The Times Misleads on Arab Ban in Ashkelon

The Times of London has recently devoted a great deal of column inches to the controversial Jewish State bill currently being debated in Israel. The Times’s latest article, however, contains some errors.

According to The Times, the bill “reserves Jews the right to automatically take Israeli citizenship.”

Except there is nothing new here. Israel’s Law of Return already enshrines this in law.

The article also refers to recent terror attacks that “have heightened anti-Arab hostility, with the mayor of Ashkelon barring Palestinian construction workers from schools.”

This, however, is simply wrong. As stated in Haaretz:

Last week, Ashkelon’s Mayor Itamar Shimoni decided to bar Arab construction workers from three kindergartens in the city during school hours, prompting outraged responses from across the Israeli political spectrum.

 

Following instructions from the Interior Ministry on the matter and criticism against his decision, both by the prime minister and by the attorney general, Shimoni reversed his decision.

A request for a correction has been sent to The Times. Watch this space.

UPDATE

Credit to The Times for promptly making a correction. A minor yet important change as the text now reads:

… with the mayor of Ashkelon attempting to bar Palestinian construction workers from schools.