Arabs in Israel | The American Task Force on Palestine

A burning house of God
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Edward Rettig, David Rosen - (Opinion) October 10, 2011 - 12:00am

A burned house of worship, in this case a mosque in the Israeli Arab town of Tuba Zangaria, and a desecrated Arab cemetery in Jaffa, were together an ominous opening to the New Year. To be sure, the responses from the local authorities on up to the prime minister and president Israel have been exemplary.

Ties Between Israel and Arab Allies Fray Over Mosque Burning
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - October 7, 2011 - 12:00am

The founders of this Bedouin Arab village in the Israeli countryside tied their fate to that of their Jewish neighbors even before the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948. Israeli police officers fired tear gas at residents of the village protesting the arson attack.

Ex-Israeli officials: 'Price tag' attacks could start intifada
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
October 6, 2011 - 12:00am

Following a recent increase in 'Price tag' attacks on Palestinian holy sites, former high-ranking Israeli security officials warned of the risk of a surge in violence across the region. The attack this week on a mosque in the village of Tuba-Zangariya in northern Israel, where the interior prayer hall and religious emblems were set on fire, was the most recent in a series of attacks that Jewish settlers label "Price Tag" attacks, signifying payback for any Israeli curbs on settlements in the West Bank.

Israel's Arab citizens: The ones who stayed behind
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by David Green - (Opinion) October 6, 2011 - 12:00am

What is the most serious challenge facing Israel today? There are many contenders for the title, beginning with the price of cottage cheese and on up through Iran’s nuclear aspirations. The authors of two new books, however, would say that Israel’s 1.2 million Palestinian citizens ? their status within the state and their relationship to it, their grievances, the fact that so many Israeli Jews view them as a threat ? comprise the biggest and most pressing problem confronting the country. Both books make a good case for this, though they do it in very different ways.

No lessons learned
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Mohammad Darawshe - October 5, 2011 - 12:00am

For the Arab public in Israel, the October 2000 clashes remain an unresolved case. Thirteen families who lost their loved ones, joined by the entire Arab community, still ask out loud how it is possible that lethal fire was opened on demonstrators yet justice never prevailed. After all, tense, and occasionally violent, demonstrations were not invented by the Arab public: protesters have repeatedly blocked roads in Jerusalem, and settlers in Amona threw rocks at police officers, yet no one ever conceived of ordering sniper fire in response to those actions.

Mosque Set on Fire in Northern Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - October 3, 2011 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — A mosque in an Arab village in the Galilee, northern Israel, was set on fire in the early hours of Monday morning in what police said was an arson attack, and its walls were defaced with Hebrew graffiti. The perpetrators were widely suspected of being Jewish extremists. The fire caused “serious damage” to the mosque in the village of Tuba-Zangariya, according to Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman.

Palestinian prisoners to start hunger strike against worsening condition in Israeli jails
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Mu Xuequan - (Analysis) September 28, 2011 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Palestinians jailed in Israeli prisons are going to start a hunger strike Wednesday to protest against what they call "an escalating series of punitive measures by the Israel Prison Service (IPS)." Beginning this week, the prisoners will go on a hunger strike every Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, together with other forms of disobedience, including refusal to wear prison uniforms or cooperate with any other IPS demands, according to a press release from Addameer, a non-governmental organization working to promote Palestinian prisoners' rights.

Study: One-third of Jewish Israelis say Arab citizens aren’t Israeli
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
September 25, 2011 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- One-third of Israel's Jewish population does not consider Arab citizens of the country to be Israelis, according to a newly released survey. The Israeli Democracy Index 2011 survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute also found that nearly 78 percent of Israeli Jews believe that a Jewish majority should be required for making critical decisions concerning not just peace and security, but also socio-economic issues and issues of governance. The survey showed that some 52 percent do not believe there is discrimination against Arabs in Israel.

Israeli-Arab militant cell held
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
September 15, 2011 - 12:00am

A statement from internal security service Shin Bet said the Israeli-Arabs wanted to attack a police post, as well as a soldier and a policeman. It alleged that the attacks were planned in their village of Daburiyya, just east of Nazareth, in Galilee. A lawyer for the men was quoted as dismissing the allegations. Shin Bet said the men were part of "the Salafist jihadist stream", and had been looking at materials on how to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Israel’s new problem with the Arab Street
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Washington Post
by David Ignatius - (Opinion) September 13, 2011 - 12:00am

The expanding confrontation between Israel and its neighbors has been described variously as a “train wreck,” a “lose-lose situation” and a “political tsunami.” It’s all those things and likely to get worse, for there’s no quick fix by Israel’s ally, the United States.

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