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Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz. (Flash 90)
Last update - 23:42 07/08/2007
Colored tags for Arabs' luggage at Ben Gurion airport discontinued
By Zohar Blumenkrantz and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Ben Gurion airport 

Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz announced on Tuesday that Ben Gurion International Airport security would no longer mark the luggage belonging to non-Jews with colored tags, in order to spare these passengers embarrassment.

Instead, Mofaz explained, the luggage of non-Jewish passengers will be stamped with the same color sticker as the Jewish passengers, only with a different number. In the past, the color of the sticker on the passenger's luggage would indicate to airport security personnel the level of security check they must administer.

This practice mainly affected Arab passengers.
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The security checks at Ben Gurion have been denounced by many in the Arab sector as degrading. "We're talking about frequent degradation of Arab passengers, which causes great anger and frustration," MK Nadia Hilou (Labor) said in January, adding, "I won't leave this subject alone until it has been resolved."

Though the colored stickers have been discontinued since the beginning of August, the luggage belonging to Arab passengers still undergoes a more thorough security check than that of Jews. The Arabs' luggage is sent to an X-ray scanner with higher resolution.

According to Transportation Ministry spokesman Avner Ovadia, "the institution of uniformly colored stickers for all passengers aims to prevent a sense of discrimination among various sectors."

Ovadia added that the numbers on the stickers indicating a more comprehensive security check will change periodically in order to prevent the identification of Arab passengers, and thus prevent a feeling of discrimination.

However, an Arab resident of Nazareth who frequently flies out of Ben Gurion airport said he had no trouble at all identifying the marked luggage. "This is the exact same system, with a slight change in stickers. In the past, an Arab passenger would receive a red sticker, and now the Arab passenger receives a sticker with the number 5 on it," the man explained.

Mofaz presented to local authority heads from the Arab sector a plan to minimize the gap between the treatment of Jews and non-Jews and to promote equality. The plan was presented at a conference held at Haifa University.

The proposal was formulated by a public committee charged with examining the policies of the Transportation Ministry regarding the non-Jewish public. The proposal recommends cutting back the security check process applied to non-Jewish passengers, in accordance with general security instructions. The plan also suggests that over NIS 200 million be invested during each of the next five years in municipal projects involving the non-Jewish sector.

Mofaz also adopted a string of projects in the infrastructure realm, aimed at relieving hardships currently facing the non-Jewish population. These projects include the construction of a light train connecting Haifa and Nazareth, two cities with relatively high Arab populations.

The transportation minister intends to bring the committee's proposal before the cabinet for approval.

Hilou, who vowed to remain in contact with the Transportation Ministry until the issue is resolved, welcomed on Tuesday the initiative aimed at improving the service provided to Arabs. "The trend toward dialogue is welcome, and it must continue. However, I am still receiving complaints. Not all the problems have been solved," she said.

