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Civil rights group: Israel has reached new heights of racism
By Yuval Yoaz and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Association for Civil Rights 

Racism against Israel's Arab citizens has dramatically increased in the past year, including a 26 percent rise in anti-Arab incidents, according to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel's annual report.

Author Sami Michael, the association's president, said upon the release of the report that racism was so rife it was damaging civil liberty in Israel.

"Israeli society is reaching new heights of racism that damages freedom of
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xpression and privacy," Michael said. The publication coincides with Human Rights Week, which begins Sunday.

"We are a society under supervision under a democratic regime whose institutions are being undermined and which confers a different status to residents in the center of the country and in the periphery," Michael said.

The number of Jews expressing feelings of hatred toward Arabs has doubled, the report stated.

According to the June 2007 Democracy Index of the Israel Democracy Institute, for example, only half the public believes that Jews and Arabs must have full equal rights.

Among Jewish respondents, 55 percent support the idea that the state should encourage Arab emigration from Israel and 78 percent oppose the inclusion of Arab political parties in the government. According to a Haifa University study, 74 percent of Jewish youths in Israel think that Arabs are "unclean."

The ACRI says that bills introduced in the Knesset contribute to delegitimize the country's Arab citizens, such as ones that would link the right to vote and receive state allowances to military or national service.

They also include bills that require ministers and MKs to swear allegiance to a Jewish state and those that set aside 13 percent of all state lands owned by the Jewish National Fund for Jews only.

"Arab citizens are frequently subject to ridicule at the airports," the report states.

It says that Arab citizens "are subject to 'racial profiling' that classifies them as a security threat. The government also threatens the freedom of expression of Arab journalists by brandishing the whip of economic boycott and ending the publication of government announcements in newspapers that criticize its policy."

Hadash Chairman MK Mohammad Barakeh said that the report "did not take us by surprise and neither should anyone be surprised by it. Its results are the natural consequence of a racist campaign led by political and military leaders, as well as the result of the anti-Arab racist policies implemented by consecutive governments."

