East J'lem drivers accuse city of 'discriminatory' transit tender

Sixty professional drivers from East Jerusalem recently asked the Jerusalem District Court to withdraw what they consider to be a discriminatory municipal tender for school transit services.

The municipality stated initially that only Israeli citizens with weapons licenses or eligible for such licenses would be considered as drivers. The complainants said the municipality removed the citizenship requirement after the matter was brought to its attention, but the weapons requirement remained in place, making it difficult, if not impossible, for Arab drivers from East Jerusalem to get the job.

No such conditions were set in a tender for transit services limited to East Jerusalem.

"This demand is tainted by serious discrimination, especially regarding transit companies whose owners are East Jerusalem residents and whose drivers are East Jerusalem residents, who do not have Israeli citizenship and, of course, do not carry weapons and are not eligible to get weapons licenses from the Interior Ministry," wrote Tamim Gaber, an attorney representing some of the complainants. "In effect, especially in the city of Jerusalem, only Jewish drivers can carry weapons or be eligible to carry weapons."

The complainants, who have Israeli identity cards but not Israeli citizenship, say the municipality's demands are "unreasonable, disproportional, illegal, dangerous and have no justification."

Municipal spokesman Gidi Shmerling said the tenders were published on the orders of the Education Ministry.

He said the ministry requires school bus drivers to be Israeli citizens and that the weapons license requirement was for buses that drive in the seamline region.

Shmerling noted that the municipality had decided to change the conditions for drivers for East Jerusalem schools, "in light of the special circumstances and needs of Jerusalem."

In addition to the citizenship and weapons requirements, the municipality also requires that drivers have the appropriate licenses, meet transit standards and pass a licensing bureau course on transporting children.

Drivers cannot have a criminal record or any serious traffic offenses on their record.

The complainants said they met every requirement other than the citizenship and weapon eligibility conditions and had driven students for years, including in West Jerusalem, without encountering major problems.

Some of the drivers have worked at the Egged bus company or other bus companies, and said they had never been asked for a weapons license before.

	A photo of residents commuting in East Jerusalem. (Hugh Gordon)