Municipality of Jerusalem Forces Palestinian Traders in East Jerusalem to Add Hebrew Text to their Shop Signs
On 19 December 2010, Adalah submitted a letter to the Head of the Municipality of Jerusalem, Nir Barakat, demanding the cancellation of a recent municipal decision that forces shop-owners in East Jerusalem to add Hebrew text to their shop signs, and stipulates that the Hebrew text should take up at least half of the total space of the sign. The decision is part of a wider process of renewing signage in the city in general, and constitutes a condition for the approval of both existing and new signs. Anyone found to be in breach of these directives faces a financial penalty.
In the letter, Adalah Attorney Haneen Naamneh argued that the decision, which compels Palestinian traders to use Hebrew in their business space, is illegal, contradicts related Israeli Supreme Court case law, and must be rescinded. The Supreme Court previously considered a similar case, in which the Municipality of Natseret Illit sought to force a trading company to add Hebrew lettering to an advertisement published by the company as a condition for permission to post it on billboard space owned by the municipality. In its ruling on the case, the Supreme Court decided that it was illegal for the municipality to impose such a condition.
As stated above, the decision of the Municipality of Jerusalem requires traders in East Jerusalem to use Hebrew text on shop signs, despite the fact that Hebrew is a foreign language to the vast majority of traders in East Jerusalem. In addition, for Palestinians in East Jerusalem the Arabic language has become an important means of defending their political, cultural and social identity in the context of the ongoing Israeli occupation. Therefore the decision violates their rights to language, dignity, freedom of expression and freedom of occupation, and represents an infringement of their personal autonomy and the right to make personal decisions regarding their businesses.
Adalah emphasized that as an occupying power in East Jerusalem, where Israeli sovereignty is not recognized internationally, Israel bears several duties under international human rights and humanitarian law towards the occupied Palestinian population as "protected persons". Under international law, Israel is obliged not to undertake any measures that stand to harm the interests of the occupied population, and indeed must actively protect this population from any threats and dangers resulting from the occupation.
