Upsurge in racism as protesters take to the streets against Arabs, migrant workers
Tel Aviv protesters called on government to deport aliens and refugees, and on local landlords to refrain from renting them apartments.
By Yair Ettinger, Nir Hasson and Ilan LiorJust weeks after several dozen state-employed rabbis ignited a major controversy by issuing a letter calling on Israeli Jews not to rent or sell their homes to non-Jews, and one day after an anti-Arab demonstration in Bat Yam, Tuesday saw two more incidents in the rising tide of hatred and racism that appears to be sweeping the country.
In Jerusalem, police said on Tuesday they had arrested nine members of a suspected youth gang that has been targeting Arab passersby in the center of the city in recent months. Police officials also released information on the arrests, which were carried out over a two-week period.
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The protest against foreign workers and refugees in Tel Aviv's Hatikva neighborhood, Dec. 21, 2010. |
| Photo by: Ofer Vaknin |
The suspects, who are reportedly residents of Jerusalem and nearby settlements, have been released under house arrest until the completion of the investigation.
Meanwhile, in south Tel Aviv, hundreds of residents demonstrated on Tuesday against the presence of foreigners in their neighborhood. Holding signs declaring "We've been afraid long enough, send the infiltrators home," among other demands, protesters called on the government to deport aliens and refugees, and on local landlords to refrain from renting them apartments.
Several dozen right-wing activists who do not reside in Tel Aviv were said to have joined the demonstration as well. (See full story, Page 3 )
Attacks coordinated via Facebook
Police investigators in Jerusalem believe the nine suspects under house arrest had been members of a gang that used a 14-year-old girl to trap their victims. Police suspect that the girl would approach Arab men and ask them to smoke a cigarette with her or take a walk with her. She would then lead them to the gang members, who were waiting to attack.
The gang allegedly assaulted its victims with stones, bottles and tear gas. And the attacks were said to be coordinated though Facebook, text messages and phone calls.
Police believe the youths to be responsible for more than 10 attacks on Arabs in recent weeks. Some of the victims required medical treatment in hospital after being assaulted. Most of the incidents took place on Thursday and Saturday nights.
Police are also investigating the possibility that the gang is responsible for assaulting a tourist, Chilean citizen Jose Toledo, six weeks ago.
In addition to Arabs, or people they thought looked like Arabs, the gang also sought to attack persons they identified as homosexuals, Haaretz has learned.
Though the investigation is ongoing, police officials said they are quite certain that the leader of the gang was a 14-year-old and that the attacks were motivated by nationalism.
According to Haim Shmueli, a senior officer with the Jerusalem District Police who briefed reporters yesterday: "Those involved admit to the allegations against them. Some have also linked their actions with those of others and additional arrests are expected. They did this for nationalist reasons - that's why it involves members of minority groups. Some of the suspects said they were acting out of vengeance because family members had been injured in terrorist attacks. Some of them participated due to peer pressure."
One victim, 21-year-old Annan Yaghmour from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, told Haaretz about the gang's attack on him a month ago. The attack occurred on a Saturday night while he was making his way home with a family member, he said.
"Suddenly a girl showed up and asked me for a cigarette and asked me to go with her," Yaghmour claimed. "I thought there was something odd about it, and I told the boy [my relative] to wait and I went with her. Suddenly I saw two [guys] behind me and eight in front of me. I stopped and said I didn't want to go any further, but as I tried to walk away the two behind me jumped on me.
"I tried to run but one of them tripped me and I fell and then they all began to hit me," he continued. "I tried to tell them that I was Israeli and they shouted 'Where is your ID?' When I couldn't find it they shouted 'Arab, Arab,' and one of them sprayed tear gas in my face."
Yaghmour lost consciousness as a result of the attack and was taken to Hadassah University Hospital in Ein Karem, having suffered injuries over his entire body.
Adam Sabih had a similar story to tell, having fallen victim to an attack on October 31, near the same location as the alleged assault on Yaghmour.
"I was walking in Haatzmaut Park, and was speaking on the telephone with my sister in Arabic," he recalled. "Then someone came along and asked me whether I had a cigarette. I said 'no' and continued walking. Suddenly I saw 20-30 guys wearing kippas [skullcaps worn by Orthodox Jewish men] coming at me.
"They asked me what my name was and I told them 'Adam,'" he continued. "Then they asked me for my last name and I told them 'Sabih.' I had not finished saying it when one of them shouted 'Kill this Arab.' I don't know how God gave me the strength to escape and I ran all the way to King George Street."
"There is law and justice," Annan Yaghmour's father said yesterday. "I am glad they caught them and they need to pay for their crimes. My son was beaten badly and nearly killed. I hope this doesn't happen again. Arabs should not attack Jews, and Jews should not attack Arabs."
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of a time where Jews stood on the receiving end of the racism.
...when they demonstrated in the streets: - against Jewish immigration - against employing Jews - to dismiss Jews and replace them with Arab labor etc. etc. But Hey, that was of course something different !!!
Such kind of behaviour is an example for others to follow then?
no more illusions.
Did they deserve it?
Look at the U.K.,France,Italy and just about every European country,they are at boiling point and it only needs another terror attack and see what will happen. They all sweep their problems under the carpet, hoping they will go away.Keep on appeasing these people and see where it will get you.
