chose to hold this festive Cabinet meeting on the Golan Heights in order to deliver a clear message: The Golan Heights will forever remain in Israel's hands. Israel will never come down from the Golan Heights,” Netanyahu said.
“The time has come for the international community to recognize reality, especially two basic facts. One, whatever is beyond the border, the boundary itself will not change. Two, after 50 years, the time has come for the international community to finally recognize that the Golan Heights will remain under Israel's sovereignty permanently," he added.
Netanyahu said that “many countries in the region” -- without specifying which -- had already recognized Israel’s sovereignty in the occupied Golan Heights, adding that “in the stormy region around us, Israel is the stabilizing factor; Israel is the solution, not the problem.”
The Syrian government condemned “in the strongest of terms” on Sunday the Israeli cabinet’s decision to hold its “provocative” meeting in the Golan Heights, Syrian national news agency SANA reported.
SANA reported that the Syrian Foreign Ministry sent letters to the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling “on the UN and the international community to assume their responsibility in implementing relevant UN and Security Council resolutions and terminate the occupation of the Syrian Golan in accordance with Security Council Resolution 497,” which states that the Israeli occupation of the Golan is “null and void and without international legal effect.”
The Syrian government letters further called on the UN to “condemn all forms of Israeli terrorism against the Syrian people in the occupied Syrian Golan and against the integrity and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic’s territory and people, noting that Israeli policies pose a threat to security and stability in Syria, the region, and the world.”
Al-Marsad, the Arab Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Syrian Golan, estimates that around 130,000 Syrians were displaced by Israel from the Golan during the 1967 takeover, a population that has now grown to around 430,000, many of whom live in areas hit by recent violence in Syria.
The Israeli military tightened the northern border of the occupied Golan last summer, reportedly in effort to prevent access to Syria by Druze living in the occupied Golan who said they would cross the border in order to protect their brethren in the ongoing Syrian civil war.
Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and later annexed it, in a move never recognized by the international community.
Israel’s Channel 2 reported on Friday that Israeli officials had decided to hold a meeting in the area as a gesture of defiance, as world leaders work on drafting an agreement to end the five-year civil war in Syria which calls on Israel to hand back the annexed Golan to Syria.
“I chose to hold this festive Cabinet meeting on the Golan Heights in order to deliver a clear message: The Golan Heights will forever remain in Israel's hands. Israel will never come down from the Golan Heights,” Netanyahu said.
“The time has come for the international community to recognize reality, especially two basic facts. One, whatever is beyond the border, the boundary itself will not change. Two, after 50 years, the time has come for the international community to finally recognize that the Golan Heights will remain under Israel's sovereignty permanently," he added.
Netanyahu said that “many countries in the region” -- without specifying which -- had already recognized Israel’s sovereignty in the occupied Golan Heights, adding that “in the stormy region around us, Israel is the stabilizing factor; Israel is the solution, not the problem.”
The Syrian government condemned “in the strongest of terms” on Sunday the Israeli cabinet’s decision to hold its “provocative” meeting in the Golan Heights, Syrian national news agency SANA reported.
SANA reported that the Syrian Foreign Ministry sent letters to the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling “on the UN and the international community to assume their responsibility in implementing relevant UN and Security Council resolutions and terminate the occupation of the Syrian Golan in accordance with Security Council Resolution 497,” which states that the Israeli occupation of the Golan is “null and void and without international legal effect.”
The Syrian government letters further called on the UN to “condemn all forms of Israeli terrorism against the Syrian people in the occupied Syrian Golan and against the integrity and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic’s territory and people, noting that Israeli policies pose a threat to security and stability in Syria, the region, and the world.”
Al-Marsad, the Arab Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Syrian Golan, estimates that around 130,000 Syrians were displaced by Israel from the Golan during the 1967 takeover, a population that has now grown to around 430,000, many of whom live in areas hit by recent violence in Syria.
