J'lem train company asks passengers: 'Do you mind traveling with Arabs?'
With capital light rail raring to go, operator surveys residents' attitudes.
By Nir HassonJerusalem's light rail project is now in its final phase, with its train cars set to operate within less than a year. Ahead of the scheduled activation, CityPass, the rail system's concessionaire, is conducting a poll to better gauge its public-relations standing among Jerusalemites.
The survey asks residents various questions related to whether they intend to use the new train system. Respondents are asked how they feel about a number of practical issues, such as the planned routes and the measures to make commuting easier.
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The inaugural test ride of the Jerusalem light rail in February. |
| Photo by: Emil Salman |
The two last questions, however, deal with the fact that the train is also slated to serve several stations in Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, including Shoafat, Sheikh Jarrah and others near the Old City.
"The light rail includes three stations in Shoafat. Does that present a problem for you?" the questionnaire asks. In another question: "All passengers, Jewish and Arab, enter the train freely and without the driver's inspection. Is that a problem for you?"
Respondents are asked to indicate their level of concern from 1 (not a concern ) to 5 (very concerning ).
Among those surveyed yesterday was Ofra Ben-Artzi, a left-wing activist and the sister-in-law of Sara Netanyahu, wife of the prime minister. "I told the pollster, 'Imagine this kind of question being asked in London or New York.' It testifies to the level of racism we've reached," she said.
Preparing for the worst
Over the past few years, Ben-Artzi has called to task several French companies involved in the project for building east of the Green Line.
"I tried to confront the company during the project's early stages," she said. "I don't plan on using this train because it passes through the occupied territories, but this questionnaire shows just how deeply they've dug themselves in."
"This survey smacks of racism," said Jerusalem city council member Yosef Alalu. "If you thought all the problems would end once the train started running, now we see the sort of problems that can crop up in the future."
One of the most pressing remaining problems related to the light rail is providing security against potential terror attacks. As it can hold up to 10 more passengers than a bus, the light rail is considered a higher-value target for terrorists.
Sources close to the project, however, have said that because the rail network would serve all residents of the city - both Jewish and Arab - the chance of a terrorist attack is low.
A deal struck between the state and CityPass holds that the Public Security Ministry will be tasked with providing the light rail with security. Government officials close to the project issued a statement saying, "We're pleased to serve public-transportation users in Jerusalem without distinction."
"There is no country in the world dealing with the security problems Jerusalem faces on a daily basis," a response from CityPass said.
"There are questions that arise when dealing with public transportation in Jerusalem - whether it's a bus or light rail - that don't arise elsewhere in the world, and they need to be addressed," it said.
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yes it will increase cost and inconvenience but it is crucial that everyone enjoys equal rights whenever possible........also what should be done next ......bar arabs from buses ? from el al ? how about crowed movie houses? and how are we supposed to check .........id's ? should strict security be enforced? ! should unrestricted service be offered? will that increase cost?yes yes and yes....but it has to be done......it's part of the cost of belonging to the western world
I might have considered the question marginally less racist. Given Israelis have killed far more Palestinians than vice versa over the last 10 years, surely the Arabs have far greater cause for concern. Especially if any settler areas are covered by the train.
This seems racist, is it not?
All those who think it's racist to question whether Jews are comfortable riding trains with Palestinians should be forced to ride trains with Palestinians. Do you have any grasp of reality?
New Zealanders would never have this sort of rubbish - we have Dutch,Irish, English, Scots, Maori, Filipinos, Tongans, Niueans, Samoans, Fijians, Russians, Chinese, Italians, Germans French, Croatians, Serbs, Somalis, Africans of many origins, Koreans, Japanese, and others, all living where they want/can afford, and all travel on the same systems without problems; We wouldn't have it any other way.-David, your comment is pathetic.
If in some other country the question was phrased to ask if riders minded traveling with Jews it is not hard to imagine the outrage that would emanate all the way from Tel Aviv to Washington DC. This is truly sick but is emblematic of the growing Israeli racism.
Jews don't blow up public transport. If they did, the question would become just as relevant as the one we are discussing here.
as a result of their occupation and, land grab, and suppression of these Arabs, that is what I would have added to your sentence.
It seems that the city and company are inciting racism with this questionaire. I can not imagine any other city anywhere conducting a poll like this. It so offensive to ask Jews if they mind riding with Arabs. How would Jews feel if Arab residents were asked if they mind riding with Jews? I wonder what the outcry would be? It is just unbelievable how far your society has sunk.
