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1. Revealed: Israeli-Arab Hizbullah Cell had Bombs, Guns
by Maayana Miskin
Police and the Shin Bet have nabbed an Israeli-Arab terrorist cell affiliated with Hizbullah. The cell was holding many weapons, including powerful bombs and M-16 rifles.
The bombs were smuggled into Israel from Lebanon, and were intended for use in terrorist attacks within Israel.
A total of 12 people were arrested in connection to the affair, and eight have been indicted. The case was initially under a gag order.
Most of the suspects are drug smugglers from the town of Ghajar in the north and terrorists from the Nazareth area in the Galilee. Some of the suspects from Ghajar apparently believed that the weapons they were transporting were drugs.
The detainee accused of bringing the bombs from Lebanon to Israel is a 17-year-old drug dealer from Ghajar. He has admitted to meeting four Lebanese drug smugglers, receiving packages from them, and bringing them to Israel, but has denied intentional involvement in terrorism.
All in all, drug dealers in Ghajar brought in 20 kilograms of C4 explosives.
An older suspect from Ghajar, 37-year-old Shaban Mohammed Hatib, is suspected of knowing that the packages were sent by Hizbullah. Hatib was in contact with Lebanese man George Nimer, a known Hizbullah member, regarding the transfer of the packages out of Ghajar.
The man suspected of transporting the bombs out of Ghajar is school bus driver Moussa Azzam Kassem Hatib, 35. He is believed to have delivered the bombs to Arafat Biyumi of Nazareth on June 11 of this year. Biyumi, 22, then delivered the bombs to Faraj Zoabi, 27, of Nazareth.
“This affair demonstrates, yet again, the tight times between Hizbullah and Lebanese drug dealers,” Shin Bet commanders said. It also shows that Hizbullah “acts like a crime organization,” they added.
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by Maayana Miskin
Police and the Shin Bet have nabbed an Israeli-Arab terrorist cell affiliated with Hizbullah. The cell was holding many weapons, including powerful bombs and M-16 rifles.
The bombs were smuggled into Israel from Lebanon, and were intended for use in terrorist attacks within Israel.
A total of 12 people were arrested in connection to the affair, and eight have been indicted. The case was initially under a gag order.
Most of the suspects are drug smugglers from the town of Ghajar in the north and terrorists from the Nazareth area in the Galilee. Some of the suspects from Ghajar apparently believed that the weapons they were transporting were drugs.
The detainee accused of bringing the bombs from Lebanon to Israel is a 17-year-old drug dealer from Ghajar. He has admitted to meeting four Lebanese drug smugglers, receiving packages from them, and bringing them to Israel, but has denied intentional involvement in terrorism.
All in all, drug dealers in Ghajar brought in 20 kilograms of C4 explosives.
An older suspect from Ghajar, 37-year-old Shaban Mohammed Hatib, is suspected of knowing that the packages were sent by Hizbullah. Hatib was in contact with Lebanese man George Nimer, a known Hizbullah member, regarding the transfer of the packages out of Ghajar.
The man suspected of transporting the bombs out of Ghajar is school bus driver Moussa Azzam Kassem Hatib, 35. He is believed to have delivered the bombs to Arafat Biyumi of Nazareth on June 11 of this year. Biyumi, 22, then delivered the bombs to Faraj Zoabi, 27, of Nazareth.
“This affair demonstrates, yet again, the tight times between Hizbullah and Lebanese drug dealers,” Shin Bet commanders said. It also shows that Hizbullah “acts like a crime organization,” they added.
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2. Danon: Zoabi to Blame for Israel-Arab Terror
by Maayana Miskin
MK Danny Danon has accused MK Hanin Zoabi of bearing responsibility for Israeli-Arab terrorism. Danon called Wednesday for an investigation into the connection between Israel-Arab MKs’ support for terrorism and actual terrorism among Arab citizens of Israel.
His comments followed the revelation Wednesday that an Israeli-Arab terror cell working with Hizbullah had smuggled powerful explosives into Israel.
“MK Zoabi is to blame for the phenomenon of terrorism among Arabs in Israel,” Danon declared. “Her joining together with terrorists on the Marmara, and her ongoing statements in favor of terrorists and against Israel have laid the base among Israeli Arabs for legitimizing terrorist activity against Israel.”
“This kind of terrorism is the most dangerous,” he added.
