'#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/aiming-to-share-palestinian-art-umm-al-fahm-gallery-becomes-israels-first-arab-museum\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=ZjWxp4g0kwYi..6cqaGQ5Hu9iSa0srhBe0I79v9se1U-1746525925-1.0.1.1-Enyr8QFizrvlboHczezyncdXZ8T6kAQHtFhWTKS9t9s" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); © copyrights reserved to The Israel Democracy Institute A contemporary view of Arab society in Israel Data for the statistical report was collected and analyzed by: Dr. Muhammed Khalaily, Dr. Ahmad Badran, Dr. Arik Rudnitzky the co-founder of Umm El-Fahm Art Gallery: “It’s important to understand we’re not actually that different from each other” Yuval Chen Umm el-Fahem Art Gallery’s first exhibitions since being recognised as Israel’s official museum of Arab culture includes Sobhija Hasan Qais’s solo show The Last Supper Courtesy of Umm el-Fahem Art Gallery “I founded the museum in order to facilitate the display, documentation and preservation of Palestinian and Arab culture within the state of Israel, in the right way. But also to allow this culture, which I represent and display, to be a multicultural meeting place within Israel,” Abu Shakra tells The Art Newspaper. “To be curious about each other, to be interested in the culture of the other.” The gallery obtained national recognition by the former Naftali Bennet-Yair Lapid government under the Decision 550 programme. This five-year plan allocated 30bn shekels (around $8.4bn) to strengthen Arab community life, including 360m shekels (around $100m) earmarked for cultural projects including a theatre, acting school and cinematheque. The culture ministry announced a call for proposals, and among others, selected the Umm el-Fahem Gallery with an official announcement in July 2024. The Knesset Appropriations Committee then approved the allocation of 22m shekels (around $6.1m) spread over five years, intended to transition the gallery to national museum standards. “We wove the first strands of a dialogue. I felt that through weaving a dialogue, we could share our humanity, break down barriers and reinforce what we shared in common through art,” Tabb writes in the trilingual exhibition catalogue (a routine practice at the gallery, with texts in Arabic, Hebrew and English). Jbaren adds: “The joint message from Caron and myself is a call for unity, solidarity and peace.” Some of us have feelings of wanting revenge, and hate. This is where art can come in, to rehabilitate these feelings Said Abu ShakraRecounting the Saturday when these exhibitions opened, Abu Shakra says that for the “hundreds of people who came to the exhibitions, both Jewish and Arab, it improved their emotional state and did them good. They said, this is how we want to live in this country, one alongside the other, one together with the other.” It is not always easy to keep going, he admits, and he has also felt personally crushed by this war. “Some of us have feelings of wanting revenge, and hate. This is where art can come in, to rehabilitate these feelings. To show that we can do things differently. Art is a meeting place, a place of dialogue.” focuses on art and culture rather than “catastrophe”— but a section is dedicated to the 1948 mass exodus news4 September 2018Jerusalem museum director blasts Israel’s nation-state lawHead of Museum for Islamic Art says many in the art world are afraid to speak out news25 June 2018New cultural hub set to open in West Bank amid political tensionOmar Al-Qattan explains the many challenges of building an arts space under occupation Umm al-Fahm became the first Arab art museum in Israel Created as a gallery in the town of the same name in 1996 director Said Abu Shakra has developed the gallery into an important space for conversation and reflection you can join Said for a special conversation with Peggy Fogelman director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum moderated by Israeli-American artist Caron Tabb The evening opens with the music of Neta Weiner a Jaffa-based performer who elevates diverse narratives through music and dance Said will give us a look inside the museum and share the story of its creation He’ll also reflect on the life of the museum following Oct for hors d’oeuvres and tours of museum images with Said Israeli police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse Arabs who were protesting against a rally by ultranationalist Kahane supporters in the Israeli-Arab town of Umm el-Fahm on Wednesday escorted the rightwing Jews into Umm el-Fahm ————————————————— All photos were taken by by Oren Ziv/activestills They are posted here with the photographer’s permission Read more from +972 Magazine’s contributors on the reception committee bill Ami Kaufman, Every Jewish community needs its nigger Jerry Haber, Israel’s Arab problem Yossi Gurvitz, The Qa’adan curse Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7 Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives Can we count on your support +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening A historic roof agreement is due to be signed in Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel today the cost of which could reach NIS 800 million This is the first roof agreement in an Israeli Arab town According to the information provided by the Israel Land Authority some 15,000 housing units will be added to the town under the agreement Some 5,300 homes will be sold on state land "The extra investment in infrastructure will total some NIS 800 million Together with approval of the roof agreement pre-finance of NIS 35 million was approved for planning and constructing infrastructure," the Israel Land Authority said in its announcement The infrastructure work will include construction of access roads Among other infrastructure work will be drains Samir Sobhi Mahamid talked of a connection between the housing shortage in Arab settlements and the plague of violence in Israeli-Arab society it's not infrequently a matter of disputes between relatives and also the possibility of obtaining mortgages It will give personal security and reduce the level of violence." Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on September 13 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd Despite all my years of coexistence camps with Jewish Israelis How can there be peace when Israel does nothing to stop the violent attacks against its Palestinian citizens I had just finished my second year at Tel Aviv University and wanted to remain in the city for the summer to work so I applied for a job at a bookshop in Ben Gurion Airport in late June; they needed employees The operations coordinator was impressed with my fluency in Arabic After explaining the requirements of the job so your check will probably take longer than usual.” This came as no surprise to me; after all I have 21 years of experience living in Israel A week later the Israeli offensive on Gaza erupted and I received an email from the coordinator telling me We are not going to hire you for the moment; we will contact you in two weeks when there is a position available.” I never heard from her again I am a U.S.-born Palestinian Muslim living in Israel my great-grandparents lived in the Palestinian village of Al-Lajjun that was depopulated in May 1948 by the Israeli army They fled the village and settled in Umm El-Fahm a town that became a symbol of political resistance for Palestinians living in Israel I grew up in a Jewish town with my family before moving to Umm El-Fahem I was two years old when my parents applied to live in the Jewish town of Katzir; they thought we would have more opportunities there and a calmer environment away from the noise of Umm El-Fahm’s ghettos Their application was rejected; the committee had decided that no Arabs would live in their town My father decided to fight for our right to be treated equally and not to be discriminated against We ultimately won the case and lived there for eight years When I was old enough to understand what Arab and Jewish meant my father told me: “I did this for you because I want you to know you have rights and that no one can take them away from you.” I spent half of my life in coexistence summer camps where Palestinian and Jewish citizens of Israel met to discuss the conflict and tried to find ways of connecting At the core of these camps is the importance of listening to and understanding “the other side” in order to promote dialogue and reconciliation I’ve participated in every possible peace-building project there is My brothers and sister went to an Arab-Jewish school The eldest of them goes to a Jewish boarding school and he just got back from California where he attended a peace-building camp for Palestinians Israelis and Americans called Hands of Peace When I have “discussions” with Israelis about the political situation they inevitably tell me to “go to Gaza go to Syria,” and that I “should say thank you” that they even let me live here Every time I enter into these discussions I am asked to leave my home and to thank my occupier for having me here; I have to be a good Arab – either I say thank you or I remain silent Not even academia is safe. At Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Arab students received death threats hateful slogans were sprayed in dormitories calling for “Death to Arabs Long live Israel.” Numerous Facebook pages have recently been to publish the personal information of Palestinian citizens of Israel who expressed solidarity with Palestine and Gaza; opinions that do not fit the Israeli consensus A campaign was launched to locate Palestinian students from Tel Aviv University who expressed opposition to Israel’s latest assault on Gaza and then have them expelled from the university The fact that these Israeli students felt comfortable enough to target us and threaten our right to education is deeply worrying Meanwhile, in the work place Arab employees are targeted as well; those who called Israel a “terrorist state” and Netanyahu a “war criminal” were fired during Operation Protective Edge. One such person is a medical resident who condemned IDF soldiers for their “massacre in Gaza.” He was suspended from his job in the Israeli media’s coverage of these protests we are always portrayed as violent rioters I think about all my years at those coexistence summer camps about the way I was raised to accept others and respect their different opinions about the vision of peace and living together and for the first time I feel like there is no hope – even the word peace is starting to sound to me like some naive and unachievable utopian idea “Promoting dialogue” was at the core of all those peace camps I attended; we learned that understanding someone else’s pain promotes dialogue that to express your opinion and then listen to someone else’s is called dialogue Unfortunately Israel is proving to be a dialogue-free country and like so many Palestinians living here in Israel How can there be peace when a country that claims to be democratic silences and discriminates against a minority that constitutes 20.7% of the population How can there be peace when this country does nothing to stop the