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Report
Gaza war undermines social cohesion in Israel's multicultural city of Haifa
FRANCE 24 English
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12/27/2023
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Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
Every year, Haifa charity Beit Hagafen is marking its 60th anniversary.
00:05
Over the festive period and against a backdrop of the war in Gaza, the coexistence and closeness
00:11
between communities that it promotes has taken on a particular nuance.
00:16
"Jews and Arabs live in Israel.
00:18
That's a fact.
00:19
It's reality.
00:20
I think that the identity of all those who live here has become more complex over the
00:24
last two months.
00:25
Whether you're a Jew, Arab, Muslim or Christian, all our identities have been put to a harsh
00:31
test.
00:32
I think that there are a lot of questions but that there are also answers."
00:38
For Beit Hagafen, those answers include talking, exchanging views and culture.
00:44
One example is this family musical.
00:46
In the audience, Jews, Christians and Muslims like Fadi, who's sad that moments like this
00:52
are increasingly rare.
00:55
"I am 40 years old and 20 years ago there were plenty of events like this between Arabs
01:02
and Jews.
01:03
I took part when I was at school.
01:05
In my building there are both Jews and Arabs.
01:07
I have Jewish friends and I work with a lot of Jews.
01:10
We live together."
01:11
Haifa is a bubble of coexistence, earning a reputation for such across Israel.
01:19
But the balance here is a delicate one.
01:21
The town saw ethnic rioting in May 2021.
01:25
The Arabs who agreed to talk to us all wanted to show their loyalty to Israel, as if they
01:30
had something to prove.
01:32
"Of course I feel Israeli all the time because I was born under this flag.
01:39
I grew up in Israel.
01:41
I have an Israeli ID card and passport.
01:43
I feel completely Israeli."
01:48
Off camera though, they're more circumspect, telling us of a sense of mistrust from Jews,
01:53
even as Hamas views them as traitors to the Palestinian cause.
01:58
The mayor of Haifa understands the dilemma.
02:01
Today she's being interviewed by Israeli television, following the death of four soldiers
02:05
from Haifa in Gaza.
02:07
Elected on a Labour Party platform in 2018, Inat Kalash Rotem has long believed of a particular
02:14
challenge in maintaining the social fabric in Israel - economic inequality.
02:19
Official figures show that Jewish households have an income on average 51% higher than
02:24
Arabic ones.
02:26
Since the war broke out though, the danger now comes from hatred and fear.
02:30
"We are going to do everything in our power, despite the government, to make sure that
02:37
we continue to live here together.
02:39
There was a survey a few weeks ago asking the Arab population in Israel and 70% said
02:47
that they are with Israel, they stand with Israel.
02:50
There's no question with whom they identify."
02:52
Perhaps for the mayor.
02:55
But another survey has shown that 90% of Jews expect violent clashes between the respective
03:01
communities in the near future, with 70% of Arabs saying the same thing.
03:06
Over the holiday season this year, the annual festivities where Haifa's Jews, Christians
03:11
and Muslims mingle and meet have been cancelled amid security concerns.
03:16
In a country at war, and in a society ever drifting towards the political right and ever
03:22
extreme political discourse, Haifa's multicultural existence appears almost as a flickering light
03:28
in darkness, one its residents hope won't be snuffed out.
03:32
[BLANK_AUDIO]
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