(Haipo) – Harsh exchanges and shouting. A question by Councilwoman Sally Ebad on the issue of freezing enforcement of Arabic signage became a political battleground. After Ebad declared that "Haifa is an Arab city" and switched to speaking in her language, Councilmember Yaniv Ben-Shoshan slammed her: "Go to Gaza." Other Councilmembers suggested that Ebad go donate to the state and join the army.
The enforcement freeze and the query that ignited the fire
Ideological debate
The Haifa City Council meeting, which opened in a calm atmosphere surrounding Mayor Yona Yahav's decision to freeze enforcement of the signage bylaw (which requires the presence of a certain volume of Hebrew), within minutes turned into an arena of ideological wrangling.
Council member Sally Abed (chairwoman of the "Most of the City" faction) submitted a follow-up question on the subject, and asked to congratulate the municipality on its decision to reexamine the policy led by council members Raja Zaatra and Fakhr Bayadsa. "Haifa no longer feels like ours," in a charged and painful speech, Abed described the feeling of alienation of the Arab public in the city: "The political space is narrowing the cultural and linguistic space of the Arabs," she said.
"I say this with great pain, the city of Haifa no longer feels like ours, the Arabs of Haifa. Our artists are fleeing, our stages are drying up, and our public space is under constant attack."
Abed switched to speaking Arabic.
At this point, Abed chose to switch to speaking in Arabic, emphasizing: "Haifa speaks Arabic. Haifa is our cultural, historical and political compass." She appealed to the mayor to commit not only to freezing enforcement, but to actively promoting the Arabic language at municipal events and in public institutions.
The explosion: "Go to Gaza"
The switch to Arabic and the statement that Haifa is an Arab city immediately sparked a storm among several council members. Council member Yaniv Ben-Shoshan erupted at her words and shouted at her: "Go to Gaza!" Council member Zehavit Ben-David also joined the protest, who harshly criticized Abed's words.
The discussion quickly degenerated into mutual shouting, as council members from both sides tried to make their voices heard. The incident once again highlights the inherent tension in Haifa, a city that prides itself on coexistence, but finds itself repeatedly struggling to define its public space and its linguistic identity.
The city is in a shameful state, it looks (in terms of appearance and the quality of life of the residents) like the troubles of the last patient with a terminal illness, and what bothers one of the representatives of the city's Arabs is how to demonstrate "authentic Palestinianism" at this time (an authenticity that is reminiscent of the disgusting Ben Gvir).
What if you don't poke your finger in your eye on purpose?
I wonder if those supporters of Palestine really intend to move to it if it were established, or if they are just using populist slogans to gain sympathy and will continue to settle in Zionist Haifa for us even then?
The truth about Haifa 2027:
400 senior officials in the Haifa Municipality in salary celebrations that cost 200,000,000 million shekels
And thousands more retirees in the Haifa municipality who have already been robbed of close to 400,000,000 million shekels
There is no money for new buildings.
No money for development and maintenance
There is no money for education and culture.
There is no money for cleaning and policing.
The money was looted for huge salaries for senior municipal officials and municipal retirees, and benefits for an extortionate workers' committee that also robbed other municipal employees at lower levels and in minimum wage corporations in order to finance constant upgrades to standards.
To obscure the problem, they are constantly busy with provocative headlines. But it is the huge waste of senior Haifa municipality officials that harms the city the most, every day. And because of them, property taxes are skyrocketing. And because of them, the city lags behind every city in the region in terms of development. They are robbing salaries equivalent to the budget of an entire city in the districts. You understand.
right!!!
A bankrupt city, in an almost terminal state, with delusional taxation, with poor municipal services, a beautiful-ruined city where the quality of life has completely deteriorated, where no one wants to move, a city with delusional leadership and managers who lead it from bad to bad! Among other things, "thanks" to the multiple, botched terms of Mayor Yona Yahav!!
But it wasn't just him, it was also his predecessors who contributed to and enabled this deterioration while wasting public funds in a very frivolous and criminal manner.
20 percent of the country is Arab. It is important to respect this population, to teach Arabic in school, and also to sign places in Arabic. And that no one tries to harm the coexistence of Haifa!
In the "Jewish State" - "Hebrew" is spoken and therefore, the signs are mainly in Hebrew; the addition of ENGLISH✨️ in "tourism" and "road signs"...!!
* "Arabic" – in an Arab city and/or a closed Arab neighborhood only! In the outer part, facing the Jewish street, there is no need/interest in this language!
* It is very important for all of us to also know the language:
"The Arabic spoken in our region"! Sometimes, we also use it, if only to understand...!!!😭
😍What? Are there already trips to "Gaza"?????
TRUMP always surprises... We must be careful with the "signage": in Hebrew only except for everything related to "tourism" and "traffic" on the roads + ENGLISH
Signage in Arabic, in an "Arab" city only... and in a closed Arab neighborhood; not in the part facing the Jewish-Israeli street, because in the ✨️"Jewish state" they speak "Hebrew"!!!!!🙏
* "Spoken Arabic" = Important to know, in order to understand!😭
Write a song about her called "Illusions"!!! Send her back to her roots where she won't be able to open her mouth!!!
What's your problem, you racist Yaniv? You haven't traveled to European countries, and I've seen signs in Hebrew in many neighborhoods where there are Jews. If it's legitimate there, then why isn't it legitimate here? Maybe you'd like the French or the Germans to tell the Jews to go to Israel!!!!! This is unacceptable to me, and I also don't accept your racist statements.
Enough with the racism.
Oh oh oh, is that unacceptable to you?
You can go there with her (to Gaza). I hope they will welcome you well.
Tell them that you believe in coexistence and ask them there if you can open a business with a sign in Hebrew and speak Hebrew there.
I wonder how long you'll last there.
By the way, there is no prohibition on it being written in Arabic and that is completely fine, but it should also be written in Syrian Hebrew. We are not in the territories.
Why didn't they throw her out as soon as she raised this in the council in Arabic? Why did they let her speak in Arabic? Haifa is a Hebrew city here. Jews and Arabs live there, but their mother tongue is Hebrew. And I don't understand why they didn't throw her out because she complains that they don't speak Arabic. She wants to move to live in Gaza, this is the Jewish state.
At least the Jews are waking up, but they will soon sink back into their afternoon slumber. No wonder. We live
In denial that coexistence is possible in the Jewish state, and they show us again and again that Kiryat Motzkin and Kiryat Haim are also
And their Dizengoff Street. But it's good that she said it in the open, blatant, hateful way that denies the right of
The Jews on this land "from the river to the sea, this is our Land of Israel too". If it cannot live among
National Jews, who will give up Israeli citizenship, National Insurance, and be happy in Gaza. Yemen. Syria.
Lebanon. But they prefer to live only in a Jewish state. Arabs and fake Palestinians flee from all Arab countries,
But no Arab escapes from here. It's better for them, these ungrateful people, in the democratic Jewish state.
Professor of Internal Medicine, Retired
Hello Moshe. You will have to live here with the Arabs in coexistence whether you want to or not. You can dream of getting everyone out of here, but it won't happen. And since we will have to live with them, we better do it well. Either it will be good for both the Jews and the Arabs, or it will be bad for everyone.