Danon further criticized Zoabi, terming her “a fifth column” and “an anti-Israeli terror cell in the Israeli Knesset.” He called to oust her from Knesset immediately for encouraging terrorism against Israel.
MK Zoabi was condemned by much of the Knesset for participating in a 2010 attempt to violate Israel’s naval blockade of Hamas. Zoabi was aboard the ship Mavi Marmara, where IDF soldiers who boarded were violently attacked. A video clip indicates that she knew of the planned attack in advance.
Zoabi was later seen rubbing elbows with senior Hamas terrorists. She has also been criticized for anti-Israel speeches, such as one saying that Israel has “no right to a normal life” and a more recent address claiming that “the Israeli occupation” was behind the murder of Israelis in Bulgaria.
MK Danon has previously attempted to pass legislation expelling MKs who support terrorists, including Zoabi. He has also attempted to get Zoabi barred from running in the next elections.
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by Maayana Miskin
MK Danny Danon has accused MK Hanin Zoabi of bearing responsibility for Israeli-Arab terrorism. Danon called Wednesday for an investigation into the connection between Israel-Arab MKs’ support for terrorism and actual terrorism among Arab citizens of Israel.
His comments followed the revelation Wednesday that an Israeli-Arab terror cell working with Hizbullah had smuggled powerful explosives into Israel.
“MK Zoabi is to blame for the phenomenon of terrorism among Arabs in Israel,” Danon declared. “Her joining together with terrorists on the Marmara, and her ongoing statements in favor of terrorists and against Israel have laid the base among Israeli Arabs for legitimizing terrorist activity against Israel.”
“This kind of terrorism is the most dangerous,” he added.
Danon further criticized Zoabi, terming her “a fifth column” and “an anti-Israeli terror cell in the Israeli Knesset.” He called to oust her from Knesset immediately for encouraging terrorism against Israel.
MK Zoabi was condemned by much of the Knesset for participating in a 2010 attempt to violate Israel’s naval blockade of Hamas. Zoabi was aboard the ship Mavi Marmara, where IDF soldiers who boarded were violently attacked. A video clip indicates that she knew of the planned attack in advance.
Zoabi was later seen rubbing elbows with senior Hamas terrorists. She has also been criticized for anti-Israel speeches, such as one saying that Israel has “no right to a normal life” and a more recent address claiming that “the Israeli occupation” was behind the murder of Israelis in Bulgaria.
MK Danon has previously attempted to pass legislation expelling MKs who support terrorists, including Zoabi. He has also attempted to get Zoabi barred from running in the next elections.
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Revealed: Israeli-Arab Hizbullah Cell had Bombs, Guns -
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3. Anti-Israel Scandinavian Flotilla Sets Sail for Gaza, Yet Again
by Rachel Hirshfeld
In yet another attempt at breaching Israel’s borders and endangering the national security of the Jewish state, Scandinavian anti-Israel activist groups launched an “aid ship” destined for Gaza on Tuesday.
The flotilla is hoping to challenge the “Israeli blockade” and draw international attention to the conflict in a move reminiscent of the 2010 "Freedom Flotilla", organizers said, according to Reuters.
"We have the same goal as the previous flotillas, to put an end to the blockade of Gaza by challenging the Israeli navy," said Torstein Dahle, the leader of the Norwegian section of the activist group "Ship to Gaza."
"This time around it will be an easy task for the Israelis to stop us because we will be so few and strictly non-violent," Dahle told Reuters at Oslo harbor.
In May 2010, terrorist supporters, claiming to be “human rights activists,” similarly sought to infiltrate Israel’s borders. In an act of self- defense, Israeli naval commandos boarded the unauthorized vessel, preventing it from reaching terrorist entities in Gaza. The incident resulted in the death of nine Turkish activists.
A second convoy, planned a year later, did not sail after the organizers claimed that they had been sabotaged.
In November 2011, the Israeli navy boarded two yachts in international waters, one Canadian and one Irish, that were heading for Gaza and attempting to rally support for the “Palestinian cause.”
The SV Estelle, a 53-metre vessel backed mainly by Swedish and Norwegian groups, set sail from Oslo on Tuesday, and organizers hope several other ships will join it during its journey before it reaches waters off Gaza in October, Reuters reported.