violent attacks against us despite all my years of coexistence camps with Jewish Israelis I’m starting to lose sight of peace; it seems to me it is only moving further out of reach Shadan Jabareen is a 21-year-old psychology and English literature student at Tel Aviv University She is from Umm El-Fahm and currently lives in Tel Aviv but they escaped back into their vehicle and fled the scene identified a man who was sprayed with bullets and forwarded the report to the police station.The victim was a businessman with no criminal record He owned a café and was in the business of selling hookahs which strengthens the suspicion that this is some form of revenge killing The investigation is still in its beginning and no suspects have been arrested yet.Large forces from the Coastal Police District were at the scene as well as forces which are conducting searches for suspects The investigation will be conducted by the Major Crimes Unit in Lahav 433 conducted a situation assessment on Thursday night together with the command staff and representatives of Lahav 433 in which he directed the increase of police presence in various centers in the district through overt and covert forces in order to prevent further incidents."The wounded man was sitting in a car at the intersection while unconscious and suffered gunshot wounds to his body but he was not showing signs of life and his death was determined at the scene of the incident," Senior MDA medic Yarin Harbi recounted."The wounded man was sitting in a car at the intersection while unconscious and suffered gunshot wounds to his body but he was not showing signs of life and his death was determined at the scene of the incident." Supporters of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement celebrate Sheikh Raed Salah's release from prison in 2021 | File photo: Michel Dot Com Seven years after Israel made the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement illegal and a year after members of the faction played a leading role in the incitement that led to riots in mixed cities during Operation Guardian of the Walls former and present members of the group and groups identified with it continue to incite against the state and are involved in fanning the flames among Arab Israelis Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram One of the main centers of the group's activity is the Negev where members played a leading role in the incitement that accompanied the unrest in January Deputy head Sheikh Kamal al-Khatib  called Israel's tree plantings a "continuation of the Nakba," and fiercely attacked Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas for being part of the government who was freed from prison after completing a 16-month sentence for inciting terrorism this time in the framework of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel Salah came to the Negev and declared: "We will live and die on the lands of the Negev We will build our homes on the lands of the Negev and we will bury our dead in the lands of the Negev." who played a central role in incitement at the Temple Mount a year ago and spoke then about the "Nazi Israelis," also promised that "the Israeli and Zionist occupation will disappear from Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem like the Crusaders disappeared from there." He is in tune with the former Mufti of Jerusalem who today is the head of the Supreme Muslim Council one of the most extremist figures in east Jerusalem who in the past indirectly supported suicide bombings Sabri is also Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's man in east Jerusalem and the connection between him and the faction is natural since it once had an "ambassador" in Turkey Al-Khatib was also in contact with one of the main inciters during the May riots the former imam of the Great Mosque of Lod who said: "Israel is not a state of Arab Israelis" and "we must protect the Palestinian land with civil disobedience The ideology of the Northern Branch remains as it was: opposition to Zionism non-recognition of the State of Israel's right to exist and support for and sometimes actively seeking its elimination Leaders of the faction have visited and still visit terrorists who were freed from jail; murderers and their accessories as well as those who planned suicide bombings leaders of the organization and others met with Mahmoud Jabareen from Umm el-Fahm who in 2018 completed a 35-year sentence for murdering an Arab who was suspected of being a collaborator; and Ziad Jabareen who 20 years ago drove a terrorist wearing an explosive belt to the area of Karkur and even guided him as to where to blow himself up a resident of Kafr Kana (where police who came to arrest him in May 2021 were  met with a barrage of bullets) is today the most extreme voice in the Northern Branch He promises that the "Zionist sun will set when the Islamic state's sun rises"; advocates for the implementation of right of return for Palestinians; and promises his listeners that "we are close to returning to our lands." Al-Khatib frequently talks about the future Caliphate with "its capital Jerusalem" at its center and declares: "We are sure that the future belongs to Islam… Islam will control this area." The man who in the past compared Israel to "a louse that nests in the body of the Arab world and sucks its blood" today faces judgement for his part in the May 2021 riots and is accused of identification with a terror organization and sympathy towards or encouraging acts of terror The clearest indictments against him describe his seeming support for Hamas