Not only should the present owner be able to sell his house to whomever he wants to, but if the prospective owners are decent, tax-paying Israeli citizens, they should be able to live wherever they want to, unless and until there is a law to the contrary. Coming from, of all people, Jews, I find this behavior very strange and sad. Are people's memories that short these days?

If Jews moving into an Arab neighborhood are "settlers" who must be evicted, why is the reverse "racism"? If Arabs can buy a house in Lod, why can't Jews buy a house in Um El Fahm?

What does that mean? Maybe these Jews were booted out of an Arab country and don't want anything to do with 'Arabs, of all people' anymore. The article is terrible. The neighbors look like bigots and maybe they are. But what is the background? There is no depth to this story, so we can't understand it.

I, actually, think that it was a mistake to grant Israeli citizenship to anyone other than Jews. Since that is not the situation and whatever constitutes that law should be wiped off the books or obeyed. My saying, "of all people" is based on very early childhood memories, when Jews, my father included, were hauled off; not for what kind of people or citizens they had been, but for just being Jews. There are good people and bad people everywhere, and the distinction, IMHO, is important, if we're to live together.

i'm so proud of these people :) let's face it, who wants an arab neighbour? very few. but many times they don't object because it's not seen as politically correct. i would not want to have a bin laden next door that's for sure.

This comes to show how racist israeli society is. yes, let the palestinians have there own state and lets be good neigbors, but not on my street.

I don't know about the zoning laws where you live, but around here, they don't allow donkeys or camels. On the other hand and not too far from me, some people in a rather upscale subdivision thought their new neighbors, although a bit stand-offish, were fine, hard-working, church-going folks. They believed it until the day the meth lab in their basement blew up the better part of their house, cars included, and shattered 5 people's windows. The perception of "home-based-business" will never be the same in that subdivision.

If Arabs wanted to buy a house in the US, and they were refused, or if the neighborhood protested on the basis of race alone, that would be unconstitutional. Please do not apply those standards to a country like Israel. Israel is all about demographics. When the percentage of non-Jews start to tip into the 40% or so, we can kiss Israel goodbye as a refuge for persecuted Jews. There is a war going on in Israel right this minute and it's about demographics. The Arabs are reproducing at a very high rate and not just because they like children. Israeli Arabs are deliberately marrying Arabs from the PA so as to increase their numbers in Israel proper. They are building up in PA towns that used to be Jewish so as to establish the Arab presence in case of future division of that territory. Israel is all about race. It was created in great part because of racial persecution. And race in Israel has a significance that you won't find in the US. It is, ultimately, about who will own Israel. So, please, do not try to apply politically correct housing standards (that are quite frankly, rather new to the US) to the Jews of Israel. This is about survival.

aided the Hizbollah during the war. when the "neighbors" passed out candies when Jewish citizens were bombed during the last war. when the "neighbors" have been known to engage in terror attacks themselves - for example, driving suicide bombers. 4 years ago a "neighbor" on a bus full of Jews saw a suicide bomber - she got off the bus without calling the police on her cell phone to warn the civilians who got killed. so BY THE ARABS' BEHAVIOR (not their race), this is COMPLETELY JUSTIFIABLE. I assume that all of the people objecting to "racism" also objected to the racism of Sharons plans where "after the year 2005, there will be no more Jews left in Gaza." What no? I assume that those objecting to "racism" object to all plans to expell Jewish "settlers" - after all, people should be able to live where they want ??

Jews can certainly buy a house in Um el Fahm . The question : but do they want ?

Well one of those non Jewish Israelis was recognised as having made a great contribution to the world [ look culture , 4 Israeli scientists....] There are many non Jewish Israeli citizens who contribute very much to the state . Much more as someone who thinks it was a mistake to let non Jews receive the Israeli citisenship .

but here in Chicago especially on the South Side many people don't want Arab neighbors.

I used to live in a neighborhood in an Israeli city where Arab families were moving in. There was so much harassment of Jewish girls and women by young Arab males at the shopping center that the Jewish girls and women could no longer go there in the evening, or feared to, or brought male escorts. I am not saying all the Arabs did this or would do this, but I'm saying some of them did, and that nothing like this happened in the neighborhood before the Arabs started moving in. It's unreasonable to expect Israeli Jews to be totally indifferent to this kind of thing. Equality is a good principle but it does not mean all cultures are the same. In fact, many Israeli Arabs, like Arabs all over the world, hate Israeli Jews (and many other kinds of people) and want to harass and kill them. Hence as a totality Israeli Arabs can make problematic neighbors. This may not be pleasant, but that doesn't make it less of a fact. Try going to a supermarket and being harassed by a knot of young males standing on a corner.

that was the case, this probably would not be a problem. And to my Mexican friend who I hope stays on his side of the boarder. Have you ever seen so very good polls done by the Pew groug on how racist the Mexicans are? It is disgusting. Of all people from a corrupt, drug running country that can't even run a decent economy to come over here and not realize the difference between hard working middle class blacks and the others. Oh, and then there is that crazy group of yours that teachs that the Southwest belongs to Mexico and runs schools in the US, even sneaking in to take over a California plublic school. That so called Mexican Southwest was run by a bunch of rich Spanish landowners who only enslave their own people. Please climb back into your hole with "La Cucarachas" and let your hard working, honest bretheren come here. Obviously, they've had it with the rest of their country.

They would kill me, not demonstrate

It's not politically correct, but many people feel that Arabs would be better neighbors in Jordan.

