_a.jpg "צילום: אבי מועלם")
Ramla protest. 'Danger to Jews and democracy'
צילום: אבי מועלם
Arabs protest in Ramla, call on mayor to resign
Ramla mayor’s comments continue to cause controversy. 400 protestors including MKs demanded Lavi’s resignation. MK El-Sana says ‘mayor failed, can no longer serve town's citizens’
Four hundred Arab residents protested in Ramla Monday evening against comments made by the town’s mayor last week.
Ramla Mayor Yoel Lavi enraged Arab citizens when he said, in response to the demand of Arab residents that some of the town's street names be changed to Arab names: “"If they don’t like it, they should go and live in Jaljulia (an Arab village), which is an Arab name. What happened, what? Why should I change the name, because Jamal wants to change the name? He should change his Allah."
Among the protesters were three Arab Knesset members, MK Nadia Hilou (Labor), MK Talab El-Sana (United Arab List-Ta'al), and MK Jamal Zahalka (National Democratic Assembly), as well as former MK Tamar Gozansky (Hadash) who spoke before participants.
Arabs from Lod and Akko also attended the rally, along with a small group of Jews.
MK Zahalka told Ynet, “There have been comments like this in the past, but comments like that from a mayor of a mixed city is a very serious matter. Arab residents have to stand up to mayors who wish to destroy their homes and hope Arabs will quietly accept it. The era of silence is over.”
“The main problem is not what Mayor Lavi said, but his policy which strives to push the Arabs in the town and destroy their homes. The Arab residents are citizens and not Lavi’s subjects, and if he doesn’t like it – he should go.”
'Not just racist, but also stupid'
MK Hilou, who also serves as chairwoman of the Knesset's Lobby for Jewish-Arab Coexistence, said that Lavi should take back his comments.“It’s the right of residents to demand that streets have Arabic names and it is his duty to hear those demands. If he doesn’t know he is mayor of a mixed city, he should put down the keys,” she said.
MK El-Sana chose to criticize the ignorance of Ramla’s Arab history. “There are those that are not just racist, but also stupid and unaware of Ramla’s history as an Arab city with an Arab culture,” he said.
“Yoel Lavi and those like him aren’t a danger to Arabs, but a danger to Jews and democracy. I demand the interior minister conduct an investigation and fire him from office, because he failed and can no longer serve all the citizens of his town,” he concluded.
Amongst the few Jews who participated in the protest was a small group of Ta'ayush Arab Jewish Partnership activists. One activist told Ynet, “I am ashamed in the name of all Ramla’s residents that there are barely any Jews here. This is not a subject that only affects Arabs, but all of us, and that’s why I decided to come here.”
Municipality employee Moshe Dabush also attacked the mayor’s words, “Yoel Lavi was born and raised here and left the town after his military service. We, Likud members, brought him here to help Ramla. We demand he take back his comments and I even say he doesn’t belong here. If he wants to create conflict between Arabs and Jews in the town, he should go home.”