the 1929 riots (in which more than 133 Jews were murdered) Salah was received like a king in his city Umm al-Fahm by people including Mayor Dr who last month even took part in a launch event for a book about the city that was commissioned by the municipality and written by Salah The Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement and its two daughter organizations A total of 17 NGOs across Israel that were connected to the organization were subsequently closed and their bank accounts frozen Security agencies presented the political echelon with evidence that the branch and its offshoots had become an extension of Hamas the government was presented with evidence of the connection between the branch and the Murabitoun and Murabitat movements – men and women who come to the Temple Mount every day to confront and block Jewish visitors – and  evidence that members of the group intended to rent a hotel and maybe even to buy a building close to the site from which to manage their inciteful and provocative activities and even host Arab Israelis who would then be available to instigate disturbances on the Temple Mount The faction has been the main troublemaker on the Temple Mount over the years: 25 years ago the movement and Salah rented two large underground mosques on the Temple Mount: the Marwani Mosque at Solomon's Stables in the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount and "Ancient Al-Aqsa," underneath the more familiar upper Al-Aqsa These two mosques were established with blatant contempt for the legal Israeli authorities who were at the time prevented from enforcing the law at the Temple Mount Salah also planned to fill dozens of empty water cisterns on the Temple Mount with water from the Zamzam Well in Mecca who calls himself the "Al-Aqsa Sheikh," sought to upgrade his status and the holiness of the site and put it on the same level as Mecca and Medina Saudi Arabia and Jordan succeeded in preventing Salah from carrying out his plans Now it's becoming clear that the faction – sometimes nearly in the open and sometimes using aliases An investigation by Israel Hayom reveals that the branch's focus of activities was and remains the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque for hundreds of thousands of Arab Israelis from the Galilee and the Triangle region outside northern Israel to Friday prayers at Temple Mount mosques Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories which is identified with Mansour Abbas's Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement Northern Branch members are still active in transporting people to the Temple Mount through the Qadisiyyah NGO (which is named after the famous battle in which the Muslims defeated the Persians in 636) The second way is by assimilating into the Southern Branch's transportation enterprise police have detained former members of the Northern Branch on suspicion of illegal activities involving Al-Aqsa but they identified as members of the Southern Branch the police were forced to "believe" them and let them go Another field in which current or former members of the branch are active is education The Lavi organization reveals here for the first time a program at the University of Hebron an institution that is identified with Hamas The program operates on Fridays and Saturdays and its registration offices are in Rahat and Segev Shalom One of the coordinators who runs the registration offices is Sharif Abu Hani a teacher and imam at the Al-Hassan Mosque in Rahat who is responsible for the Faculty of Sharia at the Hebron program who works to attract Arab Israelis to the program in Hebron notes in his publicity that the university nurtured Kamal al-Khatib and Raed Salah the preachers and the leaders of our people." The program's Instagram page says that its goal is to "provide an opportunity to residents of occupied Palestine [Arab Israelis] to deepen their connections with their brothers in the West Bank and with their heritage through the study of Arabic and Islamic jurisprudence." But there is no need to go as far as Hebron University In Umm al-Fahm itself at least three schools identified with the Northern Branch are active was formerly the head of the Umm al-Fahm chapter of the Northern Branch Fuaz also runs the Bashaer Elkher Alahalya NGO He took the children from his school and NGO to the reception marking Salah's release in which they shouted: "With spirit and blood we will take Palestine back." Two other schools identified with the branch are the Alahliya elementary and junior high schools Ayman Suleiman recently posted on his Facebook page a film to mark Salah's release in which there was reputedly inciteful content including pictures of disturbances and stone-throwing until the fall of the "Israeli occupation." notes that the film goes on to "praise Salah and for his stay in Israeli prison." The principal of Atid Junior High also took part with his students in the reception for Salah following his release from prison (Lavi complained about this to the Education Ministry and the Israel Police) Additional evidence of the organization's ongoing activity comes from information collected by Dr head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University Supporters of the Northern Branch continue to print Al-Medina which occasionally interviews Salah and Al-Khatib and one of the founders of the Islamic Movement prior to its split Al-Medinah is even proud of the fact that while Israel has banned the movement's activities authorities have not managed to reduce its grip on the public or the principles on which it