I have 2 arab families living in my building in an upscale Jewish neighbourhood, no-one cares and we're actually all quite friendly. What's going on in Lod is a freak situation and i'm sure there were 20 demonstrators there from maximum 4 families. The media blows everything out of proportion.

what is the solution? How many Arab Israelis believe in Judaism and what happens, when Arab Israelis outnumber Israeli Jews? If you take religion completely out of the equation, then why call it Jewish homeland and get bent out of shape over a temple? If Israel ends up being just a part of some United States of Palestine, hadn't somebody best stop preaching that it's ok for one bunch to have no goal in life other than to run off and/or kill the other bunch just for being there? I'm trying very hard to understand how it's all supposed to work, but I'm not doing too well. When someone says, "American/US citizen," heaven only knows what all that conjures up. But when you say, "Jew/Israeli," one does tend to see a common thread of 3000+ years of ethnic history that is closely tied to a particular "philosophy" or religion. So, where am I going wrong?

Mexican inmigration seems to be shifting from a desire to improve their economic situation to a downright nationalistic one where they intend to take over whole regions of the States. Americans don't like that so why should Israelis be expected to like Arab takeovers of whole towns.

What's wrong with an Arab neighbor ? Don't you people know that the more Jews and "Arabs" mix, the more tolerant of each other they become ? Are we not sick of the concept of us and them ? Are we not sick of hatred and wars based on race and religions ? Are we still that backward even in the year 2007 ? Come on guys, make peace and let us finish from this endless mess. Or do you guys love wallowing in your own misery ? Why can't you create a system like the American one ? why is everything there is about race ? As I always say, the Arabs are backward, and the Israelis are Arabs with high tech. That is the only difference. So keep it up and keep rubbing off on each other :) Enjoy your misery until the coming of the Messiah so He can kick your asses. And by God you deserve it.

Yes Moshe , and in Bet Shemesh there are some who want separate sidewalks for women .

i dont blame them for not wantingthem as neighbors, if it was me, i would nt want them either. one family here, there, then before you know it, everyone buys. arent there enough places for them arabs to move to? dont they have 23 other nations to go to? would they want jews as neighbors? no, they dont want us either. lets make a deal, they stay on there turf, and we stay on our turf. why incite problems? already we cant trust them to take off farfur on tv, so it is okay for them to invade and breed anywhere thery want to? no i say there is nothing wrong with keeping them out....

I'm sorry to hear about your father, but the kind of racism that you and those Jews in this article are displaying is the same kind of racism that gave rise to Nazi Germany and the terrible things that happened to your father. Discrimination based on race or religion is wrong in any democratic society, even here in Israel. And being that you live in the US and not here in Israel, your opinions on citizenship for non-Jews carry even less weight.

here in Israel arabs don't like to live among Jews and Jews don't like to live among arabs.If arabs want to live among Jews it is because it is better,not because they like. Can be few excptions,of course,but the rule is that one people want to get rid of the other.This is clear.No illusions,no delusions. This is a situation that must be resolved sooner or later. And there are no walls,no disengagement ,no nothing that will resolve the situation if arabs keep living in Israel(green lines,blue lines,yeloow lines,any lines!). Muslimism and Judaism(and,actually Christianism too)can not join each other.It is impossible.The latter wants to deny the first-the origin-and it will be so forever unless each one lives with its own Truth SEPARATED! We,Jews,are back after 2000 years,and this is a Miracle and nobody will take us from here,so they must go!

Good luck to these people in Lod, in trying to keep their neighborhood, THEIRS. We need more new like this!

In all the societies in the world , when people evolue , they have less children . You have seen this anywhere in the world , they all had many children [ many died at a young age ] , and when the infant deaths diminished due to health care , they also began to have less children . The Israeli Arabs are , for many , on the same way , evolution and less children . So i'm not fearing an Arab majority here . Their % of the population will grow , but not so much . This is also a reason to promote Alyah . Of course there is no Israeli Arab believing in Judaism , maybe some converts ? The future ? who knows ? If before 2000 i was thinking that there eventually could be a solution for a solution , after their refusal of Barak's proposals , far reaching , too far regarding our Capital in my secular eyes , and answering with this intifada , i'm more and more sceptical about the future . And with all this , i made Alyah in 2001 , because historically , this country is mine .

Like the American ? aren't there Chinese , Italian or Jewish neighborhoods in your country ? Would you like a very different family as neighboors ? By saying that the Arabs are backwards , you also show a form of racism , and lack of knowledge . If we have to wait for the messiah , we better resolve our problems without him , not everyone believes in a messiah .

I wonder if these bigoted people even like themselves.

are ok with blacks, russians, Jews from Russia, anglos. Just not with our enemies--the arabs.

Its like this we have 'seen' bombings of the twin towers, and in London; we have heard about the cutting off of peoples heads. we have seen kidnappings and violent demonstrations we have seen war in their own muslim country where they turn on each other. And people say have them for neighbors?/ I have a struggle myself when i pass a muslim in the street , the 'anger' I feel towards these people is there , I really have to tell myself not to judge and to take these people on a personal basis , but I struggle because lets be honest as a people they have a 'BAD' reputation. and doesn't God say " If you have to chose between riches and reputation , take the good reputation' These people have a bad reputation and for my kids sake i would be concerned if they were going to live next to me.The Koran forbids them to make friends with a Jew or Christian, so I know that for a start off , so where do we go from there? because unless they were prepared to say their book was wrong how do I know i am not living next door to a potential threat to my family?