Israeli Arabs' war experience

During war many Haifa Arabs flee to West Bank cities, encounter humiliation,
prefer to return to Katyushas. Hotels and restaurants hike up prices and
residents harass women and girls. Palestinian Authority opens official
investigation of issue. 'We will never again make donation or participate in
demonstration for West Bank from now on,' said one Haifa Arab

Roee Nahmias YNET 16 August 2006
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3291866,00.html

Several Arab families decided to act on Hizbullah Chief Hassan Nasrallah's
"recommendation" and leave rocket-stricken Haifa during the war in south
Lebanon. They traveled to Palestinian towns like Bethlehem and Ramallah, and
even to east Jerusalem, but soon after decided they had rather return home
and face the rocket menace. The reason: The bad treatment awarded to them in
hotels, restaurants and stores, as well as ongoing harassments of their
wives and daughters on the part of the local residents.

Ghani Abassi, married and a father of three daughters, decided to go with
his family to Bethlehem and flee the Katyusha attacks. Abbasi traveled to
the Palestinian town with some 10 other families from Haifa, who all chose
to stay at local hotels. Unfortunately, this was when their true nightmare
began.

"I waited for three days until I got a room. Then it turned out that the air
conditioning wasn't working, and I was told that the reason was the high
price of electricity. I decided that this wasn't that bad, because we felt
we were among our brothers at the West Bank and were willing to endure the
terrible heat, knowing we're safe and that our visit was also of financial
help," Abbasi described to the website of the Israeli-Arab newspaper
al-Sinara.

"However, the treatment we received was disgraceful and dreadful," he said.
"We walked around town for a while, but the attitude we encountered on the
part of the locals was horrible. The youngsters on the street started
harassing our wives and daughters and used shocking expressions that I
cannot even bring myself to pronounce," he said.

Another Haifa resident, who went with his family to Jerusalem to escape from
the rocket threat, said that the local merchants blatantly took advantage of
the situation and inflated the prices in stores. A bottle of mineral water
that usually sells for about NIS 4, for instance, was being sold to the
Haifa tourists for NIS 10.

'Even foreigners are respected there'

"They told us, 'you are worse than the Jews.' We heard expressions of joy
over the fact we have fled our homes, and some even tried

to attack us. We were disgusted and decided to return to Haifa," he said,
stressing that he used to be a regular donor to the Palestinians of the West
Bank and Gaza.
According to him, after that day and the humiliation he experienced in
Bethlehem, he does not plan on donating even one shekel. "We thought we are
one nation and that what really hurts them, hurts us too. We went to
demonstrations for them and we donated a lot of money to them because we
thought they are our brothers and that is our obligation. But, what we found
was exploitation and undeserving treatment toward someone supposedly from
the same nation," he told.

The same resident added that he expected the families from Haifa and
Nazareth to be warmly received in the West Bank towns, but what took place
was the exact opposite. Today he speaks with regret about the two days he
spent in Bethlehem.

"While touring in Ramallah, a few youngsters said to us, 'you are the same
as, even worse than, the Jews.' We tried to understand why they were acting
that way toward us, but they attacked us and a fight broke out. We are very
sorry for what happened and we couldn't have expected such an unfit welcome
from members of our nation whom we had respected and appreciated very much.
But they didn't respect us at all, and saw as worse than the Jews. We are
very sorry for what happened and that we drove all the way there to see the
painful truth that they don't respect us there," said Ghani Abassi.

Abassi added that the restaurants jacked up prices for customers because
they thought they were foreign 'tourists.' "Even foreigners are respected
there, but we, their own brothers, felt like they don't respect us, and my
friends and I asked why? Are we unworthy of the respect due to members of
the same nation?"

Following such treatment, Abassi and his friends hurried back to the lap of
the Katyushas and air raid sirens of Haifa. "'We will never again make a
donation or participate in a demonstration for the West Bank from now on,"
said one of them.

(08.16.06, 09:42)