is based – first and foremost which is also identified with the Northern Branch Salah himself was received with open arms by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel where he has a role as "Head of the Committees of Spreading Peace in Arab Society." Salah is also active in conflict resolution in the Hebron and Nablus areas He has visited the Hassan Bek Mosque on the Tel Aviv promenade as well as the mixed cities and the unrecognized Bedouin village of Al-Araqeeb and continues to say that "Al-Aqsa is in danger" ("anyone who makes concessions regarding Al-Aqsa condemns himself to suicide") Salah is more reluctant to attack Mansour Abbas and Ra'am  Salah and his supporters continue their dawa activities – communal educational and religious activities – which in several cases have been outlawed by the Israeli courts as a way of forming an infrastructure for future terrorist acts for groups like Hamas or the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine supporters in Wadi Ara organized a gathering to commemorate deceased Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and even inaugurated a mosque in his name in Kfar Kara The faction also renovates old Muslim cemeteries the leader of the murderous gangs who operated in the land at the start of the 20th century (after whom Hamas' military wing is named) is buried the Trust and Reform Party (Al-wafaa wal-islah) has been active for several years It also identified with members of the Northern Branch Milshtein notes that its name is similar to the name that Hamas used when it ran in the Palestinian Authority elections – "Change and Reform." which campaigned against Arab Israelis participating recent elections was founded after the Northern Branch was outlawed Many of its leaders are from that branch – party chair Sheikh Hasem Abu Leil from Kafr Ein (an encampment close to Nazareth) 2; and two senior researchers at the Center for Contemporary Studies a research institute that has operated in Umm al-Fahm since 1988 and is identified with the Northern Branch – Dr Hassan Tzanallah and Professor Ibrahim Abu Jaber; as well as Shahi Nejeidat the Northern Branch's former legal counsel The state has not stopped the activity described here Security officials claim that some of them are not illegal there isn't enough evidence for them to act Or they claim it's better to let the activity go on in the open to keep even more dangerous things from taking place underground it's completely clear that former members of the illegal Northern Branch are back in action without facing any real obstacles "I know there's a lot of responsibility on me In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom the American commentator discusses US-Israel relations Greta searched tirelessly for her brother Walter A man she knew said he had seen him during.. Analysis  Archaeology Blogpost Business & Finance Culture Exclusive Explainer Environment Features Health In Brief Jewish World Judea and Samaria Lifestyle Cyber & Internet Sports Diplomacy  Iran & The Gulf Gaza Strip Politics Shopping Terms of use Privacy Policy Submissions Contact Us The first issue of Israel Hayom appeared on July 30 Israel Hayom was founded on the belief that the Israeli public deserves better more balanced and more accurate journalism [contact-form-7 id=”508379″ html_id=”isrh_form_Newsletter_en” title=”newsletter_subscribe”] who worked night and day to save Beitar Jerusalem I will make every effort to save Beitar and enable it to return to a path of victory.” Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images Police fire teargas at youths who pelt them with stones as far-right Israeli activists march through Arab city Most troubled harvest yet has seen attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinian farmers and trees The annual olive harvest has been hit by an upsurge in violence this year and Sports Committee last week debated a bill that would grant the Shin Bet intrusive powers in the country’s education system the law would authorize the Shin Bet to conduct a background check on every new hired school teacher monitor their statements in classrooms and on social media and even fire them and revoke their teaching certificates which unifies several versions put forth by far-right Knesset members was framed as a means of “prohibiting the employment of convicted terrorists,” creating the impression that the law would only target a very specific and dangerous group of people the prohibition of employment does not refer only to those allegedly involved in “terrorism,” but also those who allegedly “support” or “identify with” with a “terrorist organization.” Who is considered a terrorist organization the Minister of Defense has the authority to declare any and all groups as terrorist organizations with the entire procedure shrouded in great secrecy the six Palestinian human rights groups that were outlawed as “terrorist organizations” by then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz in November 2021 despite failing to provide any serious evidence The term is bandied about so loosely that, according to the current Education Minister Yoav Kisch, the mass protests that have been taking place against the government for the past half year amount to acts of “terror.” Thus under the terms of the new bill a teacher need not even participate in the Israeli protests to be guilty of wrongful activity — it is enough for them to simply express sympathy with the anti-government movement for the Shin Bet to deem them a “terrorist sympathizer,” and fire them and Finance Ministry have