The Knesset on Monday passed a law banning discrimination in sales, services and access to public entertainment of residents of Judea and Samaria, authored by MK Shuli Moalem-Refaeli (Habayit Hayehudi).
The new law prohibits service or product providers from discriminating against customers based on their location, as well as banning access to entertainment or other services in a public place based on an individual’s place of residence. The law amends the existing consumer protection law of 1981, empowering the courts to add to the sentencing of an offending business the sum of about $2,700 above the damage incurred.
Yossi Dagan, Head of the Shomron Regional Council, issued a congratulatory email to his constituents on Monday, announcing that from this day on, service providers will no longer be allowed to refuse service over “residency across the green line.”
“Delivery services refusing to ‘cross the green line,’ service technicians unwilling to come, and most serious – medical service providers who literally risk human lives by not arriving at the settlements – all of these should expect to pay significant fines from now on,” Dagan wrote.
MK Masud Ganaim (Joint Arab List) Arab List) objected to the legislation, arguing that it constitutes a de facto recognition of the “occupation.”
But MK Eitan Cabel (Zionist Camp) argued that, “when the time comes for a peace treaty, this law will not be the obstruction.” Cabel added: “Any place where human beings live, they are human beings – you can’t turn everything into left-right politics.”