Israel revokes decision to ban Palestinians from traveling by bus

(Baonghean.vn) - On Wednesday, May 20, the Israeli government decided to revoke the ban on Palestinians in the West Bank from using the same buses as Israelis to return home after a day of work.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself has issued an order suspending the decision to ban Palestinians from sharing buses with Israelis. Mr. Benjamin said he “cannot accept” the decision. The decision has been in effect and is part of a three-month pilot project.

According to a report by the Bank of Israel, there are approximately 92,000 Palestinian workers working in Israel. As a result, thousands of Palestinian workers must pass through four checkpoints every day to get to their workplaces and to return to their homes in the West Bank. Not only that, when they return home, they must take Palestinian buses, which do not have Israelis.

Palestinian workers wait for a bus to return home in the West Bank after a day of work. Photo: Reuters

Explaining the decision, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said the measures would help “better control Palestinians coming and going from Israel and also reduce security risks.” According to the military, the move would reduce the risk of attacks when there are many Palestinians on the bus. However, separating Palestinians and Israelis has not been easy.

The decision was made at the request of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. “When we return home, there are so many Palestinians on the buses that there is no room for Israelis,” said Mordechai Yogev, a member of the Jewish Religious Nationalist Party who has campaigned for the separation of Palestinians and Israelis on buses for the past three years. “Moreover, Israeli women are often victims of sexual assault.” Yogev also denied that the decision to ban Palestinians from riding buses with Israelis was racist, but was simply “unbearable.”

Chu Thanh

According to Le Monde 5/20