confronted the Knesset committee with the many legal failings in the bill power-drunk parliamentarians sounded determined to simply make adjustments and return the proposal to the legislative track Neither the Education Minister nor the heads of various teachers’ organizations were present at last week’s committee meeting despite the fact that the law deals directly with the conditions for hiring and firing teachers Parents’ and students’ organizations did not raise their voice either Not a single Jewish member of the opposition took the time to come out and defend free Only the Palestinian Knesset members found the time to come and protest the law in the meeting the idea that the government should have control over teachers through the state’s security apparatus has wide support in the Knesset And it’s not just Netanyahu and his fascist friends From the establishment of the state in 1948 up until 2009 Israel granted the Shin Bet the full authority to oversee teachers in the country’s Arab schools This was done through an “open secret” that was practically known to everyone: the deputy director of the Arab Education Division He and his staff were present at hiring committees These things are described in detail in historian Hillel Cohen’s 2010 book, “Good Arabs.” Using unearthed state archives which firmly corroborated the public narrative of Palestinian citizens Cohen described how the Shin Bet compiled a file of every Palestinian principal or teacher which included all of their public statements over the years it is not necessary for everyone to be a collaborator and informer — it is enough for everyone to think that everyone else is a collaborator and informer when Palestinian citizens’ were ruled by a military government 42 teachers — who at the time made up six percent of all teachers in Arab schools in Israel — were fired because “they misused the opportunity given to them to be the educators of the next generation and shapers of its image.” Of course they were not convicted in any court; an arbitrary decision by a military commander was enough The jobs that became vacant were then given to Palestinians who collaborated with the Shin Bet and who excelled in passing on information to the Israeli authorities They didn’t have to be qualified to teach The words were explicitly stated at the officers’ conference of the department in charge of Arab affairs: “Favors that we can give thanks to our connections with the Education Ministry is the employment of teachers and the admission of teaching candidates to [education] courses.” This psychological terrorism was also applied to students Arab students in Nazareth marked the Nakba the dispossession of Palestinians from their homeland in 1948 by holding a silent vigil for five minutes Jewish teachers who worked at the school passed the information on to the Shin Bet The principal of the school was asked to hand over the names of the students and was even told to inform the students that ” it is possible that in two years when they finish school and apply for jobs the government officials who have the authority to decide on giving jobs to the graduates will stand for five minutes in silence in memory of the students’ careers that were lost.”  It goes without saying that the selection of teachers based on their opinions rather than skills and the instillment of fear among principals severely damaged the Arab education system in Israel for decades It suffered from a lack of professional personnel and the undermining of the very concept of education It was only in September 2004 that the Palestinian legal center Adalah petitioned the High Court to end the Shin Bet’s involvement in the Arab education system It became clear that all the trampling and degradation of the education system was done without any legal basis and was carried out only because the Israeli government had the power to do so The petition was not even discussed in court as the Education Ministry announced the cancellation of the Shin Bet officer’s position in the Arab Education Division the Israeli government wants to go back to the old reality Yet far-right politicians have explicitly said that the bill’s intention is not only to police Palestinian society During the first debate of the bill on July 4, Knesset members competed to see who was a bigger fascist one should not wait for them to be convicted of terrorism nor even for criminal proceedings to be opened It is enough for the Shin Bet to find out that the teacher “identifies with terrorism,” and already “the mere fact that he is in a school Fellow Likud MK Avihai Boaron took it a step further there is no need to even wait for intelligence from the Shin Bet: “The director general of the Education Minister can get an impression by what he sees on social media,” he said it is enough for the director general to browse through a teacher’s Facebook page in order to be able to fire them and revoke their certificate MK Limor Son Har-Malech from the Kahanist Otzma Yehudit party accused the targeted teachers of “presenting values in a beautiful way that sounds good but that underneath all these values hides a terrible monster that harms and undermines the existence of the Jewish people.”  