Israel blockades seaborne approaches to the Gaza Strip in order to prevent arms smuggling to terrorists in Gaza, who will use those weapons to perpetrate attacks against the State of Israel and Israeli civilians.
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by Rachel Hirshfeld
In yet another attempt at breaching Israel’s borders and endangering the national security of the Jewish state, Scandinavian anti-Israel activist groups launched an “aid ship” destined for Gaza on Tuesday.
The flotilla is hoping to challenge the “Israeli blockade” and draw international attention to the conflict in a move reminiscent of the 2010 "Freedom Flotilla", organizers said, according to Reuters.
"We have the same goal as the previous flotillas, to put an end to the blockade of Gaza by challenging the Israeli navy," said Torstein Dahle, the leader of the Norwegian section of the activist group "Ship to Gaza."
"This time around it will be an easy task for the Israelis to stop us because we will be so few and strictly non-violent," Dahle told Reuters at Oslo harbor.
In May 2010, terrorist supporters, claiming to be “human rights activists,” similarly sought to infiltrate Israel’s borders. In an act of self- defense, Israeli naval commandos boarded the unauthorized vessel, preventing it from reaching terrorist entities in Gaza. The incident resulted in the death of nine Turkish activists.
A second convoy, planned a year later, did not sail after the organizers claimed that they had been sabotaged.
In November 2011, the Israeli navy boarded two yachts in international waters, one Canadian and one Irish, that were heading for Gaza and attempting to rally support for the “Palestinian cause.”
The SV Estelle, a 53-metre vessel backed mainly by Swedish and Norwegian groups, set sail from Oslo on Tuesday, and organizers hope several other ships will join it during its journey before it reaches waters off Gaza in October, Reuters reported.
Israel blockades seaborne approaches to the Gaza Strip in order to prevent arms smuggling to terrorists in Gaza, who will use those weapons to perpetrate attacks against the State of Israel and Israeli civilians.
Tags: Israel ,flotilla ,arms ,Gaza Region ,terrorism
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4. Jimmy Carter to Address DNC, Despite Jewish Objections
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Former President Jimmy Carter has been granted a prime-time speaking slot at the upcoming Democratic National Convention, despite objections from liberal Jewish groups over his history of anti-Israel activism.
The Democratic National Convention Committee announced Tuesday that Carter would address the convention by video on Sept. 4.
"A lifelong champion of human rights and investments in education and energy to spur economic development, President Carter will provide unique insight into President Obama’s ability to move our country forward and why we need his vision and leadership for a second term," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the 2012 convention chairman, said in a statement.
Both the National Jewish Democratic Council and Anti-Defamation League Director Abraham Foxman criticized Carter’s convention role in comments to Commentary Magazine.
“He is flawed, he’s got an obsession with Israel, a biased obsession that borders on anti-Semitism,” said Foxman. “So that’s not somebody I think should grace the podium of a national convention.”
Foxman added that Carter probably lobbied organizers for the speaking role, putting the DNC in an awkward position, according to Commentary Magazine’s Alana Goodman.
“I don’t think he deserves to be there, except it’s hard to refuse a platform to a former living president especially when he asks for it,” said Foxman.
“When it comes to Israel and the Middle East, President Carter has unfortunately embarrassed himself — as his analysis and commentary has been stubbornly wrong, harmful to the peace process, and getting worse all the time,” NJDC President and CEO David Harris wrote in an e-mail to Commentary Magazine. “I’m confident that he won’t be speaking to the Party about Middle East policy.”
However, while Harris and Foxman both expect Carter to stay away from Middle East issues in his speech, the DNC has indicated otherwise, saying that Carter will address “unique insights about President Obama as a global leader.”
The DNC also called the former president, who has supported conspiratorial theories about the Israel lobby, “one of the greatest humanitarian leaders of our time and a champion of democracy around the globe.”
Comment on this story
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Former President Jimmy Carter has been granted a prime-time speaking slot at the upcoming Democratic National Convention, despite objections from liberal Jewish groups over his history of anti-Israel activism.
The Democratic National Convention Committee announced Tuesday that Carter would address the convention by video on Sept. 4.
"A lifelong champion of human rights and investments in education and energy to spur economic development, President Carter will provide unique insight into President Obama’s ability to move our country forward and why we need his vision and leadership for a second term," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the 2012 convention chairman, said in a statement.