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      1.   is sami living n israel or in mars????? 23:45  |  michel 08/12/07
      2.   racism 23:46  |  samuel 08/12/07
      3.   The problem isn`t Israelis, the problem is the reason - terrorism 00:04  |  Yered Shmuel 09/12/07
      4.   Leftists are Israel` number 1 enemy 00:36  |  Joseph E . 09/12/07
      5.   Islam fundamentalism & secular Arabs Authoritarianism regimes 00:49  |  Joseph E . 09/12/07
      6.   The so called light unto nations is sinking fast 01:02  |  Labhras 09/12/07
      7.   What did you expect? 01:08  |  Lars Hansen 09/12/07
      8.   NOBODY HAS TEARS IN THEIR EYES 01:08  |  indrajaya 09/12/07
      9.   Arabs are really unclean 01:13  |  Frank 09/12/07
      10.   Clear movement towards Apartheid status for Israel 01:14  |  Ivar 09/12/07
      11.   Not surprizing at all in view of the terrorism and 01:14  |  Figaro 09/12/07
      12.   What a Load ! 01:22  |  Tod Zuckerman 09/12/07
      13.   Right wing morons will sit in jail 01:24  |  Joe Sittizen 09/12/07
      14.   What good had being pro-German before/during the WW2 brought? 01:30  |  Absolute Sweden 09/12/07
      15.   no excuse for racism 01:32  |  david 09/12/07
      16.   Joseph E 01:34  |  rich 09/12/07
      17.   Arabs are dirty: yes, here they are. 01:34  |  dov 09/12/07
      18.   article sure to be used by our enemies 01:39  |  rich 09/12/07
      19.   act talk like real citizens liked act like terrorists will be hat 01:41  |  ralph 09/12/07
      20.   DIVORCE 01:42  |  Ron 09/12/07
      21.   Israel needs to look deep into its soul 01:53  |  Steve 09/12/07
      22.   Shame on Israel,Arabs love U to death, and what they get is this 02:05  |  Vespucci 09/12/07
      23.   Joseph E. #4: Zionism = Racism 02:05  |  Janet 09/12/07
      24.   # 3 yered 02:06  |  Axel 09/12/07
      25.   Western strategic support will deteriorate as apartheid grows 02:09  |  FZ 09/12/07
      26.   The civil rights movements should look at the bigger for once 02:10  |  zionist forever 09/12/07
      27.   Jewish racism? 02:11  |  Palestinian 09/12/07
      28.   Israel has created a GROSS society which teaches hate. 02:14  |  POP 09/12/07
      29.   Apartheid State 02:21  |  Paulo 09/12/07
      30.   Jews should really stop complaining about anti-semitism 02:30  |  Roman God 09/12/07
      31.   more pungent flatulence from the left 02:48  |  Mark Katzman 09/12/07
      32.   Ism 03:01  |  jjvanka 09/12/07
      33.   What about:The World has reached a new hights of anti-semitism. 03:28  |  Akram Zekaria 09/12/07
      34.   UN Considers Zionism = Racism 03:29  |  POP 09/12/07
      35.   Easy on playing on the Anti-Semitic card in the future, eh? 03:30  |  POP 09/12/07
      36.   Apartheid Attitudes in Israeli Society.. 03:31  |  POP 09/12/07
      37.   Btw, "IslamoFascist" is a Racist Term. 03:31  |  POP 09/12/07
      38.   Question to Haaretz 03:53  |  peter 09/12/07
      39.   You brought it on yourselves, Arabs 03:58  |  Steve 09/12/07
      40.   Interesting, Pop... 04:02  |  Steve 09/12/07
      41.   David in Royal Oak, Michigan 04:20  |  rich 09/12/07
      42.   It is hard to deny 04:53  |  Mark Lincoln 09/12/07
      43.   What about Arab tourists? 05:26  |  Farid H. 09/12/07
      44.   Feckless Leftists 05:29  |  Frank 09/12/07
      45.   The responses here tell the sad tale all too well. 05:49  |  Mordechai 09/12/07
      46.   Indrajaya is Wrong 05:49  |  Ruth 09/12/07
      47.   The Left is not at fault here 06:06  |  Awake 09/12/07
      48.   Racism 06:08  |  Choni Davidowitz 09/12/07
      49.   This report documents a major goal of the movement... 06:09  |  Gil62 09/12/07
      50.   Judging from this talkback... 06:19  |  American Girl 09/12/07
      51.   WHY WOULD ANYONE BE SURPRISED?? 06:19  |  Brant 09/12/07
      52.   its easy to point fingers at you betters ruth 06:34  |  ruth`s angel 09/12/07
      53.   The data is encouraging, however... 06:42  |  Etoile 09/12/07
      54.   Like in all the world.. so what ? 07:10  |  Wajnsztajn 09/12/07
      55.   Arabs Are The Biggest Racists 07:13  |  Ben Israel 09/12/07
      56.   #17 Dov 07:24  |  Allan 09/12/07
      57.   Maybe 4000 rockets on half of Israel last year 07:30  |  Alan 09/12/07
      58.   No Israelis on This Board!!! 07:43  |  Alan 09/12/07
      59.   Editor responsibility 07:43  |  Robert 09/12/07
      60.   Mordechai 07:53  |  Figaro 09/12/07
      61.   30,000+ act of terror commited by Arabs against Israel in 7 yrs!! 07:58  |  Ben Uziel 09/12/07
      62.   to American Girl 08:06  |  Puhi 09/12/07
      63.   American Girl... 08:15  |  ClearCut 09/12/07
      64.   American Girl 08:19  |  northern neighbor 09/12/07
      65.   Israeli Arab Treason against Israel is also up 08:24  |  Nephtaly 09/12/07
      66.   POP. Apartheid is in all Arab & Islamic 08:39  |  Akram Zekaria 09/12/07
      67.   # 4 Joseph you are the face of rascisim 08:43  |  SJ 09/12/07
      68.   not terribly surprising 08:44  |  r.m. 09/12/07
      69.   Everyone Has A Streak Of Racism 08:57  |  Yosemite 09/12/07
      70.   Arab racism 08:58  |  AbuAli 09/12/07
      71.   If a state is narrowly defined 09:01  |  English Resident 09/12/07
      72.   The REAL racists 09:03  |  Michael 09/12/07
      73.   42# Did you ever thought Mr Lincoln ? 09:06  |  Akram Zekaria 09/12/07
      74.   # 69, YOSEMITE 09:26  |  indrajaya 09/12/07
      75.   False Flags 09:54  |  Alan 09/12/07
      76.   Research facts! 10:00  |  Alan 09/12/07
      77.   You`d be welcome Farid 10:15  |  sh 09/12/07
      78.   #24 Axel 10:18  |  Alan 09/12/07
      79.   Mark Lincoln 10:21  |  Sarah 09/12/07
      80.   sounds like it`s "right on the money" 10:31  |  eric 09/12/07
      81.   Israeli "suprem