On Wednesday 24 January, Knesset parliamentarian Yousef Jabareen said he would like the European Parliament to send a fact-finding mission to Israel to look into minority rights in the country.
Article 2 of the association agreement between the EU and Israel says that relations between the parties and the arrangements in the agreement must be based on respect of democratic rights and principles.
"Full and complete application of Article 2 is needed to ensure that Israel upholds this agreement, through the different diplomatic channels (...) we would like a fact-finding mission to be sent to Israel to see how the rights of Arab Palestinians from Israel are respected in practice", he said at a hearing on the status of this minority at the European Parliament's sub-committee on human rights. "Present us with a recommendation for Israel to subscribe to the great values that you defend, to the right of minorities", he added.
According to Jabareen, the Palestinian minority is facing discrimination in the law –be it physical, socio-economic or religious. By way of example, he said there was a 44.6% difference in salary between the minority and Jewish Israelis. He described the Arab Palestinian minority as "second or even third class" citizens. He was also concerned about the fact the Knesset is currently discussing a draft law that would describe Israel as a nation state of Jewish people.
In the view of the chair of the delegation for relations with the European Parliament at the Knesset, Yaakov Perry, this issue is a domestic affair for his country and has nothing to do with the European Parliament. He believes Israel is a "democracy that works". "We do not hide our pride in proclaiming that we are a state of the Jewish nation. Yes, there are inequalities, but the government does not aim to practise discrimination". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)