Palestinian bus driver in Israel attacked by youth shouting 'death to Arabs'

The incident is the latest in a series of violent and racist acts against Palestinian citizens of Israel fuelled by impunity and incitement from the state, rights groups say

An Israeli bus driven in Tel Aviv in 2015 (AFP/Jack Guez)

An Israeli bus driven in Tel Aviv in 2015 (AFP/Jack Guez)

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A Palestinian bus driver in Israel has been attacked by a group of Jewish youths shouting "death to Arabs", the latest incident in a string of recent racist attacks on Palestinian citizens of Israel.

The assault took place in Petah Tikva, in central Israel, on Saturday, according to a report by Israeli news website Ynet.

According to the footage of the attack circulating online, one of the youngsters smashed a windshield inside the bus with an emergency hammer, next to a woman holding a baby. He then smashed one of the bus doors.

The bus driver, Mohammed Abd al-Hadi, told Ynet the incident happened after he asked the young passengers to stop screaming and vandalising the vehicle.

"They insulted me and shouted racist sayings like 'Jew - good, Arab - son of a bitch' and 'death to Arabs'," he said.

"A Jewish passenger confronted them, and they started breaking windows on and off the bus, causing panic, screaming and crying among the passengers," the driver said, adding that a woman was injured by the smashed glass.

"We've witnessed a lot of things, we suffer from verbal and physical violence, and that's known to everyone," he added, calling on the government to take action to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

'They insulted me and shouted racist sayings like 'Jew - good, Arab - son of a bitch' and 'Death to Arabs'

- Mohammed Abd al-Hadi, bus driver

The Abraham Initiatives, an organisation that seeks to advance equal rights for Palestinian citizens in Israel, told Middle East Eye that the incident was “not exceptional”, but rather “part of a dangerous wave of violence and racism against Arab citizens of Israel".

"This violence is a direct result of ongoing incitement and governmental lawlessness, which allows the attackers to raise their hand against people just because of their origin," the group told MEE.

In recent years, the Israeli police have been criticised for their inaction in fighting criminality targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel, which has been seen by some as a policy of “active negligence” by the Israeli state towards the discriminated community.

"Attacking Arab drivers, people who maintain the public transportation in Israel, is crossing a red line, and the law enforcement authorities must act harshly and immediately to bring the attackers to justice," the group said.

"As long as the government does not take clear steps against racism, it is complicit in the continuation of the violence," it added.

‘A driver hospitalised at least twice a week’

Tamar Ohana, head of the transportation department at Koach LaOvdim, an Israeli socialist trade union, told MEE that her organisation has seen a significant increase in the number and severity of assaults, directed mainly at Palestinian drivers.

"Yesterday's incident joins a wave of assaults, each of which is more serious than the other," Ohana said, adding that "there are several assaults a week, with a driver hospitalised at least twice a week".

‘We can't go on like this. It seems that the murder of a driver is around the corner’

- Tamar Ohana, Koach LaOvdim union

According to Ohana, many cases of assault on bus drivers, which are not documented, are not reported.

"Almost no arrests are made, and almost all cases are closed," Ohana told MEE, adding that "drivers have lost faith in the system".

Since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza, attacks on Palestinian drivers in Israel have increased.

Just last month, Ahmad al-Mughrabi, a bus driver, was attacked in Jerusalem by three Jewish youths and required medical treatment at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.

After the attack, Mughrabi told the HaMakom news website that he was attacked at the end of his night shift by a group of children.

"I don't understand where we have reached that we have to be everyone's punching bag. When will they wake up? Only when one of us will die?"

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Another attack took place in May, when fans of Beitar Jerusalem, a football team affiliated with the Israeli far right, attacked two Palestinian drivers in Jerusalem after their team's loss in the final of the Israeli championship.

Ahmad Kara'in, one of the attacked bus drivers, needed medical treatment as a result. He told the Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 that 150 fans beat him, attacked him with gas and punctured the wheels of his vehicle, all while shouting "death to Arabs”.

To protest mounting insecurity, Koach LaOvdim intends to declare a strike soon.

"We can't go on like this,” Ohana said. “It seems that the murder of a driver is around the corner."

"Drivers who experience violence rarely return to being drivers. Drivers just don't want to work in the profession," she said, adding that "there are days and hours that drivers are just not willing to drive", mainly on Thursday and Saturday evenings, when most of the attacks take place.

Ohana told MEE that while resources and policies are needed to tackle the issue of violence, "that is not happening enough", because "the government is not doing its job honestly".

Inside Israel

Tel Aviv, Israel

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