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Sep 1, 2016
RACISM IN ISRAEL: A DREAM DEFERRED
A Guest Post by Dr. Harold Goldmeier
RACISM IN ISRAEL: A DREAM DEFERRED
Weeks are slipping by since The Honorable Ami Palmor,
Director General of the Justice Ministry, presented a 170 pages damning task
force Report to Prime Minister Netanyahu reflecting the “grim reality” of
racism facing “our dark-skinned citizens.” The Report encapsulates irrefutable evidence
of pervasive institutional racism and insidious daily racial discrimination against
people of color. The inadequate, and in some cases dismissive responses by
government officials and the media to The Palmor Report, only serve to enhance
and glorify charges by BDS advocates and Israel’s other enemies she is a racist
apartheid state.
Palmor describes the investigation as jam packed with “heart
wrenching and hair-raising stories.” Now,
the question is, will anything come of the 53 recommendations made by the multi-ministerial
task force?
Upon receiving the Palmor Report, Netanyahu reassured Palmor
and the Ethiopian public that his administration is moving ahead with “countermeasures
against racism,” since the May 2015 Ethiopian demonstrations and protests
brought the grim reality to light. The task force takes no account of what the Prime
Minister is talking about and the Prime Minister has yet to elaborate.
I was active in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
Like Yogi Berra said, this is “déjà vu all over again.” Whereas President
Johnson introduced and signed into law landmark Civil Rights legislation, there
has been nary a peep about positive plans to implement the recommendations from
Israel’s leaders.
·
The media are giving the
Palmor Report short shrift. None have
yet to publish at least the Executive Summary and Recommendations.
·
I cannot find one quotable
Minister including those at the helm of Justice announcing actions for implementing
pertinent recommendations.
·
Netanyahu has yet to reveal
how his government is “uprooting this phenomenon from our lives.”
·
No leader has been given
power and authority to get things moving.
Government hags promote a puerile hasbara trying to convince the world Israel is not an apartheid
nation, and the State does not deserve to be a pariah in the international
community. But the Palmor Report and
Ethiopian narratives give gravitas to charges about racism and racist behavior endemic
in Israel, and belies the jingoism of white politicians.
Racist violent behavior by police and security personnel is
a focal point of the Palmor Report (and numerous news articles). The Report
went public July 31, 2016. By August 2nd, the police and Security
Minister superciliously and outright rejected the 15 recommendations, nearly 30
percent of the total, directed at the police. Netanyahu ordered them to return
in a week with a better response. Five days later, the police agreed to adopt
nine recommendations, reject three others, and discuss recommendations on Taser
usage, recording interrogations of minors, and disciplinary measures against racist
police officers. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked seems dumbstruck despite evidence
racism and brutality against people of color is rife throughout the police and
security network.
Other government employees seem no more sympathetic to the Report
findings and recommendations.
·
August 3rd, Arutz Sheva reported Sar-Shalom Gerbi,
Chairman of National Service, told Army Radio “there are indeed institutions
that refuse to accept national service volunteers of Ethiopian origin.” Gerbi
refused to name the institutions, and revealed his agency takes no actions against
racist behavior; thus, his office enables and collaborates in perpetuating
institutional racism.
·
A week later, LM Manpower
placed a help wanted ad with a threat that the employer “does not want
Ethiopians,” so better not apply.
·
A Weizmann Institute
professor characterized the police roughing-up a black Tel Aviv restaurant
owner for no apparent reason, as regularly violent and abusing their power
against Israeli’s “who don’t fit the typical Israeli mold (white).”
·
Just prior to release of
the Palmor Report, the Beersheba Regional Labor Council ruled black Ethiopian
rabbis and religious leaders are purposely paid less by the state and white
controlled rabbinical councils for equal work.
Inferences of zero tolerance for racism mean nothing unless
backed-up by deeds. It is time for the Prime Minister to
·
Fire government personnel
who discriminate and exhibit racist behavior if the PM is committed to not
“(tolerating) racism in our state.”
·
Clean house in the police
and security agencies, and instill a mission of sensitivity and tolerance for
racial diversity.
·
Look to adapt and pass landmark legislation
like the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 and subsequent legislation that
initiated a sea change against all forms of discrimination with severe
penalties.
·
Designate within the office
of the Attorney General a proactive Equal Opportunity staff that will seek out
and receive complaints of racial discrimination and have the power to recommend
legal action and initiate punishments to individuals engaging in racist
behavior.
·
Use the Palmor Report as a
game-changer inspiring equal opportunity and a tool for eradicating racism
against all people of color.
Poet and songwriter Shel Silverstein’s words best describe
the value of the Palmor Report: “There’s a light on in the attic. Though the house is dark and shuttered, I can
see a flickern’ flutter, And I know what it’s about. There’s a light on in the
attic. I can see it from the outside, And I know you’re on the inside…lookn’
out.”
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This is very interesting, but when I hit the paragraph about , Chairman of National Service, "revealed his agency takes no actions against racist behavior; thus, his office enables and collaborates in perpetuating institutional racism." I began to suspect the rest of the conclusions.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the writer of the post did not do enough research before accusing others of racism. I heard Sar-Shalom Gerbi the day after he raised this black flag. Contrary to the accusation by the writer, he raised the flag and despite the interviewer trying to get any name, Sar-Shalom Gerbi refused since he admitted that he has no concrete evidence other than stats of some organizations (non-religious and religious) consistently choosing non-Ethiopians despite better Ethiopian candidates. His red flag was to send a message to these organizations that he suspects them and they should know this.
So I'm wondering about the other suspicions in this post about issues I am less aware of and have to take the writer's word...
I'm sorry, Harold, but I fear that a post like this does more to provide further ammo for the de-legimitization organizations it mentions and fears, than it does to motivate our government to deal with issues of racism in Israel.
ReplyDeleteAs a self-professed active in the Civil Rights movement, you should be very much aware of the difference between institutionalized racism and ingrained cultural racism. For instance, while Pres. Johnson took action in the 60s, would you argue that racism itself has been satisfactorily dealt with in the US? I think events of recent years prove that there is still a long way to go... Surely, neither you nor anyone else can expect Israel to abolish racism in a day. Also, the major problem as described here (and as is probably the case) seems to be an ingrained cultural issue, as the institutions you mention are not direct government agencies, but rather government supported, such as national service. The Rabbinate issue is indeed serious, but that one has been addressed.
Additionally, the entire issue of "whites" vs. "people of color" is a little inaccurate in a country where we are all supposedly Semites, i.e. none of us is "white" by strict definitions. The discrimination in Israel goes along cultural/ethnic lines, and goes in all directions - Religious/Nonreligious/Haredi (and intra-Haredi, for that matter), Ashkenazi/Mizrachi/Temani/Ethiopian, and so on.
Despite the media outcry regarding police violence towards people of color, I think most in Israel would agree that the problem is more of a general police violence issue, regardless of color - just ask Har Habayit activists, Gush Katif and right-wing demonstrators, etc., no matter how white their skin. The police in question are also usually not Ashkenazi.
Whenever I read media and op-eds on the "race" issue in Israel, I can't escape the feeling that this is something of a manufactured agenda pushed by certain liberal groups meant more for political gain on the inside, or Israel-bashing on the outside, than for the good of minority groups. Comparisons to, and even mention of, "apartheid policies", which are ludicrous and libelous in the context of Israeli society no matter how you look at it, only exacerbate those feelings.
Cases of clear discrimination should be dealt with within the applied laws. But let's not get histrionical to the point of doing more damage than good.