Marked Arabs

[the latest breakthrough at the Israeli security labs]

Israel Marked Helmets of Arab Workers
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040309/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_marking_arabs_1
Tue Mar 9, 8:37 AM ET

By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM - Israeli Arab workers building a new wing at the Israeli
parliament had their helmets marked with red paint to help security guards
distinguish them from foreign laborers, parliamentary officials confirmed
on Tuesday.

Parliament Speaker Reuven Rivlin ordered the markings removed after
learning of the practice from a report in the Maariv daily. The newspaper
ran a photo Tuesday showing five workers with white helmets, three of them
marked. Two of the workers had simple red lines on their helmets, and the
third bore a large "X."

About 180 workers, including Israeli Arabs and foreigners, are building a
new wing for the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Foreign workers, many from
the Far East or Eastern Europe, are not considered a security threat by
Israel.

Ahmed Tibi, an Arab legislator, complained of racism. "The Jews know who
was marked," he said, an apparent reference to the yellow Star of David
emblems Jews had to pin to their clothes during Nazi rule.

Knesset spokesman Giora Pordes said Arab workers who had not yet completed
a lengthy security check had their helmets marked, while Arabs who had
been cleared wore plain helmets. The markings were meant to allow Arab
laborers to begin work immediately, rather than wait three or four months
to complete the security check, Pordes said.

Israeli Arabs make up about 19 percent of Israel's population of 6.7
million people. In more than three years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting,
tensions between Israeli Jews and Arabs have increased steadily. Arab
citizens of Israel have long complained of systematic discrimination by
Israeli authorities.

Several Israeli Arabs have been convicted of helping Palestinian
militants, though Israeli officials emphasize that such accomplices
constitute a tiny majority.

Pordes confirmed that contractor hired by the Knesset was asked to mark
some of the Arab workers, either by giving them different work clothes or
helmets.

"If someone was hurt than there is nothing to do but apologize. This was
not the intention. The intention was to allow people to work honorably,"
Pordes told Israel Army Radio. "None of them came and said these markings
offended them, please give us a different marking."

Rivlin, the Knesset speaker, said the practice was unacceptable under any
circumstances. "We cannot allow the use of any markings that could be seen
as a differentiation between people on the basis of race, ethnicity and
religion," Rivlin said in a statement.
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