Protestor in museum pavillion
Photo: Dudu Azulay
Shame on government'
Photo: Dudu Azulay
Druze protest: Give us water
As IDF honors Druze soldiers in official ceremonies, some 200 Druze and Circassians demonstrate in Tel Aviv against purported discrimination of Druze councils at hands of Israeli government
Another development in the Druze community's fight against discrimination: Some 200 members of Druze and Circassian communities demonstrated Thursday in front of the chief of staff's office in the pavilion of the Tel Aviv Museum.
A row of police officers stood guard at the site in order to prevent any violent incidences. They did not, however, need to take action as the event concluded peacefully.
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"It is hot, humid, and sticky here," said Hamdan Mofet of Yanouh village, who was rendered handicapped by a war injury sustained in the Lebanon War. "We are not used to this Tel Aviv heat, but what is a little bit of sweat after 60 years of effort and contribution to the State of Israel?"
The date for the demonstration was not chosen randomly, as the IDF marked Druze Soldiers' Day Thursday. Yet despite this official recognition, water services have not been available to a number of Druze villages for close to two weeks now.
Later Thursday, authorities agreed to renew the water supply to Druze communities immediately.
Riot police stand on guard (Photo: Dudu Azulay)
"I never believed" said Hamdan, "that the Jewish people, who know what it means to be persecuted, would become a persecutor. Once I discovered this, I no longer believe in anything."
Another man handicapped during IDF duty, Hamdan Hamdan, also from Yanouh village, added: "Netanyahu must get in line quickly. We are proud of the Israeli nation and of the Jewish people. We will fight until the end.
"This is brazenness and an embarrassment for the government of Israel. We have proven ourselves in the pact of blood; the time has come for a pact of life. We appeal to every one of the Jewish people to remember what he has been through and to spare us that suffering," Hamdan asserted.
Another demonstrator, Hasbani Mohammed, who lost his eye on the Lebanese border while pursuing a terrorist in 1976, said that he has difficulty financing the Defense Ministry's rehabilitation treatments because he has not received a salary stub for four months.
'Settlements expand as we suffocate'
"They don't want to answer us. We protest in front of the Knesset, in front of the cabinet, all over. They give us answers, send us home as if everything has been sorted out, but nothing happens. We had no choice but to come here on Druze Soldiers' Day. The government of Israel must understand that we will not rest until the very last government minister has heard our case."Spokesman for the Druze and Circassian Authorities in Israel and Marrar Mayor Farid Ganem reflected on the situation of the Druze and Circassian population in Israel with respect to the settlements in the West Bank. "While the government is expanding the settlements, we are suffocating in villages with no income. Millions of shekels are allocated to the settlements in one fell swoop, and we are told there are budget constraints," he said.
"The claim trickling down to the Israeli public that our problem stems from a lack of tax collection (in the Druze sector) is quite simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public," added Ganem. "Even if I charge 100% municipal tax, I will still be in the red. The budget will never make do, and we accumulate loss upon loss. The solution is to get us out of the mud by injecting money in significant amounts."
"If the Israeli government truly cares about the Druze soldiers, then there is no end to official ceremonies. Determined and serious action must be taken to implement full equality in all areas of life in the Druze villages so that the Druze soldier, his father, his brothers, and his sons will truly be honored, and not just in ceremonies. The moment the government of Israel makes do with just ceremonies, it becomes a big show. A ceremony alone is not enough when there is no water in homes. When there is no money for minimal services, what is left to this day other than an absurd façade?" Ganem said.
