Following the war, Mayors, including those of Rosh Ha'ayin, Rehovot, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Givatayim, and Lod, declared the restriction of activities and the closure of construction sites within the city limits, despite these sites following instructions from the Home Front Command. The purpose of these restrictions is to prevent the entry of Arab workers, who are citizens of the state and residents, to those areas. On October 18, 2023, our legal team, including Raghda Awwad and Abir Joubran, appealed (Hebrew) to the government's Attorney General and the Minister of the Interior, requesting that they clarify to the local authorities' leaders that such conduct is prohibited.
In their appeal, the lawyers highlighted that these decisions by the municipal heads are unauthorized, constitute an abuse of their power against building contractors, infringe upon human rights such as dignity, equality, freedom of occupation and employment, and contradict the principles of equal opportunity in employment law. They emphasized that these are divisive and discriminatory decisions that not only fail to calm tensions but encourage hostility and aggression, conveying a message to the Jewish public that it is permissible to harm a worker solely due to being Arab.
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