The Israeli military tightened the northern border of the occupied Golan last summer, reportedly in effort to prevent access to Syria by Druze living in the occupied Golan who said they would cross the border in order to protect their brethren in the ongoing Syrian civil war.
15 apr 2016
MK Aida Touma-Sliman
A meeting of a Knesset committee held Wednesday debated the issue of segregation between Palestinian and Jewish women in Israeli maternity wards, following media reports and allegations of racial discrimination in Israel’s hospitals, according to a Knesset press release.
A recent report by Israel Radio exposed various Israeli hospitals that segregate Palestinian and Jewish women in their maternity wards -- a policy the hospitals denied, though some acknowledged they accommodate requests by women for separate rooms.
Though not an official policy in Israeli hospitals, testimonies documented by Haaretz describe women being directed to separate rooms either automatically or at their request as “an attractive bonus for those who choose to give birth in a hospital.”
Chairwoman MK Aida Touma-Suleiman of the Joint List said at the committee meeting “the discussion surrounding the phenomenon has exposed a difficult reality -- not only the segregation in hospitals, but the entire issue of segregation based on nationality and race which exists in other places. The health system can and should be an island of sanity.”
She criticized Jewish Home Party MK Bezalel Smotrich’s inflammatory tweets in reaction to the media reports, which said: “My wife is really no racist, but after giving birth, she wants to rest and not have a party like Arab women do after giving birth.”
In another tweet, he said, "It's only natural my wife would not want to lie next to someone who just gave birth to a baby that might murder her baby in another 20 years."
In spite of the outrage the tweets garnered from across the political spectrum, MK Ahmad Tibi, also of the Joint List, pointed out Smotrich merely verbalized already commonly held racist views and “thanked” Smotrich for "placing a mirror in front of the ugly face of Israeli society.”
“Smotrich and his wife have apparently not read Jewish history. I suggest that he go back a few decades, so he’ll know where these words originate from, because in German it sounds more authentic,” Tibi added.
Former health minister MK Yael German of the Yesh Atid party brushed off accusations of racism saying that Israel's health system "is a model of coexistence” and noted that the percentage of Palestinian employees in the health system is higher than in any other government system, "because there is no discrimination in this system.”
For Zionist Camp MK Yael Cohen Paran, segregation came down to business. “The fact that [pregnant] women ‘shop around’ for maternity wards creates a situation where hospitals try to attract them. Hospitals offer private rooms and a private midwife for money. This is what ultimately creates the segregation.”
CEO of the Rabin Medical Center Dr. Eran Halpern defended the ethical soundness of Israel’s medical system as the “cleanest” system in the country, remarking on cases where Palestinian doctors treated Israeli soldiers and Jewish doctors treated “terrorists.”
“Our situation is good,” Halpern said, and went on to favorably compare Israel’s hospitals to those in the United States by saying “a black man in Chicago will not receive the same treatment he would receive at the Soroka or Rabin medical centers.”
Dr. Sigal Taub of the Health Ministry attested to the “homogeneousness” among hospital patients in Israeli hospitals, dismissing allegations of segregation as “false.”
Two other Israeli doctors addressed the committee insisting that separation in maternity wards is not racist, saying that Palestinians also sometimes ask to be separated, and that haredi women might be separated from secular women who have tattoos or speak on their cell phones during Shabbat.
In response, MK Yousef Jabareen of the Joint List said “cultural and social compatibility cannot defend racist positions. A distinction must be made between practical compatibility -- such as religion and keeping the Sabbath -- and racist positions.”
Dr. Lina Qassem from Physicians for Human Rights - Israel (PHRI) said that during her time as an intern at Shaare Zedek hospital she regularly witnessed explicitly racist attitudes among midwives.
“There, women are not called by their names, but are referred to as ‘the Ethiopian,’ ‘the Arab,’ or ‘the Russian.’”
(Palestinian) women from occupied East Jerusalem are treated with "disrespect and prejudice," Qassem added, and are “placed in the corridor, (which has) medical repercussions as well. When a midwife brings an Arab baby to the nursery, workers tell her: ‘What, you brought another terrorist?’”
