ARAB WORKERS AT PARLIAMENT CONSTRUCTION SITE MARKED WITH "X"
Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press, 3/9/04
JERUSALEM-- Israeli Arab workers building a new wing for Israel's
parliament had their helmets marked with lines of red paint to help
security guards distinguish them from foreign laborers, parliament
officials confirmed Tuesday.
Parliament Speaker Reuven Rivlin ordered the markings removed after
learning of the practice from a report in the Maariv daily. The newspaper
ran a photo Tuesday showing five workers with white helmets, three of them
marked. Two of the workers had simple red lines on their helmets, and the
third bore a large "X."
Ahmed Tibi, an Arab legislator, complained of racism. "The Jews know who
was marked," he said, an apparent reference to the yellow Star of David
emblems Jews had to pin to their clothes during Nazi rule.
About 180 workers, including Israeli Arabs and foreigners, are Building a
new wing for the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Foreign workers, many from
the Far East or Eastern Europe, are not considered a security threat by
Israel...
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Posted by shereen at March 10, 2004 12:18 AM