During the second discussion on July 18 professionals from the various government ministries explained how unnecessary the proposed law is Representatives from the Justice Ministry argued that it is not possible to demand a comprehensive Shin Bet inspection of all teachers; such a move would have a chilling effect that could stop many from entering the profession it is impossible to exclude employees of the education system from already-existing disciplinary laws which include sufficient grounds for termination of employment such as “behavior that may harm the name of the state service.” An Israeli police representative explained that there is already an automated system in place receive information about state employees who are suspected of committing a crime the relevant ministries can decide whether the reason for the investigation justifies a suspension or termination of employment A representative from the Finance Ministry explained that the law would require tens of millions of shekels for the establishment and management of a brand new database as well as for background checks for 300,000 employees An Education Ministry representative further explained that there is no problem with how the system currently works since those convicted of terrorism are not employed and that the ministry already has the necessary tools to obtain information to deal with the issue The Shin Bet’s legal advisor also deemed the law completely unnecessary saying the agency already has a functioning interface through which it can transfer information that it finds relevant to the Education Ministry “What you are proposing here,” the advisor said No party has ever received open information from the Shin Bet.” Woe to us if the rights of teachers in Israel are being “protected” by the Shin Bet A version of this article was first published in Hebrew on Local Call. Read it here Gil Gertel is an educator and a blogger at Local Call Site developed by     Copyright © Yedioth Internet Police line up as they disperse Arab rioters in Umm El-Fahm | File photo: AP/Bernat Armangue Arab Israelis are constantly conflicted by questions of political and national loyalty as the majority of them have little faith in Israel's law enforcement agencies a survey by Habithonistim–Protectors of Israel a movement of Israeli defense officials advocating for Israel's future security needs With the first anniversary of Operation Guardian of the Walls approaching and against the backdrop of rising security tensions the poll found that 69% of Jewish Israelis are concerned about what the future holds for the Jewish state and 67% believe stricter measures – including fines and the use of live fire – should be employed to prevent riots and friction between Jews and Arabs which examined the Israeli sense of security and governance among a sample of 1,068 Jews and Arabs aged 18 and over further derived that 75% of the country's Arab citizens believe Jews have no right to sovereignty in the land of Israel while only 25% said that they gave this right asked where their loyalties would lie in case of an existential battle between Israel and Arab states 26% of Arab Israelis said they would support the Jewish state and 51% said they would not support any of the warring parties The poll further showed that Arab Israelis place little if any faith in the country's law enforcement agencies: 66% of all Israelis said they distrust the Israel Police Some 71% of Arab Israelis said they have little or no sense of personal safety while 44% of Jewish Israelis said the same As for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's plan to form a national guard to boost public safety the poll found that 66% of the public support the move 37% of whom would be willing to join its ranks in case of riots – a statement echoed by 54% of Jewish Israelis Asked about the 2021 riots in Israel's mixed cities 53% of Arab Israelis and 88% of Jewish Israelis said the root cause was national and/or religious Some 22% of Arab Israelis said they believe the riots were fueled by socio-economic reasons As for which measures should be used to quell such riots Jewish Israelis listed crowd control measures (72%) revoking civil rights and state benefits (70%) and imposing fines and other punitive measures (67%) Only 28% of Arab Israelis named fines and punitive measures as the correct course of action and 20% said they believed revoking civil rights and state benefits would be the most effective measure Regarding the coverage of the violence in the mixed Arabs and in Judea and Samaria 70% of the Jews responded that there was biased coverage in favor of the Arab public 33% of the Arab public also agreed with this statement As for the media coverage of last year's riots in Judea and Samaria and the mixed cities 70% of Jewish Israelis said they think the coverage favored the Arab sector "We are now on the verge of a troubling reality and the wave of terrorism instigated by Hamas from Judea and Samaria – these are all challenges that require us to mobilize in order to reflect this alarming reality." Publisher of Israel Hayom received the prestigious "Druze Community Honorary Award" for her significant contributions toward Israel's security and the.. A shoulder-fired LAW was launched a vacant residential apartment in Kiryat Ata in northern Israel The Nova massacre survivor Mia Schem gave an interview to Channel 12 revealing that she was the one who approached.. You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed מציין בחיוב שהשוטרים הגיעו לבני ברק בלי שהם נושאים נשק חם . כך צריך. היום באום אלפחם בהפגנה אזרחית נגד הפשיעה השוטרים הגיעו חמושים עד הצואר. כולל נשק אוטומטי.וצעיר נרצח באום אלפחם במרחק מאות מטרים מההפגנה. pic.twitter.com/grimj2ogQS Create an account for a 7-day trial to access this article and all of AL-Monitor For subscription inquiries, please contact subscription.support@al-monitor.com For all other inquiries, please use contactus@al-monitor.com Surprised BBC Anchor Slammed for Pro-Hamas Stance by Arab Guest Mohammad Kabiya:"Firstly, I want to respond to those who just spoke here..." 