The palestinian Paltoday website reports on the arrest of three Israelis in Dubai for allegedly stealing luxury goods:
Before even reading the report, I know it is unlikely (but possible) the perpetrators were religiously observant Jews, yet they went with that photo, presumably to incite hatred against visibly Jewish people.
Update: The two individuals in the photo are Rabbi Sholom Duchman, Director of Colel Chabad, Israel’s longest running social services organization since 1788 (center) and Rabbi Levi Duchman, Rabbi to the United Arab Emirates. They were pictured at the menorah lighting at the Israel expo in Dubai
Here is an auto-translation of some of the report:
Yesterday, a Hebrew TV channel announced the arrest of three Israeli tourists on charges of stealing products from duty-free shops in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
In a report, the Hebrew Channel 12 clarified the thefts perpetrated by tourists in the Gulf state, describing it as an “exacerbating phenomenon.”
She explained that among the stolen items were “expensive alcohol bottles, expensive bags of chocolate, and in one case a gold-plated iPhone mobile phone.”
She added that “the three were asked to provide explanations about the thefts and then paid a fine of several thousand dirhams when they were forced to buy the stolen products after which they were allowed to board the plane to Israel .”
The channel quoted an Israeli named Alon, who was present in these incidents, as saying: “The workers in the duty-free shops did not want to create chaos and make a fuss or involve the police so as not to harm the other tourists there, so the Israelis were taken to a side room and were warned not to do so. actions again. They paid for the products plus a certain amount as a fine and were released .”
And Allon continued: “In general, in Dubai they are very sensitive to the relationship with the State of Israel, and they try very hard not to shed light on the involvement of the Israelis in committing criminal crimes in the country.”
According to the Hebrew channel, Israeli tourists are leading customers in Dubai duty free markets, buying mostly expensive alcoholic beverages, with an emphasis on whiskey, luxury chocolates, souvenirs, branded clothing, jewelry and mobile phones.
She added that she had received information last Tuesday about the arrest of an “Israeli” (29 years old) as soon as he landed at Dubai Airport, and he was taken for investigation by the police.
And she continued, “The details of the investigation are still unclear, but there is talk of his possible involvement in a drug or theft case.”
Notice the name of the witness, “Alon”, the name of an Israeli Jew.
But a report from Sputnik News in Arabic has something different:
The channel quoted an Israeli, Bassem Alon, who was present at the incidents, as saying: “The workers in the duty-free shops did not want to cause chaos and make a fuss or involve the police so that this would not harm the other tourists there.”
Here, the surname is Alon, but the first name is Bassem, an Arabic name.
And sure enough, the Jerusalem Post adds a piece to the puzzle:
One of the men who were arrested was taken into police custody nearly two weeks ago when he arrived in Dubai. A 29-year-old Sakhnin resident, he was a suspect in a separate police investigation, according to Mako. The details of the investigation are still unclear, but the possibility of his involvement in a drug or theft case is currently being assessed. The Israeli embassy in Dubai is in contact with the detainee’s family and law enforcement agencies in the UAE.
Sakhnin is an Arab town.
In other words, at least one, if not all, of the alleged thieves were Israeli Arabs. And it seems Paltoday tried to cover this up and paint them as Jews.
But there is something else to learn from this. Whether Mako or the Jerusalem Post, the alleged perpetrators are not described as Arabs, but just as Israelis. This is yet another indication how by and large, our Arab citizens are considered Israelis just like our Jewish citizens.
Hat tip: Martin
