The Haifa District Court ruled yesterday that Arab citizens must be permitted to participate in a public tender of the Galilee city of Carmiel for the acquisition of lots on which to build private homes. The tender has been suspended as a result.
A member of the Carmiel City Council who belongs to the left-wing Yachad party (formerly Meretz) criticized the court's decision, saying it is not good for the city. Yachad leader Yossi Beilin, however, praised the court for its decision, and said, "Yachad will not tolerate in its midst someone who opposes this decision."
A Likud member of the City Council, Pinchas Tzivoni, said that the residents of Carmiel are to blame for ignoring the threat: "The Arabs have a simple goal: to turn Carmiel into a mixed Jewish-Arab city. It's our fault; if we would demonstrate against those who wish to turn the city into a mixed one, the police and the mayor would come towards us. I turn to the residents of Carmiel: Stand up for your rights to keep Carmiel Jewish!"
Yechiel Leket, head of the Jewish National Fund, which owns the land in question, rejected the legal ruling. "The JNF is a private body," he told Arutz-7 today, "that owns 13% of the land in Israel for the Jewish People. This land is not public-owned, but is rather managed by the Lands Authority for the JNF. As such, since it was purchased for the specific purpose of providing homes for Jews in the Jewish homeland, it need not be treated as public land and need not be apportioned in any way other than how the owners wish it to be."
A member of the Carmiel City Council who belongs to the left-wing Yachad party (formerly Meretz) criticized the court's decision, saying it is not good for the city. Yachad leader Yossi Beilin, however, praised the court for its decision, and said, "Yachad will not tolerate in its midst someone who opposes this decision."
A Likud member of the City Council, Pinchas Tzivoni, said that the residents of Carmiel are to blame for ignoring the threat: "The Arabs have a simple goal: to turn Carmiel into a mixed Jewish-Arab city. It's our fault; if we would demonstrate against those who wish to turn the city into a mixed one, the police and the mayor would come towards us. I turn to the residents of Carmiel: Stand up for your rights to keep Carmiel Jewish!"
Yechiel Leket, head of the Jewish National Fund, which owns the land in question, rejected the legal ruling. "The JNF is a private body," he told Arutz-7 today, "that owns 13% of the land in Israel for the Jewish People. This land is not public-owned, but is rather managed by the Lands Authority for the JNF. As such, since it was purchased for the specific purpose of providing homes for Jews in the Jewish homeland, it need not be treated as public land and need not be apportioned in any way other than how the owners wish it to be."