💥WATCH pic.twitter.com/4IsEttSxbc the hometown of two Arab assailants who killed two Border Police officers in a shooting attack in Hadera this week resigned on live television Thursday after the city issued a statement of condolences to the families of the attackers only to walk back his resignation hours later By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org When the producers of a new film starring Al Pacino were looking for a safe Middle East site to shoot a few scenes in which Pacino plays an American journalist who comes to the region to report on the Lebanon-based Hezbollah had originally planned to shoot in the picturesque town of Ba’albek in Lebanon’s Beka’a Valley the cast and crew was moved to Umm el- Fahm protesting land expropriation by the Israeli military rioted in one of the most serious confrontations ever between police and Israeli Arabs the Umm el-Fahm region became the site of fires Five Israeli Arab youths have been detained on suspicion of arson And although Mayor Ra’ed Salah Mahajneh gave the green light for the filming some local influentials had expressed some reservations because they were concerned that the movie would insult Islam Pacino spent time this week interviewing the actor playing the leader of Hezbollah in his makeshift Umm el-Fahm command The star of “Serpico,” “Dog Day Afternoon” and “Scent of a Woman,” who was expected to leave the country by the end of the week stayed at the Dan Caesarea Hotel under a false identity Not because he was afraid of zealots from Umm el-Fahm but because he wanted to avoid the hysteria of Israeli fans JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008 Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published I accept the Privacy Policy Furious over police violence and inaction in the face of armed gang violence tens of thousands of Palestinian citizens of Israel protested in the town of Umm al-Fahem on Friday This is the eighth consecutive Friday in which Palestinians who make up 20 percent of Israel's population have taken to the streets to protest against the proliferation of crime in their towns and villages 16 Palestinians have been killed in armed clashes or as a result of criminal activity in various incidents The organisers called on protesters to wear masks and maintain social distancing during the demonstrations The crowds were a sea of Palestinian flags Previous protests have been met by Israeli police with violence rubber-coated bullets and tear gas. Last Friday In an attempt to stop protesters, who travelled from across the country, from reaching the demonstration, Israeli police closed parts of Road 65 near Umm al-Fahm in the Wadi Ara region, according to Kan news. Protestors have previously disrupted traffic and closed Road 65 which is a vital highway that connects the coast with Israel's eastern regions.  a Arab Joint List MP and resident of Umm al-Fahm told Middle East Eye that protests will continue until Palestinians feel safe in their towns Jabareen was wounded during last Friday’s protest.  and we all can become victims of the crimes and armed gangs' “Umm al-Fahm now provides a successful answer to the violence of police who act weakly against criminals but act brutally against demonstrators,” Jabareen said “We demand a genuine plan to get rid of the crime and gangs [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's announcements lack appropriate solutions in education Umm al-Fahm is the biggest Palestinian town in the Wadi Ara area Palestinian activist Murad Hadad told MEE that he travelled from north Israel's Galilee area to participate in the protest Haddad said nearly 40,000 people were present at the demonstration The Israeli police and authorities are not doing their role to protect the life of Palestinians inside Israel.  and we all can become victims of the crimes and armed gangs," said Haddad He said that Palestinian citizens of Israel are forming campaigns in their villages to raise awareness among residents that "we have no choice but to go in the streets and to resist" we are being targeted by Israeli authorities that remain idle and inactive in rooting out the crime If these criminal acts happened inside Jewish neighbourhoods police action will be different towards crime," he said told MEE that the protest is a chance for Palestinians in Israel to make their voices heard "We are out in the street to demand our basic rights to live and to feel secure," Jabareen said "The Israeli police use violence to oppress us but not to protect us from crime thousands of people from all ages and backgrounds came from the Negev because the criminal acts and armed gangs have profilerated in our towns." In February, thousands of Palestinian citizens of Israel demonstrated in several towns against the killing of a young man during an Israeli police shootout with masked gunmen in the village of Tamra In October 2019 the Palestinian community and its representative in Israel's parliament launched a mass car convoy driving slowly on one of the country’s busiest highways bringing it to a near standstill in protest against Israeli police inaction over the spread of crime.  During that year, 91 Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed as a result of a violent crime, while 47 Jewish Israelis were killed in similar acts, according to newspaper Haaretz Copyright © 2014 - 2025. Middle East Eye Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters Middle East Eye          ISSN 2634-2456