Arabic in Israel

Ishaq Bar-Moshe in Iraq. (Courtesy of Bar Moshe's family)

The Mizrahi author whose book Mahmoud Abbas wants to distribute

Ishaq Bar-Moshe started writing books in Arabic two decades after he emigrated from Iraq to Israel. It was a radical choice, given that the language aroused deep antipathy in Israel — but Bar-Moshe was undeterred. By Naomi Niddam A few weeks ago, a representative from the office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called Idit Shemer, an…

By +972 Magazine and Ami Kaufman November 8, 2019

Israeli Border Police officers guard the entrance to Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, September 21, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Arabic was an official language in Israel for 70 years, 2 months, and 5 days

You can look at the new Jewish Nation-State Law from two angles: the message it sends to Jews, and the message it sends to Palestinians — you don’t belong here. Arabic was an official language of the State of Israel for 70 years, two months, and five days. As of July 19, 2018, it is…

By Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man July 19, 2018

A Palestinian artist puts the final touches on a graffiti on a wall in Gaza City, May 8, 2010. The phrase is Arabic reads 'we will definitely come back.' (Wissam Nassar/Flash90)

How Arabic became a threat to ‘social cohesion’ in Israel

The absurd arrest of a Palestinian worker who was mistranslated by the police is a reminder that Arabic has been turned into a tool to oppress the native population in this country. Israelis read Sunday morning that Israeli police had mistakenly arrested a Palestinian worker after relying on a Facebook translation of a post he had…

By Orly Noy October 23, 2017

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Illustrative photo of an Aroma cafe branch in Israel. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

Israeli cafe orders employees to stop speaking Arabic on the job

A branch of Aroma Espresso Bar in central Israel tells its Arab workers that speaking their mother-tongue is offensive to some of the customers. By Yael Marom A branch of “Aroma Espresso Bar,” one of Israel’s most popular coffee chains, told its Arab workers last week that they are no longer allowed to speak Arabic at…

By +972 Magazine April 1, 2017