Tamar Doron, a former nurse and PHRI member told the committee that midwives are instructed to only put Jewish women in the spacious rooms.
MK Touma-Sliman concluded the meeting saying, ”This meeting is particularly important today, when the atmosphere in the country is becoming more and more racist,” calling on the Health Ministry and hospital directors to lead a policy which “respects the state law which forbids discrimination.”
At the end of March, Touma-Suleiman charged other parliament members of using incitement and racism for political gain, referencing a recent poll conducted by the Coalition for the Fight against Racism reporting that 52 percent of Israelis believe Israeli society is becoming more racist.
”If we do not find ways to change this reality, we will find ourselves in a serious problem,” Touma-Suleiman said in her address.
”Unfortunately, there are MKs who use incitement or racism against the Arab population, against asylum seekers, and against other groups within society, only for the sake of political gain and to get more votes.”
A meeting of a Knesset committee held Wednesday debated the issue of segregation between Palestinian and Jewish women in Israeli maternity wards, following media reports and allegations of racial discrimination in Israel’s hospitals, according to a Knesset press release.
A recent report by Israel Radio exposed various Israeli hospitals that segregate Palestinian and Jewish women in their maternity wards -- a policy the hospitals denied, though some acknowledged they accommodate requests by women for separate rooms.
Though not an official policy in Israeli hospitals, testimonies documented by Haaretz describe women being directed to separate rooms either automatically or at their request as “an attractive bonus for those who choose to give birth in a hospital.”
Chairwoman MK Aida Touma-Suleiman of the Joint List said at the committee meeting “the discussion surrounding the phenomenon has exposed a difficult reality -- not only the segregation in hospitals, but the entire issue of segregation based on nationality and race which exists in other places. The health system can and should be an island of sanity.”
She criticized Jewish Home Party MK Bezalel Smotrich’s inflammatory tweets in reaction to the media reports, which said: “My wife is really no racist, but after giving birth, she wants to rest and not have a party like Arab women do after giving birth.”
In another tweet, he said, "It's only natural my wife would not want to lie next to someone who just gave birth to a baby that might murder her baby in another 20 years."
In spite of the outrage the tweets garnered from across the political spectrum, MK Ahmad Tibi, also of the Joint List, pointed out Smotrich merely verbalized already commonly held racist views and “thanked” Smotrich for "placing a mirror in front of the ugly face of Israeli society.”
“Smotrich and his wife have apparently not read Jewish history. I suggest that he go back a few decades, so he’ll know where these words originate from, because in German it sounds more authentic,” Tibi added.
Former health minister MK Yael German of the Yesh Atid party brushed off accusations of racism saying that Israel's health system "is a model of coexistence” and noted that the percentage of Palestinian employees in the health system is higher than in any other government system, "because there is no discrimination in this system.”
For Zionist Camp MK Yael Cohen Paran, segregation came down to business. “The fact that [pregnant] women ‘shop around’ for maternity wards creates a situation where hospitals try to attract them. Hospitals offer private rooms and a private midwife for money. This is what ultimately creates the segregation.”
CEO of the Rabin Medical Center Dr. Eran Halpern defended the ethical soundness of Israel’s medical system as the “cleanest” system in the country, remarking on cases where Palestinian doctors treated Israeli soldiers and Jewish doctors treated “terrorists.”
“Our situation is good,” Halpern said, and went on to favorably compare Israel’s hospitals to those in the United States by saying “a black man in Chicago will not receive the same treatment he would receive at the Soroka or Rabin medical centers.”
Dr. Sigal Taub of the Health Ministry attested to the “homogeneousness” among hospital patients in Israeli hospitals, dismissing allegations of segregation as “false.”
Two other Israeli doctors addressed the committee insisting that separation in maternity wards is not racist, saying that Palestinians also sometimes ask to be separated, and that haredi women might be separated from secular women who have tattoos or speak on their cell phones during Shabbat.
