However Servile and Loyal Israel’s Druze Citizens Are they are Still Arabs and they Cannot Expect Equality with Jews
Ben-Gurion airport is notorious for racial profiling. If you are an Arab or Black you can expect to be stopped, harassed and abused and sometimes assaulted. It goes with the territory. It's what they call ‘security.’
Israel has always singled out the Druze population for special treatment compared to the rest of Israel’s Arab population. It is part of the colonial divide and rule tactic. Druze citizens of Israel (not those in the Golan) are drafted to serve in the army and receive extra benefits and privileges because of this.
That is why it came as a rude shock to them when Netanyahu pushed through the Jewish Nation State Law last year which made it clear that however ‘loyal’ they were, Israel was a state of the Jewish people not its non-Jewish citizens even if they are the worst collaborators.
Being collaborators and court Arabs made no difference. The simple fact is that however loyal to the state the Druze are, and many are members of Zionist organisations and parties, they are still not part of the master race.
At the April 2019 elections this meant that instead of the Druze voting for Likud and even further right-Zionist parties, they voted in large numbers for Meretz, the left-Zionist party. Without this support Meretz would not have had representatives in the Knesset.
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Obviously this was not a situation that could continue. No Zionist party can expect to rely on non-Jewish votes to remain politically viable so Meretz merged into the Democratic Camp with right-wing former Labour Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Druze votes transferred to the Blue and White party and I suspect the Joint List.
There has been a radicalisation in recent years in the Druze community as it has become more and more evident that Zionism does not have a place for them.
Ayub Kara, a very right-wing Druze member of the Likud party, fell out with Netanyahu and in the recent elections failed to gain a seat in the Knesset.
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The experiences of Reda Mansour, Israel’s Ambassador to Panama, speak volumes about the contempt and disdain that Israel has for its Arab collaborators. He was treated in the same way as any Arab would be at Ben-Gurion airport.
However it is his own fault and one should not have sympathy for him. He has to understand, as the spokesperson for the airport made clear, that it is very difficult for the authorities at Ben-Gurion airport to distinguish between collaborators and people with principle.
Although it would be helpful if collaborators carried the Mark of Cain, unfortunately the Lord is no longer willing to oblige. In any case, most of those who carry out security work at the Airport are of the view that all Arabs are the same and that the only good Arab is a dead Arab. Not being politically sophisticated Zionist liberals, they make no distinction between the corrupt and servile and leftist activists!
One can see and understand Reda Mansour’s pain and anger and indeed sympathise. As he says, the town he comes from
‘Isfiya is not a town in the [Palestinian] territories, but a home to the main military cemetery for fallen Druze soldiers who died during their service in the Israel Defense Forces."
What can be more insulting than to treat him as if he was just another Arab living under Occupation or, even worse, as a Palestinian.
The reaction of the Israeli Airport Authority’s spokesman, Ofer Lefler, is priceless. It is difficult to understand those who accuse security bureaucrats of not having a sense of humour. She said that the reason for the harassment is that ‘the security guard is doing everything she can to protect her and the State of Israel."
The good Ambassador should know that harassment of Arabs is clearly integral to if not essential to the security of the Jewish state. Even more amusing is Lefler’s statement that ‘security checks are performed “regardless of religion, race or gender and equitably.” ‘
Racial profiling at Israel’s Ben-Gurion airport, not just of Arabs but Black people is legendary. One must take one’s hat off to an official spokesman with such a droll sense of humour laced with a biting sense of irony.
Mansour is of course used by Israel to show that even Arabs can become Ambassadors. Of course he is Ambassador to the non-state of Panama, which is kind of an extension to the United States. It is really Trump’s side office and so although, for purposes of diplomatic niceties Mansour is called an Ambassador in reality he is little more than an errand boy to Israel’s US Ambassador Ron Dermer. Britain has an Ambassador (& even a Deputy Ambassador who I once knew!!) to the Vatican but no one pretends that this is the most sought after diplomatic post.
Tony Greenstein
i24NEWS
August 03, 2019, 5:28 PM - latest revision August 14, 2019, 12:29 PM
“Thirty years of humiliation and you still haven't finished,” Mansour lamented in a Facebook post
Israel's Ambassador to Panama lashed out at Ben Gurion Airport security via social media on Saturday after he and his family were abruptly stopped for questioning.
Dr. Reda Mansour, a Druze diplomat who has been working for Israel's Foreign Ministry for decades, uploaded a lengthy Facebook post recalling his latest experience including “thirty years of humiliation” suffered at the transportation hub.
Mansour claims that airport security officials began questioning him outside the entrance of the building after over hearing he and his group were from Isfiya, a Druze-majority village located in northern Israel near Haifa.
Mansour said that one security official began barking out demands to see their passports and travel destination before letting them onto the premises.
After security had let them through, Mansour recalled the conversation he had with his daughter walking to their terminal, who complained that “It's so upsetting to see how (the security guard) talked to you while you were smiling the whole time and politely replying to her!”
Mansur wrote that he finally began going over the incident while he and his family were traveling through the air.
"During the night, I thought to myself while on the plane: Go to hell Ben Gurion Airport. 30 years of humiliation and you are still not done. In the past, you would beat us at the terminal, today you've progressed to treating us as suspects at the checkpoint at the entrance [to the airport]."
“Thirty years of humiliation and you still haven't finished," he continued. "Isfiya is not a town in the [Palestinian] territories, but a home to the main military cemetery for fallen Druze soldiers who died during their service in the Israel Defense Forces."
Mansour concluded his post by stating: "I advise that that you take your security guards and those in charge of their training to visit this cemetery and teach them about self-sacrifice and respect. Until then, I have only this to tell you: You make me sick."
