The Mayor of the Israeli city of Netivot, Yehiel Zohar, has barred Arab citizens of Israel and Palestinians from the occupied West Bank from carrying out community service in various institutions, according to a Palestinian rights organization.
The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah) said on Monday that it had sent a letter to Zohar, as well to the municipality’s judicial adviser, Tal Shlomi, asking them to back down from this “racist decision”.
Israeli municipality of Netivot posted a nazi-like announcement banning employment of Palestinians in the town's schools pic.twitter.com/rzz6tMwgrr
— JeruSalem Yahoodi 🇵🇸 (@Looking4Gavin) April 1, 2022
Adalah said that it had also sent the letter to a number of figures and bodies inside the Israeli government.
In a Facebook post on March 30, the municipality said it had decided to stop Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Palestinian citizens of Israel from carrying out community service in various institutions.
According to Adalah, after coming under criticism, the post was edited to remove mention of Palestinian citizens of Israel, leaving only Palestinians from the West Bank barred from such activity.
Two days ago Netivot municipality posted decisions following the latest events. The two highlighted sections say: No work will be allowed in the city's educational institutions for minorities/worker from the Occupied Territories. Later on the section on minorities was dropped.
— Ghada Majadli غادة مجادلة (@GMajadli) April 1, 2022
This is not the first time an Israeli municipality tries to bar Palestinians from community services. Last week the city of Ashkelon reversed a similar order following widespread criticism.
“The decision of the municipality clearly targeting Arab workers over their ethnic affiliation,” Adalah said, stressing:
“This decision is racist and arbitrary as it considers any Palestinian from the occupied West Bank or Arab in Israel as a threat.”
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