In response, MK Yousef Jabareen of the Joint List said “cultural and social compatibility cannot defend racist positions. A distinction must be made between practical compatibility -- such as religion and keeping the Sabbath -- and racist positions.”
Dr. Lina Qassem from Physicians for Human Rights - Israel (PHRI) said that during her time as an intern at Shaare Zedek hospital she regularly witnessed explicitly racist attitudes among midwives.
“There, women are not called by their names, but are referred to as ‘the Ethiopian,’ ‘the Arab,’ or ‘the Russian.’”
(Palestinian) women from occupied East Jerusalem are treated with "disrespect and prejudice," Qassem added, and are “placed in the corridor, (which has) medical repercussions as well. When a midwife brings an Arab baby to the nursery, workers tell her: ‘What, you brought another terrorist?’”
Tamar Doron, a former nurse and PHRI member told the committee that midwives are instructed to only put Jewish women in the spacious rooms.
MK Touma-Sliman concluded the meeting saying, ”This meeting is particularly important today, when the atmosphere in the country is becoming more and more racist,” calling on the Health Ministry and hospital directors to lead a policy which “respects the state law which forbids discrimination.”
At the end of March, Touma-Suleiman charged other parliament members of using incitement and racism for political gain, referencing a recent poll conducted by the Coalition for the Fight against Racism reporting that 52 percent of Israelis believe Israeli society is becoming more racist.
”If we do not find ways to change this reality, we will find ourselves in a serious problem,” Touma-Suleiman said in her address.
”Unfortunately, there are MKs who use incitement or racism against the Arab population, against asylum seekers, and against other groups within society, only for the sake of political gain and to get more votes.”
11 apr 2016
The Israeli public prosecutor has admitted that the Israeli government is behind the failure to sanction housing projects for the Palestinians in Occupied Jerusalem.
The Israeli prosecution made this admission during a recent hearing held in the district court in Jerusalem, in response to a petition filed by lawyer Muhannad Jabara on behalf of the Popular Center in Beit Safafa town and Ali Brothers' Company.
The petitioners complain that the Israeli authorities unjustifiably refused to approve the housing project for Beit Safafa residents, which is known as Givat Hamatos B, although a similar project, Givat Hamatos A, was approved for settlers in the area.
The prosecution affirmed in its response before the court that that the Israeli government and its institutions obstructed the approval of the project for the Palestinians in Beit Safafa.
Lawyer Jabara explained that he filed a petition against the Israeli ministry of interior and the Israeli municipality after they gave final approval for the project, Givat A, which is adjacent to the land intended for the establishment of Givat B.
He stressed that "blatant racist considerations" were behind the Israeli refusal to approve the housing project for the Palestinian in Beit Safafa, affirming that he would ask the judges to immediately accept the petition.
The Israeli prosecution made this admission during a recent hearing held in the district court in Jerusalem, in response to a petition filed by lawyer Muhannad Jabara on behalf of the Popular Center in Beit Safafa town and Ali Brothers' Company.
The petitioners complain that the Israeli authorities unjustifiably refused to approve the housing project for Beit Safafa residents, which is known as Givat Hamatos B, although a similar project, Givat Hamatos A, was approved for settlers in the area.
The prosecution affirmed in its response before the court that that the Israeli government and its institutions obstructed the approval of the project for the Palestinians in Beit Safafa.
Lawyer Jabara explained that he filed a petition against the Israeli ministry of interior and the Israeli municipality after they gave final approval for the project, Givat A, which is adjacent to the land intended for the establishment of Givat B.
He stressed that "blatant racist considerations" were behind the Israeli refusal to approve the housing project for the Palestinian in Beit Safafa, affirming that he would ask the judges to immediately accept the petition.
7 apr 2016
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A presentation by Nurit Peled-Elhanan. Peled-Elhanan is an Israeli professor of language and education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a human rights activist.
She is a 2001 co-laureate of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought awarded by the European Parliament. |
6 apr 2016
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