According to a report by the Nazareth-based Arab Association for Human Rights, security officials at airports often discriminate against Arab passengers.
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  1.   How many Jews have blown up or hijacked an aircraft? 18:08  |  Nannette 07/08/07
  2.   Political correctness run amok 18:15  |  pace306 07/08/07
  3.   compromising security 18:15  |  PC 07/08/07
  4.   Sad commentary on a sad government... 18:20  |  common sense 07/08/07
  5.   dumb 18:34  |  Oren 07/08/07
  6.   Nanette #1 18:43  |  Omar 07/08/07
  7.   Common sense 18:50  |  Danite 07/08/07
  8.   It`s about time 18:52  |  Israeli guy 07/08/07
  9.   about bloody time 18:54  |  Mike 07/08/07
  10.   Dumb leaders 19:09  |  Jon 07/08/07
  11.   Smoke and Mirrors 19:13  |  Tim 07/08/07
  12.   The price we pay for safe flights... 19:14  |  David 07/08/07
  13.   Actually, Israelis above... 19:18  |  Omar 07/08/07
  14.   Discrimination had good side-effects 19:28  |  Armand 07/08/07
  15.   David in Hartford 19:33  |  Omar 07/08/07
  16.   Nanette : All Jews are not zionists 19:34  |  Armand 07/08/07
  17.   Omar,you`re not making anybody a favor by going to Ben Gurion.You 19:46  |  Absolute Sweden 07/08/07
  18.   Ben Gurion Airport Security 19:48  |  Tim Enarson 07/08/07
  19.   AIRPORT SCREENING 19:50  |  SAM 07/08/07
  20.   #1 none - and we didnt do 9/11, Kobar, USS Cole ect either 19:52  |  pace306 07/08/07
  21.   It`s not the check itself but the way it was carried out 19:53  |  Rami 07/08/07
  22.   Train from Nazareth to Haifa is a great idea 19:54  |  Rami 07/08/07
  23.   Airport Security 20:12  |  Jan van Mil 07/08/07
  24.   it`s sad that was even implimented in the first place 20:32  |  Matt 07/08/07
  25.   #16 20:37  |  Matt 07/08/07
  26.   It`s not fair to say 20:50  |  Chill People 07/08/07
  27.   #19 Matt - NO aircraft leaveing LOD has blow up 21:03  |  * BEN JABO 07/08/07
  28.   #5 Israeli Guy 21:07  |  * BEN JABO 07/08/07
  29.   Well done Nadia Hilou! 21:32  |  Dafna 07/08/07
  30.   I do agree Arab Christians shouldn`t have to... 21:35  |  Stephanie Anderson 07/08/07
  31.   pace306 21:41  |  Omar 07/08/07
  32.   Omar and statistics 21:49  |  Jacob Blues 07/08/07
  33.   Omar Hello 21:50  |  Danite 07/08/07
  34.   You know what`s offensive to me, Omar? 21:53  |  Jacob Blues 07/08/07
  35.   Self Correction Needed by One Good Leader? 21:57  |  Have Some Decency! 07/08/07
  36.   You know what`s more disgusting Matt? 21:57  |  Jacob Blues 07/08/07
  37.   Unfortunately Matt, women and children are checked 22:01  |  Jacob Blues 07/08/07
  38.   #20 Name Calling DOESNT CHANGE FACTS 22:02  |  pace306 07/08/07
  39.   NOT TRUE ACCORDING TO ANOTHER REPORT 22:40  |  Arik Silverman 07/08/07
  40.   Armand 22:41  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  41.   Israelis with no manners 22:43  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/08/07
  42.   A NEW ENTITY THE IBF IS FORMED 22:44  |  paul harris 07/08/07
  43.   Worst treatment of all in Frankfurt 22:51  |  Yasmin 07/08/07
  44.   just like tagging jews with yellow stars in the old days 23:14  |  mehmet 07/08/07
  45.   remember yellow star tags ? cool ? 23:17  |  mehmet 07/08/07
  46.   Armand 23:22  |  Hannah 07/08/07
  47.   Quit whining Omar 23:28  |  Fish 07/08/07
  48.   Good Idea 23:33  |  Mark Lincoln 07/08/07
  49.   airport screening 23:34  |  r 07/08/07
  50.   Back to the future 23:36  |  Realistic Arab 07/08/07
  51.   Adopt Arab standards 23:58  |  Chick 07/08/07
  52.   An embarassment 00:13  |  Me 08/08/07
  53.   #35 Mehmet - Nazi comparison 00:17  |  Jon 08/08/07
  54.   #35 Jews Don`t Blow Up Planes 00:21  |  Semsem 08/08/07
  55.   #13 Armand Most Jews Support Israel 00:24  |  Laila 08/08/07
  56.   Outright discrimination 00:33  |  Moe 08/08/07
  57.   Voice from Inside 00:36  |  Dany 08/08/07
  58.   airport security personnell : such a disgrace ! 00:37  |  Sara 08/08/07
  59.   Tim 8 01:23  |  ChanahS 08/08/07
  60.   Airport checks 01:26  |  ChanahS 08/08/07
  61.   to Nannette: WHO IS BLOWING UP PALESTINIAN HOUSES AND 01:36  |  nobodysacred 08/08/07
  62.   What about United Nations Staff? 01:40  |  Gabriel 08/08/07
  63.   #32 Re Israelis with no manners 02:02  |  Labhras 08/08/07
  64.   #1 Well actually they`ve blown up a large number.. 02:07  |  Don Camillo 08/08/07
  65.   #44- Ah, so you admit there is a state of war between Israel and 02:10  |  DC 08/08/07
  66.   Ban so called "Arab Hannah" 02:44  |  Abu Bim Bam Salaam 08/08/07
  67.   Nannette - an answer 02:45  |  Mark Lincoln 08/08/07
  68.   #44 Semsem says "Jews don`t blow up Planes" 02:48  |  Johnboy 08/08/07
  69.   To the editors of Haaretz 02:50  |  Mark Lincoln 08/08/07
  70.   Special checks for `non-Jews` 02:58  |  Gilad 08/08/07
  71.   Don Carmillo 03:01  |  Mark Lincoln 08/08/07