Rights Report Finds Problems With How Israel Treats Refugees, Non-Orthodox Jews

The United States Department of State's annual report on Human Rights finds problems with how Israel treats its Arab citizens, how it treats West Bank Palestinians, how it seems to ignore or respond slowly to settler violence against Palestinians – and how it treats non-Jewish refugees and non-Orthodox Jews.

 

According to the Forward, the State Department's annual report on Human Rights in Israel found problems with how Israel treats its Arab citizens, how it treats West Bank Palestinians, and how it seems to ignore or respond slowly to settler violence against Palestinians.

But the Forward points out that the report also found problems with how Israel treats non-Jewish refugees and non-Orthodox Jews:

…The newly issued 2010 report on Israel notes multiple human rights issues facing foreign workers and asylum seekers in the country. Citing outside sources in some instances, the report states that:

• Some foreign workers were forced to live in conditions “that constituted involuntary servitude.”

• Laws regarding employment conditions were not enforced for foreign workers.

• The board that processes applications for asylum by refugees recommended granting asylum in just three of 3,211 cases before it between 2008 and 2009.

• Refugees living in Israel were targeted in violent attacks, including a beating in December of three young daughters of African refugees in Tel Aviv.

• Government officials referred routinely to asylum seekers as “infiltrators” in public statements in an atmosphere of increasing public protest against refugees. [In a speech last January, subsequent to the period the report covers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, referring to asylum seekers, “The infiltrators conquered Eilat and Arad, and they are conquering Tel Aviv from north to south.”]

The report also notes instances of discrimination against non-Orthodox Jews. “Many Jewish citizens objected to exclusive Orthodox rabbinic control over aspects of their personal lives,” the report states.…

 

Comments

[martin nerl]

i thought fm reported that civil unions were starting to be performed in israel. what other aspects do the orthodox control? oh i forgot, asking arabs not to sell chametz to jews during passover. never mind. keep up the good work state department

[Edan]

Israel is one of our most important strategic allies in the middle east, if the state department released this, then I must conclude that the violations are too severe and chronic to ignore. My opinion, Israel needs a real bill of rights, and a judicial branch strong enough to enforce them, no matter what the government and police think is right.

[Garnel Ironheart]

However, the State Dep't seems to have no problem with how Syria treats its citizens, or how Jordan denies residency to Jews. Funny that.

[Shmarya]

i thought fm reported that civil unions were starting to be performed in israel.

Only when both partners are non-Jews.

[Shmarya]

However, the State Dep't seems to have no problem with how Syria treats its citizens, or how Jordan denies residency to Jews. Funny that.

Posted by: Garnel Ironheart | April 17, 2011 at 02:23 AM

That is false.

And, even if it were true, it would not justify Israel's mistreatment of non-Jewish refugees and non-Orthodox and secular Jews.

[nobody]

Always the same bullcrap from the state dept.

[jay]

The State dept. report goes into great detail about Syria's human rights abuses. Just because a poster here posts a nonsensical statement doesn't make it true.
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/nea/154473.htm

So far as Jordan- the State dept. goes into excruciating detail about religious discrimination and human rights violations as well. The report on Jews being denied residency was written up in 1988, a year after that law went into effect.

[tooclose2detroit]

Israel cannot absorb tens, and hundreds of thousands of African refugees-financially, and culturally, it will be tremendously strained-America has the same problems with tens of millions of illegal "refugees" from South America and Mexico.

[Dovit]

"Israel cannot absorb tens, and hundreds of thousands of African refugees-financially, and culturally, it will be tremendously strained-America has the same problems with tens of millions of illegal "refugees" from South America and Mexico."

Oh, maybe that's Jordan's excuse.