Israeli Arabs Feel the Squeeze

Not all is well in the Promised Land. Despite Israel’s Basic Law, which declares that all citizens are equal, Israeli Arabs say some Israelis are more equal than others. There is plenty of evidence that the Arabs do not enjoy the same rights as Jews. They say they are being squeezed into enclaves in the north of the country, where resources are scarce and development is limited.

BBC:

After Israel’s housing minister called on Jews to move to the north of the country to stop what he described as “the spread of Arabs” there, the BBC’s Katya Adler reports on the struggle for land in the area.

Sami Salameh has taken me to what used to be his home before the Israeli authorities flattened it.

Metal rods and slices of skirting board are all that’s left, among an expanse of sun-scorched wild grass.

He has brought along some photographs and kicks the earth as he shows them to me. The wiry 65-year-old man is angry and emotional.

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AP / Muhammed Muheisen

Israeli Arabs pray next to the rubble of a market in the northern village of Umm al-Fahm. The market was recently demolished by Israeli authorities claiming it was built without proper permits.