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Days of Palestine
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Palestinian citizens denied access to missile shelters, exposing internal apartheid in Israel
DaysofPal – As sirens blared across Israel and missiles streaked through the night sky, most residents instinctively sought cover. But for many Palestinian citizens of Israel, the scramble for safety ended not at the door of a shelter but in front of it, turned away by neighbors and locked out by systems meant to protect them. The recent wave of Iranian missile strikes has laid bare longstanding disparities that leave Palestinian citizens, roughly 21 percent of the population, especially vulnerable during times of crisis. Turned away at the door Samar al-Rashed, a 29-year-old single mother living near Acre, was one of many to experience this exclusion firsthand. When air raid sirens pierced the night, she grabbed her five-year-old daughter, Jihan, and rushed toward their building's bomb shelter. 'I didn't have time to pack anything,' she said. 'Just water, our phones, and my daughter's hand in mine.' But at the shelter entrance, another resident heard her speaking Arabic and physically blocked their way. 'I was stunned,' she recalled. 'I speak Hebrew fluently. I tried to explain. But he looked at me with contempt and just said, 'Not for you.'' Terrified, Samar returned to her apartment and watched from the balcony as missiles lit up the sky. 'It felt like the end of the world,' she said. 'And still, even under attack, we're treated as a threat, not as people.' A system built unequally Though Palestinian citizens of Israel hold Israeli passports, their treatment often falls far short of full equality. Structural discrimination has left many communities underdeveloped, underfunded, and underprotected. Reports have long highlighted severe disparities in infrastructure. A 2022 audit by the State Comptroller found that more than 70 percent of homes in Palestinian communities lacked a reinforced safe space, compared to just a quarter of homes in Jewish areas. Funding for civil defense in Arab towns and villages lags significantly behind that of their Jewish counterparts. This isn't just a matter of neglected planning; it has deadly consequences. In mixed cities, such as Lydd (Lod), where Jewish and Palestinian citizens live side by side, shelter access remains unequal. Yara Srour, a 22-year-old nursing student from the neglected al-Mahatta neighborhood, recounted trying to find safety for her family during one of the heaviest nights of bombardment. 'We went to the new part of Lydd, where there are proper shelters,' she said. 'But they wouldn't let us in. Jews from poorer areas were also turned away. It was only for the 'new residents,' mostly middle-class Jewish families.' Yara's mother, who suffers from chronic knee pain, struggled to walk. 'We were begging, knocking on doors,' she said. 'People just looked through the peephole. No one helped. Meanwhile, the sky was burning.' No protection, no recourse In Haifa, 33-year-old mobile phone technician Mohammed Dabdoob shared a similar experience. After closing his shop amid missile alerts, he rushed to a nearby shelter, only to find it locked. 'I tried the code. It didn't work. I banged on the door and called in Hebrew. No one opened,' he said. Seconds later, a missile landed nearby, shattering windows and sending glass flying. 'There was smoke and screaming. It felt like a nightmare, like the Beirut port explosion,' he said, describing how he hid behind a parked car until the danger passed. When the shelter door eventually opened and people emerged, Mohammed stood silently, watching. 'There's no real safety for us,' he said. 'Not from the missiles, and not from the people who are supposed to be our neighbors.' Citizenship in name only The state's failure to ensure equal protection during wartime reflects a broader pattern of marginalization. Palestinian citizens are often treated with suspicion, policed more harshly during periods of unrest, and sometimes even criminalized for online posts or political expression. 'The state expects our loyalty in war,' said Mohammed. 'But when it's time to protect us, we're invisible.' After witnessing the violence and being denied access to shelter, Samar moved with her daughter to her parents' home in the Galilee village of Daburiyya, where a reinforced room offered some degree of safety. But she is now considering fleeing to Jordan. 'I wanted to protect Jihan. She doesn't know this world yet,' she said. 'But I also didn't want to leave my land. That's the dilemma for us: survive or stay and suffer.' Following the attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that 'Iran's missiles target all of Israel, Jews and Arabs alike.' Yet the disparity in protection and response leaves Palestinian citizens unconvinced. While Palestinians were detained for online reactions or symbols of solidarity, online calls for violence against them went largely unaddressed. Many feel their citizenship is conditional, offered in form but denied in substance. For Yara, who dreams of becoming a nurse, the contradiction is painful. 'I want to help people,' she said. 'But how can I serve a country that won't protect my mother?' Shortlink for this post:
Shafaq News
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iran thwarts Israeli attacks, launches retaliatory strikes
Shafaq News/ Iran's air defenses intercepted Israeli strikes targeting Ahvaz and Tabriz, as both countries escalate their ongoing military confrontation, Iranian media reported on Sunday. Tabriz's Crisis Management Directorate confirmed that Israeli munitions were aimed at railway infrastructure in East Azerbaijan province, which Iran claims was an attempt to cripple key transport routes. 'Our air defenses responded decisively.' In retaliation, Iran's military said it launched precision strikes on what it described as 'residential locations of several Israeli commanders and scientists.' A military spokesperson revealed that the attacks hit 'critical sites and key facilities,' warning that Tehran has an extensive target bank and accusing Israel of using civilians as human shields. Meanwhile, Israeli media highlighted growing concerns over civil defense preparedness. The State Comptroller flagged major deficiencies in shelter infrastructure in Bat Yam, a coastal city near Tel Aviv now under increased threat from Iranian missile fire. The latest escalation began on June 13 with Israel's Operation Rising Lion, which struck Iranian nuclear facilities, IRGC compounds, and research centers. Iran responded with True Promise 3, launching drones and ballistic missiles at Israeli military targets and cities including Haifa and Tel Aviv.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Businessman Morris Talansky, witness in Ehud Olmert trial, passes away at 92
According to the verdict, Talansky transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to former prime minister Olmert over several years. Jewish-American businessman Morris Talansky passed away on Monday evening at the age of 92. Talansky, who also goes by "Moshe," was known for serving as a key witness in the "Cash Envelopes" affair, in which former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was convicted of receiving money illegally while serving as mayor of Jerusalem. According to the verdict, Talansky transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to Olmert over several years. At the trial, Olmert said in 2011 that he denied ever demanding cash bribes from Talansky, and added that the Jewish-American philanthropist's testimony at the trial claiming he lent Olmert tens of thousands of dollars was nothing but a made-up fantasy. Olmert responded by saying he received money from Talansky in the form of campaign donations. Olmert's defense later said in September of that year that the donations from Talansky were legal, after prosecutors alleged that the former prime minister failed to report the donations to the State Comptroller. The indictment said that Talansky gave Olmert the money as a personal loan, which the Israeli leader allegedly stashed away unreported to the tax authority. He was laid to rest in a cemetery in Beit Shemesh, according to Ynet. He was an Orthodox Jew from Long Island, New York. Both he and Olmert jointly founded the New Jerusalem Fund, a charity aimed at raising money for projects in Israel's capital. Yaakov Lappin, Ron Friedman, and Joanna Paraszczuk contributed to this report.
