JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday cancelled a plan that would have banned Palestinian labourers from riding on the same buses with Jewish settlers in the West Bank, just hours after it was — an embarrassing about-face that reflected the tensions enveloping Israel’s new government.
The inauspicious start for Netanyahu’s hard-line government illustrated the difficulties that loom as it tries to advance a pro-settler agenda in the face of rising global outrage and domestic criticism.
The reversal came as the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, was in town. The EU has taken a tough stance against settlements built on lands claimed by the Palestinians.
When the bus plan was unveiled, Israeli critics across the political spectrum derided it as racist, with one opposition politician comparing it to “apartheid.” Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, called the plan “unthinkable” and said there had been “great damage” to Israel.
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog branded the idea “unnecessary humiliation that is a stain on the state and its citizens.”
Netanyahu quickly froze the plan. The Israeli PM’s new coalition, which was sworn into office last week, is dominated by settler sympathizers, and the busing plan, launched late Tuesday night on a trial basis, had sought to separate settlers and Palestinians from travelling together through the West Bank.
The plan’s mastermind, Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon, said it was connected solely to security. The settlers had complained of safety concerns and alleged harassment of female riders by Arab passengers.
“Every normal country is allowed, and especially in our security situation, to inspect those who enter and exit,” Yaalon said, denying any racist intentions. “That is what this is about and nothing else.”
But after public uproar spread, Netanyahu told Yaalon it was “unacceptable” and the two decided to freeze the plan, an official in the prime minister’s office said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing internal communications. The official would not say when Netanyahu became aware of the plan or explain why he opposed it.
Palestinian travel
Thousands of Palestinians are permitted to enter Israel for work each day from the West Bank, usually to work in construction and other menial jobs. They typically take Palestinian shuttle buses or private transportation to checkpoints before dawn, and cross into Israel after a security check. But when they return home, they don’t need to go through the checkpoints and many take Israeli settler buses from Israel straight to the West Bank to save time.
The proposed change would have forced them to return home through the same checkpoint they entered and barred them entirely from travelling back on buses alongside Israelis.
“We work on their houses. How do they want to prevent us from using buses?” said Mohammed Shatara, a Palestinian worker from the West Bank city of Nablus, as he crossed through the Eyal checkpoint. “We are human like them and this decision is racist.”
Netanyahu’s quick action reflected Israeli concerns about the country’s image, which already is under pressure after years of stalled peace efforts and continued settlement construction.
“This is how apartheid looks,” said Zehava Galon, leader of the dovish Meretz party.
Rivlin, whose ceremonial post is meant to serve as a moral compass for the country, commended Netanyahu for scrapping the plan.
“It is important we remember that our sovereignty obligates us to prove our ability to live side by side,” he said.
Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war, and Palestinians claim the territory as part of a future state. Some 350,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, alongside more than two million Palestinians. In general, the international community considers the settlements illegal.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald