House rental in Israel: Arabs need not apply

[ProgressiveMuslim]

Jonathan Cook, The Electronic Intifada, 22 March 2010

The Zakai and Tarabin families should be a picture of happy coexistence across the ethnic divide, a model for others to emulate in Israel.

But Natalie and Weisman Zakai say the past three years -- since the Jewish couple offered to rent their home to Bedouin friends, Ahmed and Khalas Tarabin -- have been a living hell.

"I have always loved Israel," said Natalie Zakai, 43. "But to see the depth of the racism of our neighbors has made me question why we live in this country."

Three of the couple's six dogs have been mysteriously poisoned; Natalie's car has been sprayed with the words "Arab lover" and the windows smashed; her three children in school are regularly taunted and bullied by other pupils; and a collection of vintage cars in the family's yard has been set on fire in what police say was an arson attack.

To add to these indignities, the Zakais have spent three years and thousands of dollars battling through the courts against the elected officials of their community of Nevatim, in Israel's southern Negev desert, who have said they are determined to keep the Tarabins from moving in.

Last week the Zakais' legal struggle looked like it had run out of steam. The high court told the two families the Tarabins should submit to a vetting committee of local officials to assess their suitability -- a requirement that has never been made before by the Negev community in the case of a family seeking to rent a home....

read on...
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11151.shtml

[UndertheOcean]

1. Racism is entrenched in "secular" Israel , and it stinks

when the Arab Israelis become a majority , or approach 50% , the region will become the second Lebanon. sadly. There is no light at the end of the tunnel ... the differences between the two peoples are just too much

[shaayecanaan]

2. Probably not...

demographers say that the Arab population is likely to peak at around 35% of the total.

Currently, all major (Jewish) parties in Israel have a firm policy of not forming government with any Arab party. However, presuming that 35% of the population votes and that at least half of them vote for an Arab party, it would be very difficult, in any proportionally representative system, to form a government without them. So it will certainly force some changes.

[UndertheOcean]

3. You are optimistic my friend

I can only see the Lebanese model , were as the Christians edged from majority to minority things just fell apart.

Do you think the Jewish Israelis will easily give more power to Israeli Arabs ? Facts on the ground today do not support that.

[Violet_Crumble]

4. 'Vetting committee'? Discrimination like that in the article is appalling...

There really is a big problem in Israel with bigotry or racism or whatever word people want to give to ugly situations like that...