Report lays bare Israel's great divide

[Karmadillo]

Link to Toronto Star

JERUSALEM—Israelis were given a rare and painful glimpse into the country's most gaping social wound yesterday when a government inquiry concluded patterns of "prejudice and neglect" against Israeli Arabs led to deadly riots nearly three years ago.

The landmark Or Commission report into the killing of 13 street protesters by police fire in October, 2000, criticized security officials for using excessive force, including the use of snipers, to disperse crowds of Israeli Arabs who marched in solidarity with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip at the onset of the current intifada.

In only the fifth probe of its kind in Israel's history, the three-member panel faulted then-prime minister Ehud Barak for underestimating tensions within Israel's Arab minority — one-fifth of the country's 6.6 million people.

Among its sweeping findings, the panel concluded "the state and its various governments failed in dealing with ... the problems of a large minority within the Jewish majority.

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[Violet_Crumble]

1. Barak's considering a comeback...

But seeing as how the recommendations in the report are non-binding, it wouldn't have mattered if they'd recommended he be banned from public service. I was thinking after reading the article that the report's a bit of a slap in the face for those here who've loudly insisted that there's no discrimination against Arab-Israelis, but I suspect they'll just ignore the reports findings and keep on denying it....


Violet...