Supreme Court backs Jews-only housing in Jaffa neighborhood

[Violet_Crumble]

Court rejects appeal by Jaffa residents, human rights groups challenging leasing land to company specializing in housing for religious Zionist community.
By Noah Kosharek


The Supreme Court rejected an appeal on Sunday opposing the leasing of land in Jaffa's Ajami neighborhood for the exclusive use of members of the religious Zionist community.

The appeal was brought by Jaffa residents along with human rights groups, in an effort to challenge a decision by the Israel Lands Administration and the Tel Aviv municipality to lease the land in question to B'Emuna, a company specializing in housing complexes for the religious Zionist community.

The Tel Aviv District Court rejected the same appeal earlier this year.

The petitioners said the decision was discriminatory, because it would exclude anyone other than members of the religious Zionist community from purchasing an apartment in the complex, which is situated in a neighborhood where a majority of the residents are Arab.

Israel Zeira, director of B'Emuna, said "Our new neighbors in Giv'at Aliyah, Jaffa, will be surprised and will enjoy their new neighbors who are quite and peaceful."

Attorney Gil Gan-Mor of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said "the decision is disappointing," but he pointed out that the ruling includes statements that will prevent this kind of discrimination from happening again in the future.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/supreme-court-backs-jews-only-housing-in-jaffa-neighborhood-1.323421

[alanquatermass]

1. Jesus H. Christ! This is apartheid!!!

And nothing like it has existed ANYWHERE since South Africa!!!

...Till now.

[oberliner]

2. How so?

This is a private company, isn't it? Not government policy.

[Tripmann]

3. Is the 'government' actively working to prevent and legislate against this?

[oberliner]

4. Apartheid in South Africa was government policy

This is a private company.

[Tripmann]

5. And is this private companys descriminatory practices contrary to government policy?

[arcticken]

7. Stop trying to explain it. They aren't interested in anything

but the propaganda value. I'm looking for a new apartment but have had to forget quite a few because I have a cat, a daughter and smoke. G-dam Apartheid landlords!!!

[Violet_Crumble]

10. It appears you do need to have the concept of discrimination explained to you...

And as even the court accepts that there is discrimination in this case which won't be allowed to happen again, there seems little point in anyone trying to argue that it's not. This isn't about having a pet or smoking. This is about people who aren't members of a specific group not being allowed to purchase an apartment. If it helps you to understand more clearly, think whether you'd be trotting out the cat, daughter, and smoke line if it were in the US and it were apartments being built in a predominantly Latino area and the apartments couldn't be purchased by anyone but white, heterosexual, conservative men. Would you be so quick to try to defend something like that?

[arcticken]

11. I'm not DEFENDING just pointing out the

use of the situation as propaganda in the endeavor to demonize Israel. Discrimination happens everywhere! Israel will be no exception except in the minds of those who would hold it to a double standard so as to demonize.

[Violet_Crumble]

12. Saying 'discrimination happens everywhere!' is defending discrimination...

The 'situation' is discrimination and it's ugly and nasty. Saying it happens everywhere is totally incorrect, as many countries have laws against discrimination based on ethnicity, religion etc.

It's absolutely ridiculous to accuse everyone involved in taking this case to court, as well as the media who reported on it, and anyone who dares to be opposed to people being discriminated against based on their religion or ethnicity of demonising Israel. Israel does a fine job of demonising Israel all by itself, especially with Nutty at the helm...

[Tripmann]

13. Thats right articken, its not the apartheid policies that demonises israel,its the people drawing

attention to those policies.

:rofl:

Oh, and murder also 'happens everywhere'. Doesn't diminish the crime though, does it?

[oberliner]

15. Do reports of murders in other countries make the news internationally?

Generally speaking they do not.

I would also add that the headline is misleading - most Jews are banned as well.

The whole thing is preposterous.

[arcticken]

16. NOT to those who live to demonize

Israel. It is a constant; it's an obvious and relentless/obsessive double standard .

[Ken Burch]

6. hairsplitting.

is the government doing anything to try to stop this?

[Dick Dastardly]

9. See post 8............also

It is not hairsplitting when talking about the difference between the practice of private discrimination and government discrimination. Government sanctioned and promoted discrimination affects the whole of society and is system wide where the private discrimination affects are far more limited. In a democratic society private discrimination may arise not as a consequence of goverment promoted and wide societal acceptance but as a consequence of protected rights.


In the US there are many forms of discrimination that are practiced by private individuals, groups and institutions that are not allowed and or illegal for government or public institutions to engage in. This is because Right or wrong the constitutional rights of these private individuals, groups and institutions protect them in these practices. In the US religious restrictions such as the one in the article are legal. It may suprise you to know that in an owner occupied dwelling with up to 4 units you can discriminate against Race, Color,National Origin,Sex,Religion or whatever else when renting. There are plenty of private clubs and groups that restrict membership the same way as well. There are countless other types that occur in the US and are legal. Sometimes freedom can be a bitch but its better than the alternative and I would rather err on the side of freedom anyday.

[Dick Dastardly]

8. From the article

"Attorney Gil Gan-Mor of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said "the decision is disappointing," but he pointed out that the ruling includes statements that will prevent this kind of discrimination from happening again in the future."

So it seems part of the decision will prevent it in the future. I would assume some legal concept along the lines of ex post facto (after the fact) exempts them or anyone else who built prior to this ruling.


Also while its doesnt make it any less discriminatory the "Jew only" headline while technically true is a little misleading.

From the article

"it would exclude anyone other than members of the religious Zionist community from purchasing an apartment in the complex"

They are not just discriminating against non Jews but against anyone including Jews who are not a member of their religious community.

[shira]

14. Thanks, but none of that matters to the Israel hating brigade. n/t

[azurnoir]

17. and just who on this board would that be? you bring it quite often

so you must have some here specific in mind, otherwise it makes little sense

[shira]

18. Oh, it's definitely not you. You certainly don't hate Israel. n/t

[azurnoir]

19. Your right I do not hate Israel I do however

dislike it's current government and their actions in regard to the OPT

[shira]

20. Since you dislike the current government, what was the last government you found acceptable? n/t

[azurnoir]

21. well seeing as how I do not find any government completely acceptable

I would have to say Rabin's would have come the closest