Israel won’t ban real estate agents from racially discriminating against Palestinians [Getty]
Israel’s Justice Ministry refused to include an explicit ban on racial discrimination by real estate agents in the new code of ethics for brokers set to take effect next week.
The new code, which governs Israel’s Real Estate Brokers’ Association, was approved by the Knesset six months ago.
But the Justice Ministry has faced a wave of criticism for its refusal to address racial bias explicitly, even after the case involving three Palestinian women – citizens of Israel – who had filed a discrimination claim against a Tel Aviv realtor.
The women, who had sought an apartment in the summer of 2018, were denied a unit after revealing their identities. Their case – heard by the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court last week – set a precedent by holding the realtor and their agency responsible for discriminatory practices.
The case ended in a settlement which awarded Arab renters NIS 40,000 ($11,000) for suffering race-based discrimination when seeking to rent an apartment.
Despite the ruling and compensation, the Justice Ministry refused to include anti-discrimination provisions in the real estate code.
Human rights law professor at Queen Mary University of London Neve Gordon, who is also a board member of the International State Crime Initiative, slammed the move and accused Israel of a consistent racist bias against Palestinians.
“The persistence of the discrimination underscores that this has become part of society’s DNA and the fact that the Knesset is unwilling to introduce a clause that renders it illegal to discriminate renters based on their race suggests that in the legislators eyes such discrimination is kosher,” he told The New Arab.
“When I was a student almost 40 years ago Palestinian students seeking to rent apartments in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and elsewhere frequently confronted racist discrimination.
“This legal omission is not unique, but actually a reflection of the settler colonial logic that informs Israeli politics.”
In recent years, human rights organisations like Human Rights Watch have condemned Israel for passing a raft of laws that have codified discrimination against Palestinians and restrict their rights.
In 2010, the Knesset passed the expansion of the Admissions Committees Law, which allows villages and towns to screen and reject Palestinians based on their background.