- the politically correct governments of these cities do not care what the citizens think on sensitive issues. Also, the residents of East Jerusalem are not Israeli citizens and the East Jm area is soon going to be a part of a separately run state. I don't think the citizens or residents of the UK can board the Eurostar train going to France without their identity first checked by the border police.
what an idiot just looking for controversy.
what does it have to do with security to ask one part of Israel's citizens this inciting question - if they "would like to travel with" the "other" part, the Arab Israelis? Nothing at all, there is nothing helpful for security in this. this is more of the horrible demonizing and racist trend taking place in our lovely country, right under our noses, while most of us cannot believe it is possible in Israel. wake up!Most Israeli Jews have become blind to our government's racist policies
All I can do is : raise my hat for you awasha. what concerns me most is that lots of Israelis do not see your point, and still defend all this racism. I as a Palestinian living here with Israelis since 1967, can not believe how blind those same Israelis of the 67 can be so. More concerning is that they still blame us for resisting their inhman occupation, and they accuse this resistance for their demonizing and racist trends.
blow them up?Wanna bet Ben -Artzi doesn't ride buses? Or she thinks because she's on "their side, they will wait till she gets off?
There is a state of war between Israel and the Palestinians, as I understand it. In these circumstances it is normal to have these unpleasant security concerns in a city where the two groups are living in an uneasy relationship ...this is not about that fakery, racism. Of course, if more people started to urge their Palestinian friends to simply surrender to Israel (they have, after all, actually lost the war) and take whatever is offered to them, their lives would start to get better. This is what the Germans and Japanese did in 1945. In 1946 the German and Japanese people were on their way to a better life. Doesn't anyone want a better life for the Palestinians?
Anyone who doesn't want to ride with Palestinians can walk.
Relying on terrorists to not attack the street car lines because some Arabs may be using them is mind-boggling idiocy. Anyone living in Israel knows that Arab terrorists have at times killed Arabs as well as Jews in their terror attacks. Arab terrorists have also pretended to be Jews in the past. The solution is to check everyone at every station, whether in a Jewish or Arab neighborhood. Something similar is used at all train stations - and again anyone in Israel knows that both Arabs and Jews use the trains.
Imagine asking parisians if they mind sharing the metro with Jews. The real face of zionism.
why some object to similar questions as Labhras..? my vote a minute ago only made replies to her post equal. But still why do they not like it, or is the fact that you can not compare the world to JEWS...??? Only Jews are entitled to whatever.... I really feel bad, when thinking of what this may lead to.
These kinds of questions might have been asked in 1960's Alabama or 1970's South Africa, but 2010 in Israel!? It's absolutely shocking. There is something very wrong in Israel.
...like it says in the article, "All passengers, Jewish and Arab, enter the train freely and without the driver's inspection." This will change when they blow up a train. Notice I said "when", not "if".
I'm sure we can find plenty of precedents for surveys like this. Hey, I could tell you which countries and which centuries to look for them. But I have just one quesiton: if the answer is "no", what are the company going to do? Run segretated trains - Arabs, secular Jews, Haredim?
With the amount of Arab suicide bombings in Jerusalem against innocents on buses it is only common sense for the train company to be sensitive to the security needs and concerns of it's passengers. I do not see how this is racist, and in fact I am concerned that passengers are not being screened and inspected before boarding the train.
They are trying to determine which are the best routes and if jews object to traveling with arabs then they will not ban arabs traveling but they will not service palestinian neighborhoods. Logical to work out what routes will be most profitable and how passengers feel about different issues.
When I take the bus in Jerusalem there are also Arabs on the bus, but so what..... The train is slightly different in that the driver doesn't see everyone getting on the train. You can't discount the risks but as 99% of the passengers are just folk what can you do?
You'd think they'd thought of the security issues before they started. Instead they do a customer survey on people's personal racial prejudices when the thing's almost ready to start. What this article doesn't say is that they're not sure the monstrously expensive folly that gives the finger to all who enter Jerusalem, the Calatrava bridge, can support the light rail at all ..... Obviously they are incapable of thinking about anything before they start. It's just a case of muddling through somehow, like everything else.
You have to be kidding me. Is it racist to state the fact that East Jerusalam has produced many terrorists and would-be terrorists? Yet, you bury your head in the sand and build a train system that will directly link this area with Jewish areas? Comparing the situation to "London or New York" is just ridiculous....there is no argument over who owns those cities.
which you seem to forget about DanUK
Is this how the "Jewish democratic state" works?
So the Arab passengers are the insurance policy for the Jewish passengers. I wish we can apply this logic in support of the argument for a single bi-national state.
I would not bet my life on such an insurance. The many suicide bombings in Iraq committed by Muslim terrorists - killing mostly other Muslims - shows that such people have no problem with that..
I wonder if they would also consider asking the palestinians living in jerusalem whether they have a problem with the train traveling through settlements and whether they have a problem with Israelis who carry weapons freely having acces to the train?
Do you mind racism?
really? i mean, really? how delusional can you possibly be? at present, according to the most recent statistics, it would be safer to ride a bus in jerusalem than it would be to drive a car in st louis, missouri at night. not to mention pretty much every african country, many asian ones, a lot of south america and part of europe. but no. JERUSALEM is the most dangerous place on earth because of those stinkin arabs. of course.
Yes, really. There were daily terrible acts of terror in Israel just a few years ago. The fact that security is better nowadays is not because terrorists started to like Israelis more, but because of security measures taken by Israel. Those same terrorists would happily start bombing again if security was loosened.
This lady is in lalaland.There is a war and security concerns.