'This is a Jewish state': Arabic banned at work for Palestinian citizens of Israel

'This is a Jewish state': Arabic banned at work for Palestinian citizens of Israel Submitted by Samah Watad on Mon, 07/27/2026 - 11:11 From pharmacies to clothing stores, Palestinians say employers are increasingly policing the language they speak, while lawyers warn discrimination has become more overt Palestinian citizens of Israel join a protest in Tel Aviv against government inaction against rising violence in the community (Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images via Reuters) Off Salma* was taken aback when her manager sent a message to the staff WhatsApp group instructing employees to acknowledge a ban on speaking Arabic in their shop. The 19-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel and her colleagues thought it was absurd and ignored it. "But the next day we were frightened of her and tried to stay silent," she told Middle East Eye.