Both the National Jewish Democratic Council and Anti-Defamation League Director Abraham Foxman criticized Carter’s convention role in comments to Commentary Magazine.
“He is flawed, he’s got an obsession with Israel, a biased obsession that borders on anti-Semitism,” said Foxman. “So that’s not somebody I think should grace the podium of a national convention.”
Foxman added that Carter probably lobbied organizers for the speaking role, putting the DNC in an awkward position, according to Commentary Magazine’s Alana Goodman.
“I don’t think he deserves to be there, except it’s hard to refuse a platform to a former living president especially when he asks for it,” said Foxman.
“When it comes to Israel and the Middle East, President Carter has unfortunately embarrassed himself — as his analysis and commentary has been stubbornly wrong, harmful to the peace process, and getting worse all the time,” NJDC President and CEO David Harris wrote in an e-mail to Commentary Magazine. “I’m confident that he won’t be speaking to the Party about Middle East policy.”
However, while Harris and Foxman both expect Carter to stay away from Middle East issues in his speech, the DNC has indicated otherwise, saying that Carter will address “unique insights about President Obama as a global leader.”
The DNC also called the former president, who has supported conspiratorial theories about the Israel lobby, “one of the greatest humanitarian leaders of our time and a champion of democracy around the globe.”
Tags: Democratic Party ,convention ,Jimmy Carter ,ADL ,President Obama ,Israel ,Jewish ,anti Israel
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5. Midnight Demolition in Maoz Esther
by Maayana Miskin
Security forces flooded the Maoz Esther outpost in the Binyamin region late on Tuesday night. The entire outpost, consisting of multiple makeshift homes and one synagogue, was destroyed.
Residents expressed fury over the demolition. “We protest this crime, that Bibi [Netanyahu] and his police are busy destroying Jewish homes in the land of Israel instead of focusing on fighting our enemies,” they said.
“We will not forget and we will not forgive,” they warned.
The outpost, near the town of Kochav Hashachar, was first established in 2005, during the Hanukkah holiday. It was dismantled just days later, but was reestablished in 2007.
It was named in honor of Esther Galia, who was shot and killed by terrorists while driving home to Kochav HaShachar. The synagogue at the site is named Shirat Yonadav in memory of Yonadav Hirschfeld who was killed in the Mercaz HaRav terrorist attack.
Maoz Esther has been repeatedly demolished and rebuilt over the years.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Security forces flooded the Maoz Esther outpost in the Binyamin region late on Tuesday night. The entire outpost, consisting of multiple makeshift homes and one synagogue, was destroyed.
Residents expressed fury over the demolition. “We protest this crime, that Bibi [Netanyahu] and his police are busy destroying Jewish homes in the land of Israel instead of focusing on fighting our enemies,” they said.
“We will not forget and we will not forgive,” they warned.
The outpost, near the town of Kochav Hashachar, was first established in 2005, during the Hanukkah holiday. It was dismantled just days later, but was reestablished in 2007.
It was named in honor of Esther Galia, who was shot and killed by terrorists while driving home to Kochav HaShachar. The synagogue at the site is named Shirat Yonadav in memory of Yonadav Hirschfeld who was killed in the Mercaz HaRav terrorist attack.
Maoz Esther has been repeatedly demolished and rebuilt over the years.
Tags: Maoz Esther ,demolition ,Outposts
More on this topic
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6. Neo-Nazi Ties May Force German Athletes to Take Democracy Pledge
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Germany may force its athletes to make a commitment to democracy, a ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.
The announcement comes days after national rower Nadja Drygalla was forced to leave Olympic village following reports that her boyfriend has been a member of the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD).
While Drygalla denies harboring far-right views herself, the incident has ignited a debate in Germany regarding extremism in sports.
Last year's discovery that a neo-Nazi cell was responsible for the seemingly unrelated murders of nine Turkish and Greek immigrants has triggered soul-searching in Germany about institutionalized tolerance of right-wing extremism, Reuters reported.
As part of a regular review of guidelines on sport funding, the Interior Ministry is considering insisting that top clubs and associations make a formal commitment to democratic values.
"This is a question that arose at the end of last year ... and we are considering it in our review," a spokesman said. "It is not in any way related to the Drygalla case. Right-wing extremism in German sport has been a concern for a long time."