See todays main-page article: Residents of small central town fear ultra-Orthodox takeover http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/residents-of-small-central-town-fear-ultra-orthodox-takeover-1.331909 So, once the foreigners are gone, secular Jews will turn against religious ones, etc, etc.
the mistake of an other duzent make yours right.hating someone because of its skin color of beliefs is just not right,even you as a jews must know that.why are you as a jew comparing yourself and even your country with those europeans, those countries did the most barbaric crimes all over the world for many centuries,and still doing so traditionally. it is true that europe doesn't solve hes problems but when you say ' these people' let me remind you that 'these people' were the ones that saved your people many times in history from the countries you like to compere yourself with.
Why in an article as damning as this does the word "terrorist" not appear anywhere, and why say "nationalist" when the English speaking world would understand "racist" much easier?
Israel defines ethnic groups like Jews and Palestinians as 'nations'. You, of course, are correct - Israel is using the Apartheid South African meaning, and in Israel 'nationalist' really means 'racist'.
Help us Lord to remember that the sin of Sodom and Gemorrah was hatred of the stranger, and oppression of the weak. Have mercy.
No one cares about the race of this refugees and aliens, people want them removed because they cause disruption in the daily life of everyday people and for better or worse the goverment doesn't take care of these people
If you believe the drivel that you write - put your name to it.
It's Judaism.
If you ask those bunch of people, they'll tell anti-semitism is a horrible thing. However they are just Jewish versions of anti-semites.
And who knows, in the next decades you will have to decide who's Jewish enought to stay in Israel, if you're 100%, or 75%, or 50% or 25% Jewish. Just like a few Nazi officers did 67years ago, before something we remember as the FINAL SOLUTION. And then maybe YOU will be the next one they ask to live... so ironic.
I live in Tel Aviv. It is not racist to say I want my country to be Jewish. I did not move to Israel to watch my children date Arabs or fraternize with Africans who are seeking asylum but do not really want to live in a Jewish state. Sorry, but this is a Jewish state not America.
so move out to your shtettle.In Jmerinka.And your children will have a full range of pure jewish shmocks.No arabs/africans etc.Plain jewish smell
is racist. Don't you understand the meaning of the word, at all ? You fool.
Brown shirts roamed the streets to beat up anyone looking Jewish. They only wanted to keep their country for their own Volk! Why is thuggery against Jews considered the crime to end all crimes, but thuggery against Arabs or Africans justified??
Oh dear, what you are saying is exactly the definition for racism. Israel was founded to be the home of the Jews as well as of its non-jewish citizens. And if your children date Arabs, Africans or Europeans what is all wrong about it? They are just dating another human... You don't know what racism means.
You now live in Tel-Aviv, but you, your parents or grandparents came here as illegal immigrants according to the British Mandate laws. Care to tell us where your folks came from because surely you're not one of the indiginous people!
No one forced you to come live in a land where the Arabs were living my dear. You want to live in a bubble with Jews only, go to an un-inhabited desert or colonize the moon and procreate like rabbits if you wish
I have never seen such protest in my life: people walking in the street asking to deport others and also not to rent accomodation to people with a different ethnical background. and I thought some citizens in my country were racists....only to discover there is worse somewhere else. I am speechless...let's fight this disease, racism has no place in any sain society
The foreigners are in the country, mostly, illegally. they should not remain.
what about saying also that your country is occupying illegally another territory. same thing applies...you should ask settlers to evacuate and come back to Israel. if they wish to live in the palestinina territories, I guess they need to ask for an authorisation to the PA. that's the legal way.
there's nothing racist about deporting illegal immigrants. Racism against Arab citizens is a different matter, but the issue of reciprocal anti-Jewish hatred is part of the picture. The bigger story here is, as always, that Israel is held to a higher standard and accused of being the most evil country in the world for even the slightest infraction.
Be it against citizens or non citizens. These hooligans were not state actors deporting anyone. They were lynching Arabs! Lynching Richard!!! I can hear you during Jim Crow saying, "blacks hate whites, too". Grow a pair and tell your peers this is WRONG, should never be repeated!
It's unbelievable to see the rise of racism and xenophobia in Israel, and the rather weak response of the general population in trying to curb this cancer. This is not supposed to be tolerated by the Israeli people, a people that has known so much suffering and exclusion throughout their history. Racism is no less despicable than antisemitism. It's about time the Israeli population considered racism as bad as antisemitism, because racism is that bad. There is no excuse for antisemitism. There is no excuse for racism either.
How, when and why did this monster came to life? Who are these criminals' parents? Who educated them? Who spews these people with fascist poison? José Toledo, a Chilean tourist, invited by a married couple of friends to visit them in Israel, survived an attack like this. It has become a state matter in Chile. "In whatever latitude this would occur, the government would call the ambassador". The Israeli ambassdor in Chile was summoned to explain the case to the Chilean government. Chile has always had excellent relations with Israel. But that doesn't mean much if a young man, possibly because "he looked Arab" is beaten, mobbed and attacked. Young Chileans will think twice before visiting the Holy Land, because they may "look Arab" to these fascist monsters. It's so ugly, so bad, so shameful.
duz anyone know where this so called museum is going to build on? answer: on a 12th century cemetery,destroyed a few months ago by israeli bulldozers and IDF . if a european paints on jewish cemeteries with racist graffiti,it is called hate,if the government of israel destroys middle of the night a 12th century cemetery it is called tolerance?