In response to Mansour’s Facebook post, Israel Airports Authority spokesman Ofer Lefler said in a statement that security checks are performed “regardless of religion, race or gender and equitably.”
"When we encounter more than 25 million passengers a year, there will be those who'll choose to be offended by a security guard who is merely doing her job. Even before an inquiry had been launched and only from reading the Facebook post, [I can say] there is nothing wrong with the security guard's conduct."
"My best friends, as well as your friends and relatives are buried in military cemeteries. I suggest that the respectable ambassador tell his daughter that the security guard is doing everything she can to protect her and the State of Israel," Lefler added.
Israeli Diplomat Says Humiliated by Racial Profiling at Ben-Gurion Airport: 'Makes Me Sick'
Ambassador Reda Mansour, a Druze, says he and his family were treated as suspects upon arrival at Tel Aviv airport. Spokesman says 'nothing wrong,' arguing he 'chose to be offended' Foreign minister 'won't let it happen again'
Aug 04, 2019 6:46 PM
Israel's Ambassador to Panama Reda Mansour, who is Druze, harshly criticized on Saturday the treatment he and his family received during an inspection at Ben-Gurion Airport, saying they were humiliated and treated as suspects by security guards.
Mansour described the incident in a Facebook post, claiming he was asked to pull over and wait as he arrived at a checkpoint at the airport entrance, after the security guards were told he and his family came from the Druze-majority village of Isfiya.
Israeli Ambassador to Panama Reda Mansour.Mfclemos
"During the night, I thought to myself while on the plane: Go to hell Ben-Gurion Airport. 30 years of humiliation and you are still not done. In the past, you would beat us at the terminal, today you've progressed to treating us as suspects at the checkpoint at the entrance [to the airport],"Mansour wrote.
He added that "Isfiya is not a town in the [Palestinian] territories, but a home to the main military cemetery for fallen Druze soldiers who died during their service in the Israel Defense Forces.
"I advise that that you take your security guards and those in charge of their training to visit this cemetery and teach them about self-sacrifice and respect. Until then, I have only this to tell you: You make me sick."
The Israel Airports Authority spokesman was the only official to respond to Mansour's claims the same day, saying "the security inspection at Ben-Gurion Airport is carried out regardless of race, religion, and sex. When one meets more than 25 million passengers a year, there will be those who'll choose to be offended by a security guard who is merely doing her job. Even before an inquiry had been launched and only from reading the Facebook post, [I can say] there is nothing wrong with the security guard's conduct."
"My best friends, as well as your friends and relatives are buried in military cemeteries. I suggest that the respectable ambassador tell his daughter that the security guard is doing everything she can to protect her and the State of Israel," Lefler added.
Mansour, who was born in Isfiya, is an Israeli diplomat and poet. He held a number of senior posts in the Foreign Ministry in addition to publishing poems and prose.
Most Druze men in Israel join the Israeli army, and the community as a whole has traditionally set itself apart from the general Arab public in its alliance with the state. However, the Druze minority in Israel is still discriminated against in many ways.
Some Israeli lawmakers also commented on the accusations of racial profiling on Saturday and a groupd of Foreign Ministry retirees expressed their solidarity with Mansour in a letter published Sunday, but it was only later on Sunday that the Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin released any statements about the incident.
Netanyahu said only he spoke with the ambassador after the incident, adding in a statement that he has "great appreciation for the way he represents the State of Israel in Panama."
"The Druze community is dear to our hearts and we would continue to act in every way to strengthen the brotherly bond with them,"Netanyahu added.
The Foreign Ministry released a statement saying it "would examine the incident, in coordination with Israel Airport Authority and Ambassador Mansour.
"We believe that the main encounter that takes place between public servants, including those who are in charge of security, and visitors departing Israel or arriving in the country must be carried out with professionalism while maintaining mutual respect," the statement read.
Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz added that he was sorry for the incident. "I cherish the work you have done, hug you and your family and the entire Druze community," he said in a statement.
"I will act to make sure cases like this will not happen again," Katz added.
Foreign Ministry retirees wrote a letter supporting Mansour. "Dear Reda, we've decided to write to you personally and express our sorrow for the experience you endured," the letter read.
"We were appalled by the treatment you, your daughter and the rest of your family received during the security inspection at Ben Gurion Airport as well as the condescending statement issued by the Israel Airport Authority spokesperson following the incident, which ignored your feelings.
"Throughout the years, we've seen you invest your heart and soul in the representation of the State of Israel in the world. You are an excellent ambassador and a pride to all of us. Please express our support to your daughter and the rest of your family.
"We are convinced that our friends at the Foreign Ministry will later find the way to show you their support," the letter said.
Rivlin: 'What matters is that you felt hurt'
President Rivlin said Sunday that although he was confident a serious investigation was underway, "what matters is what you feel, and if you felt so hurt, then we have to give it due consideration."
Saluting Mansour's diplomatic work, Rivlin also had a special thought for the relationship between Jews and Druze in Israel. "The alliance between us and the Druze is an alliance built in life, not just in death. We need to make sure we keep building it every day, every hour, and not just in times of crisis and battle," the president said.
On Saturday, Meretz chairman Nitzan Horowitz said in a statement that "Ambassador Mansour is not alone. The Netanyahu regime brands first and second-class citizens."
Meretz lawmaker Mossi Raz added that "the arbitrary [security] inspections at Ben-Gurion Airport are the best Hasbara campaign for those opposing Israel in the world," while fellow party member Tamar Zandberg said "the racist profiling at the airport must stop. It has nothing to do with security."