Campaign groups have long warned that neo-Nazis try to recruit supporters through youth and sports clubs, especially in parts of former Communist eastern Germany where unemployment levels are high, according to Reuters.
Drygalla’s boyfriend, Michael Fischer, reportedly stood up in support of the NPD in an election in the northeastern city of Rostock last year.
Drygalla told the news agency DPA that Fischer had left the NPD in May and quit the far-right scene. She said she had told him she did not share his views, and the issue had strained their relationship.
The NPD, which has representatives in two state assemblies despite groups with explicit neo-Nazi ideologies being banned in Germany, is said to be far more extreme than other populist, anti-immigration parties in Britain, France and the Netherlands. The national intelligence agency monitors its members and describes it as racist, anti-Semitic, revisionist and inspired by Hitler's Nazi ideology.
While some media and German politicians have described the Drygalla case as a “witch hunt,” claiming that it is a private matter who a sportsperson's friends are, Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said the matter needed to be cleared up.
"Extremist views have no place in sport. Sportspeople are role models," he told the mass-circulation daily Bild.
Comment on this story
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Germany may force its athletes to make a commitment to democracy, a ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.
The announcement comes days after national rower Nadja Drygalla was forced to leave Olympic village following reports that her boyfriend has been a member of the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD).
While Drygalla denies harboring far-right views herself, the incident has ignited a debate in Germany regarding extremism in sports.
Last year's discovery that a neo-Nazi cell was responsible for the seemingly unrelated murders of nine Turkish and Greek immigrants has triggered soul-searching in Germany about institutionalized tolerance of right-wing extremism, Reuters reported.
As part of a regular review of guidelines on sport funding, the Interior Ministry is considering insisting that top clubs and associations make a formal commitment to democratic values.
"This is a question that arose at the end of last year ... and we are considering it in our review," a spokesman said. "It is not in any way related to the Drygalla case. Right-wing extremism in German sport has been a concern for a long time."
Campaign groups have long warned that neo-Nazis try to recruit supporters through youth and sports clubs, especially in parts of former Communist eastern Germany where unemployment levels are high, according to Reuters.
Drygalla’s boyfriend, Michael Fischer, reportedly stood up in support of the NPD in an election in the northeastern city of Rostock last year.
Drygalla told the news agency DPA that Fischer had left the NPD in May and quit the far-right scene. She said she had told him she did not share his views, and the issue had strained their relationship.
The NPD, which has representatives in two state assemblies despite groups with explicit neo-Nazi ideologies being banned in Germany, is said to be far more extreme than other populist, anti-immigration parties in Britain, France and the Netherlands. The national intelligence agency monitors its members and describes it as racist, anti-Semitic, revisionist and inspired by Hitler's Nazi ideology.
While some media and German politicians have described the Drygalla case as a “witch hunt,” claiming that it is a private matter who a sportsperson's friends are, Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said the matter needed to be cleared up.
"Extremist views have no place in sport. Sportspeople are role models," he told the mass-circulation daily Bild.
Tags: Nazi ,extremism ,Olympics ,London 2012
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7. Katif Expellees Furious over Rent Demand
by Maayana Miskin
Israelis expelled from Gush Katif in 2005, who remain in the Nitzan caravan city, are now being charged rent. The new charge comes two years after the government sold the final expellees plots of land to build permanent housing.
A letter informing families of the decision stated, “The state of Israel allowed eligible evicted families to live temporarily in temporary housing sites. A government decision determined that this period of residency without pay would continue for 18 months after the time at which you received your plot of land.”
Families living in Nitzan expressed anger at the decision. “Shame on you for your inaction,” residents wrote in a letter quoted by Haaretz. “Shame on you… What will you take our money for, and why?”
The letter was addressed to the Tenufa Administration, which is tasked with the families’ resettlement.
High unemployment has forced many families to spend what compensation money they received after the expulsion on day-to-day living expenses. Two-thirds of the families have yet to move to permanent homes.
The secretary of the Nisanit community in Nitzan, Aviel Eliaz, told Haaretz, “Instead of moving the evicted closer to permanent homes, this is taking them further from moving to their new homes. There are families here that cannot afford to build permanent homes, and again, the state is targeting the weak. The strong residents, who have money, have no problem building.”
