Legal discrimination in Israel spreads to utilities, local governance

The Israel Electric Corporation has announced that it will suspend power cutoffs of delinquent Jewish clients during the eight-day Hanukkah holiday in the first week of December. The decision may have been made in good faith and not tinged by racism. It quite possibly may have been designed to enhance the IEC's tarred image. However, these days, since the passing of the nationality law that provides the state’s Jewish majority with a clear advantage, any differentiation on the basis of religion or ethnicity can be presumed to be motivated by racism.

The IEC's festive Nov. 29 announcement said customers “in the Jewish sector” in arrears with payment would be exempt from power cutoffs throughout the Hanukkah holiday, also known as the festival of lights. The fact is that this public relations ploy isn't as big a gesture as it seems. The reprieve is not really for eight days, since the IEC does not operate on weekends, and the holiday “bonus” for delinquent customers will enable company employees to take time off.

The power company’s announcement was met with surprise and anger. The nationality law anchors the Jewish nature of the State of Israel and even welcomes the establishment of Jewish-only communities. Has the preferential treatment of Jews spread to such an extent that it favors Jews in enforcing the law?

In the wake of public outrage, the IEC was quick to clarify that it does not discriminate against any of its clients and it treats non-Jews the same way during their religious holidays. That’s interesting, given that all the Abrahamic religions celebrate holidays in December, some almost concurrently: Hanukkah, Christmas and Eid al-Adha, the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice. Nonetheless, the IEC did not promise to provide light to all its customers in December so as not to mar their holiday joy.