The Knesset's Interior Committee discussed Tuesday the recent demolition of homes in the Arab town of Taibeh. The debate was held at the request of Arab Knesset members. The Arab MKs complained that Arab communities in Israel do not receive building permits and that there is discrimination against Arabs in the matter of demolition of homes.
A representative of the Interior Ministry's planning committee for Central Province who attended the discussion said that the building plans for Taibeh were approved a long time ago and that the town has received 8,500 additional housing units.
The Arab MKs are upset over the demolition of 2 (two) structures in Taibeh in December, after the Interior Ministry ordered the illegal houses razed. The locals rioted and several policemen were hurt. The Gilboa Regional Council, which includes Jewish and Arab communities, went on strike for two days to protest the demolitions, and the Council Head, Danny Atar, spearheaded a contribution drive for the rebuilding of the houses.
AK Faina Kirshenbaum (Israel Our Home) said that while she agreed that there were bureaucratic problems involving construction, there was no discrimination of Arabs. “The claims of discrimination are absurd,” she said. “If there was discrimination we would not see the same tough policy vis a vis the [Jewish] communities in Judea and Samaria. Also, the citizens in the communities [of Judea and Samaria] are loyal to their state and serve in the army, and yet their problems of housing and natural growth are not answered. We all need to understand that there are laws in the state of Israel and that all must fulfill it – something the Arab municipalities do not excel in.”