Tenufa Administration officials have argued that families that cannot afford to build houses have been offered several options to help them, including 250,000 shekel government loans, and a program in which the Nitzan site caravans are moved to the permanent communities and converted to homes. “The Tenufa Administration has tried over and over to avoid taking this step,” argued Tenufa head Rabbi Ofir Cohen. “But now there is no choice.”
Cohen told Haaretz that the administration “will continue to assist each family.”
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Israelis expelled from Gush Katif in 2005, who remain in the Nitzan caravan city, are now being charged rent. The new charge comes two years after the government sold the final expellees plots of land to build permanent housing.
A letter informing families of the decision stated, “The state of Israel allowed eligible evicted families to live temporarily in temporary housing sites. A government decision determined that this period of residency without pay would continue for 18 months after the time at which you received your plot of land.”
Families living in Nitzan expressed anger at the decision. “Shame on you for your inaction,” residents wrote in a letter quoted by Haaretz. “Shame on you… What will you take our money for, and why?”
The letter was addressed to the Tenufa Administration, which is tasked with the families’ resettlement.
High unemployment has forced many families to spend what compensation money they received after the expulsion on day-to-day living expenses. Two-thirds of the families have yet to move to permanent homes.
The secretary of the Nisanit community in Nitzan, Aviel Eliaz, told Haaretz, “Instead of moving the evicted closer to permanent homes, this is taking them further from moving to their new homes. There are families here that cannot afford to build permanent homes, and again, the state is targeting the weak. The strong residents, who have money, have no problem building.”
Tenufa Administration officials have argued that families that cannot afford to build houses have been offered several options to help them, including 250,000 shekel government loans, and a program in which the Nitzan site caravans are moved to the permanent communities and converted to homes. “The Tenufa Administration has tried over and over to avoid taking this step,” argued Tenufa head Rabbi Ofir Cohen. “But now there is no choice.”
Cohen told Haaretz that the administration “will continue to assist each family.”
Tags: expellees ,Nitzan ,Tenufa Administration
More on this topic
Comment on this story
8. Ethiopian Immigrants ‘Sick of Ghettos’
by Maayana Miskin
Hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants have been protesting this week in absorption centers across the country. Ethiopian-Israeli activist Dr. Avraham Negussie spoke to Arutz Sheva and explained the issue.
Immigrants want to leave the absorption centers, he said. “There are immigrants who have been in absorption centers for eight years already, shut up in ghettos.”
“They want to go out and integrate in Israeli society,” he said. “But they cannot.”
The problem, he explained, is that most immigrants from Ethiopia do not qualify for bank mortgage, and so rely on government mortgages – which no longer suffice to buy housing. “Since 1990, it’s been the same amount, 330,000 shekels. Once that was enough to buy an apartment outside central Israel, but today it’s impossible,” he said.
“Most of them do not have steady work, and have no option of getting loans elsewhere,” he continued.
The government offers an additional 120,000 shekels in housing aid, in the form of 2,000 a month in rent subsidies for five years. “So we’re telling the state to take that money and add it to the mortgage,” he added.
Negussie predicted that the protest movement will not abate without a government response. On the contrary, he said, activists will take additional measures until their demands are addressed. “They simply do not have a choice,” he said. “Otherwise, they will stay in these ghettos for many years to come.”
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Hundreds of Ethiopian immigrants have been protesting this week in absorption centers across the country. Ethiopian-Israeli activist Dr. Avraham Negussie spoke to Arutz Sheva and explained the issue.
Immigrants want to leave the absorption centers, he said. “There are immigrants who have been in absorption centers for eight years already, shut up in ghettos.”
“They want to go out and integrate in Israeli society,” he said. “But they cannot.”
The problem, he explained, is that most immigrants from Ethiopia do not qualify for bank mortgage, and so rely on government mortgages – which no longer suffice to buy housing. “Since 1990, it’s been the same amount, 330,000 shekels. Once that was enough to buy an apartment outside central Israel, but today it’s impossible,” he said.
“Most of them do not have steady work, and have no option of getting loans elsewhere,” he continued.
The government offers an additional 120,000 shekels in housing aid, in the form of 2,000 a month in rent subsidies for five years. “So we’re telling the state to take that money and add it to the mortgage,” he added.
Negussie predicted that the protest movement will not abate without a government response. On the contrary, he said, activists will take additional measures until their demands are addressed. “They simply do not have a choice,” he said. “Otherwise, they will stay in these ghettos for many years to come.”
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