The French company Veolia, involved in building the tramway project in Jerusalem, published an advertisement on Monday (23 August) which included requirements that effectively exclude Palestinian job seekers.
These include the completion of the Israeli military. In addition, the ad demands only the knowledge of Hebrew and English, although Arabic is also an official language of Israel.
Veolia has previously received strong international criticism for its
involvement in the tramway project in Jerusalem, which is partly situated on occupied land and links illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem with West Jerusalem.As a member of the UN Global Compact, Veolia has committed itself to respect international law and not to accept discrimination. The company has guaranteed that it could withdraw from the Jerusalem tramway project if the latter would force the company to accept discriminatory situations.
Recently, however, operator Veolia City Pass attracted attention with a poll of Israelis about whether they would feel uncomfortable using the tramway with Arabs. The survey contained language that even the Jerusalem mayoral office assessed as unsuitable. In a further move, City Pass company declared that it would consider separating men and women to meet demands from ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups, another move that aroused discontent in the civil service.
“Veolia’s policy is outrageous,” says Joakim Wohlfeil of Diakonia. “It has tried to mitigate criticism of the illegal aspects of the Jerusalem tramway project by claiming that its participation shall prevent discrimination in the project. Now, however, it makes racist statements, is adapting to religious extremists and eventually Veolia themselves come out with ads saying that the Arabs are not welcome,” says Joakim Wohlfeil at Diakonia.
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