Over the course of the last month, the Arab community in Israel has seen a sharp increase in threats to their freedoms of speech and association. A series of new steps taken by the Israeli government will allow for continued discrimination and racism against the Arab minority.
Last Thursday, June 23, the Palestinian Authority-funded Musawa TV station was shut down by Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan. Minister Erdan claims that he acted to protect Israeli sovereignty.
“This is not an isolated event but a very troubling step in a larger campaign to restrict the freedom of speech of the Arab community in Israel,” said Jafar Farah, Director of the Mossawa Center. “This is not the first time that the Israeli government and its ministers are using emergency and administrative orders against Arab community media institutions.”
The station operated for six months and was backed by Arab members of Knesset, writers and media personalities. The station broadcasted content, produced in Nazareth and other Arab localities, related to the lives of Arab citizens in Israel.
Joint List Knesset member Yousef Jabareen said of the shutdown, "Minister Erdan is acting like a military governor and working non-stop to silence people and suppress freedom of expression.”
Arabic-language content represents less than 5% of programming on Israeli television stations. Minister Erdan’s order leaves only one local Arabic television station and one local Arabic radio station in Israel. Last year, the Minister shut down the Palestine 48 TV station on the same grounds. In response to the shutdown of Musawa TV, the Israeli Journalists Trade Union has written a letter to Minister Erdan, visible here.
On June 15, the Knesset passed a new anti-terror bill that expands the definitions of terror-related crimes such as “inciting terror” and “praising a terror organisation,” as well as lengthening associated prison sentences. The law also introduces new offenses, such as “negligence in preventing a terrorist act.” Under the new law, making donations to humanitarian groups, supporting any boycott movements or waving a flag can become punishable crimes of terrorism.
Farah said of the new law, “The justice system’s past treatment of Arab citizens shows that the law will quickly become a tool to continue discrimination and institutional racism.”
The bill grants newly-appointed Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman the right to seize money and property from individuals and entities suspected of terrorism-related offenses. Lieberman has a history of targeting Arab citizens in racist statements, backing racist legislation and even pushing for the transfer of the Arab population out of Israel.
The Knesset will soon vote on an NGO funding bill that represents a direct threat to Arab civil society in Israel. The bill would require organisations that receive more than half of their funding from foreign sources to identify themselves as such at the Knesset. The bill would impact 27 NGOs, 25 of which are human rights groups. Many from the Israeli left and civil society fear that this would stigmatize the NGOs as imposing the agendas of foreign powers.
The NGO bill has already been heavily criticized in the European Parliament by the heads of four factions, representing almost half of MEPs, saying the bill could hurt Israeli ties to the EU.
