The Government Unit for Coordinating the Struggle Against Racism (GUCSAR) received a complaint claiming that Budget Israel discriminates against Arabs.
According to the complaint, the company sent out an internal email instructing employees to discriminate against Arab customers.
In the email, employees were told, "In recent days, several vehicles were stolen in the south. In addition, several vehicles came back damaged... It has been decided...that we would like to prevent losses and therefore our branches in Be'er Sheva and Ashdod will not rent any vehicles to customers from the Arab sector."
In a letter from the GUCSAR to Budget's management, attorney Evka Zana wrote that "one of the clearest signs of racist behavior is generalization, as a result of that generalization creating a policy of collective punishment. If this is true, the company decided to cease serving the citizens from the Arab public, and to act in a hostile fashion towards them because of their ethnicity. This negative way of relating to Arab citizens, in such a generalized fashion, presents the entire Arab community as problematic, and this collective punishment is inappropriate and racist."
Zana demanded Budget immediately change its policy and end discrimination against Arabs, as well as instruct its employees not to discriminate based on ethnic origin.
GUCSAR also requested Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh open an investigation against Budget, on suspicion that they violated the laws on discrimination.