http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?id=49552&mador=1
Tuesday, June 29, 1999
Arab Israeli accuses El Al of racism
Reuters
JERUSALEM - An Arab citizen of Israel accused the
state airline, El Al, of racial discrimination on
Monday after it again declined to admit him to a
flight attendants' course.
A spokesman for El Al, which is renowned for its
tight security, denied allegations of
discrimination while acknowledging it has no Arab
employees in its workforce of 3,400.
He said Jabour Jabour, a 30-year-old Arab Israeli
travel agent who speaks three languages, simply
failed to make the grade.
"Jabour failed his entrance exam for the third
time," El Al spokesman Nachman Klieman said.
"Usually we don't even allow people to repeat the
exam three times. If they feel they were treated
unfairly we allow one more time."
Jabour's lawyer, Jiries Bolous, said he would file
a discrimination suit against El Al in the Labor
Court this week. Bolous said he had gathered the
names of more than 40 Arab Israelis who have
applied to be El Al flight attendants and been
rejected.
"They are all qualified, speak several languages
and look better than many of the flight attendants
up there," Bolous said. "The only reason they are
not accepted is racism."
Arabs make up about 20 percent of Israel's
population, but have complained since the
establishment of the state that they are treated
as second-class citizens.
Asked to comment on Jabour's allegations, El Al
president Joel Feldschuh told Israel Radio that
only about five percent of the 5,600 people who
apply to become flight attendants each year get
their wings. "There is no ban (on Arabs). I do not
check the ethnic origin of the person, sexual
orientation, or political opinions," Feldschuh
said.
Klieman said El Al had Arab employees in the past
but none currently worked for the airline.
"El Al and Ben-Gurion Airport would not even hire
an Arab to be a garbage collector," Bolous
countered. "They look at Arabs as if they were
explosive materials - at Arabic as if it were the
language of terrorism.
(c) copyright 1999 Ha'aretz. All Rights Reserved
http://www.israelwire.com/New/990630/9906309.html
Arab Man Accuses El Al of Discrimination
(IsraelWire-6/30-1999) Jabour Jabour, 30, an Israeli Arab man who has always
dreamed of becoming a member of a commercial airline flight crew is accusing
El Al, the national carrier, of discrimination. He told reporters that he was
denied entry to a course for flight attendants because of his nationality. El Al
denied allegations of discrimination but acknowledged that there are no Arabs
employed among its over 3,000 employees. El Al pointed out however that
there have been Arab employees in the past.
According to airline spokeperson Nachman Klieman, Jabour was permitted to
retake the entrance exam three times but he failed all the attempts. Kleiman
stated his reason for being rejected was his test score and there was no truth to
the discrimination charges.
According to attorney Jiries Bolous, who is representing Jabour, he has
compiled a list of over 40 Arabs who in the past have been denied employment
in El Al and he will be taking the case to labor court.
