The Mossawa Center’s international team is holding meetings this week with various EU officials to discuss the current issues facing Palestinian Arab citizens in Israel. The team has met with members of the European Parliament from the S&D, Greens, Alde and GUE parties and staff, as well as representatives of the EU Commission, Council and civil society. The team also met with Mr. Nick Westcott, the managing director of Middle East in the EEAS, and Ms. Emma Udwin, deputy head of Commissioner Johannes Hahn’s cabinet as well as members of the Mashreq Maghreb working group at the European Council. During meetings with political groups this week it was agreed that the S&D, Greens, and GUY will upgrade their cooperation with the Arab community political institutions and civil society. Parliamentarians expressed their concern about the suspension of Arab Knesset members and outlawing Arab Civil Society.

An issue of concern brought up in all the meetings is the recent appointment of MK Avigdor Lieberman to the position of Minister of Defense and his previous inciting and racist statements against Arab citizens, in particular his push for transfer of the Arab population.  Following this nomination and the clear movement of the current Israeli government towards the extreme racist, The Mossawa Center calls on the international community to adopt a minority rights protection program for the protection of the rights of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel. Lieberman called in the past to transfer the Community and his party was involved in anti Arab legislations, some of which have been approved.

Arab citizens in Israel are currently facing extreme discrimination from both the government and the Israeli public. The community faces incitement, physical attacks by Jewish Israeli gangs and police officers, discrimination in allocation of government funds, housing and land allocation.  Established laws and recently proposed legislation are shrinking the spaces of the political and civil leadership of the Arab community and their ability to exercise their freedom of expression. Police brutality is a daily fear in the Arab community, more than 53 Arab citizens have been killed. The reality of this fear was recently publicized after the recent incident in Tel Aviv.

The Mossawa Center is bringing the message to EU officials that the Palestinian Arab citizens in Israel must be protected as a national minority. We must also be included in consultation and direct participation in national and regional peace building. The Mossawa center will continue this discussion with EU officials and other regional civil society representatives through the end of the week as participants in the EU organized forum on civil society in the Neighborhood south.