Couple ‘smoked out’ of moshav
Local residents carry out threats against non-Jewish couple wishing to rent home in Galilee moshav; landlord cancels contract with couple after house set on fire, calls attack 'sheer racism'
One of the rooms in the house was set on fire last Thursday, after the couple, Hayman and Christina Khatib, received threats by local residents folowing their decision to rent a home in the religious, Upper Galilee moshav.
Tiberias Police Chief Ilan Sardel said the attacks were of a racist nature due to the husband's ethnicity.
At first, Tefahot residents received Christina with open arms when she arrived at the moshav to look for a home, assuming that she had just made aliyah. After finding out that she was in fact a Christian from Romania, and her husband a Druze from the Galilee, residents began making threats.
“The moment they found out he was Arab, the threats began,” Christina said. “They informed me that they wouldn’t accept the young children to the kindergarten, and they wouldn’t allow them on the school bus.
“One of the neighbors said rocks would be thrown at us, and another neighbor threatened to burn down the house with the children in it,” Christina added.
The two violent attacks on the house prompted its landlord to cancel the contract she had signed with the Khatibs. “This is sheer racism. The moshav wants to supervise which people live in it,” the landlord said.
Moshav council chairman Yenon Sheleg dismissed the landlord’s comments.
“The landlord lives in Herzliya and wants to tell us who can enter our moshav. There are religious residents in the moshav, and we want to live in tranquility. I offered her to sell the house, but she wants to cause us problems,” Sheleg said.
The Israel office of the Anti-Defamation League issued a statement condemning the incident.
"We condemn this hateful attack. None of us can afford to be bystanders in the face of this kind of blatant bigotry and violence. We commend the Tiberius police for taking it seriously and we anticipate a prompt and thorough investigation. All communities must speak out and teach our children that hate against one is hate against all.
“Perpetrators of hate crimes send a message to their victims – and everyone else who shares the victim's characteristics – that minorities are not welcome or safe. We strongly condemn this intolerance.”
