Israel: Total Physical Segregation of Jews and Non-Jews in Gush Etzion Imposed

Remember “back of the bus, nigra”? How about “back of the city, Gentile?” This segregation is allegedly because of Palestinian violence; imagine if total physical segregation of Blacks and Whites was enforced in violent Philadelphia, Camden, and Oakland (as it should be as a temporary measure leading to permanent separation on a continental scale).

NEAR-TOTAL segregation between Israeli Jews and Palestinians is set to be enforced by the IDF in the Gush Etzion region of the West Bank, according to a recently-written open letter from head of the regional council Davidi Perel to local residents.

“Unfortunately we do not see an end nearby to the situation, nor a decrease in the motivation of terrorists to carry out attacks,” the letter said. Accordingly, Perel wrote, the IDF has decided that soldiers stationed at the Gush Etzion junction will, as far as possible, keep Palestinians away from the Jewish population.

The decision follows an IDF security assessment conducted on Wednesday after an attack at the Gush Etzion Junction. Both Perel and Gush Etzion Brigade Commander Roman Gofman took part.

The issue of segregation is problematic for businesses in the area, which have Jews and Arabs working side-by-side. It is not clear how it will be possible to create separation or segregation at the junction, although it seems that is the intended course of action.

A separate back entrance for Palestinians to the Gush Etzion junction was set up Thursday.

Business owners in Gush Etzion have known better days. Normalized relations between Jews and Arabs in the area had persisted during the wave of violence, but were undone in one moment.

One shopping complex in the area was declared a “sterilized zone” during the recent attacks, but was the scene of violence nevertheless.

In spite of the worrying spate of attacks, workers at the complex are trying to maintain cautious optimism. “I have Arab employees and Jewish customers and everything is running normally,” said a business owner at the junction.

“While it’s true that there’s been a decline in customers, we have to understand that we must not be afraid or show signs of weakness,” says Uzi Tzfadia, a store manager at the complex said.

“There are security personnel here who know how to respond as necessary.”

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Source: Ynet