'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.

One colleague briefly spoke in Arabic while saying she was taking a box to the storeroom, even using the Hebrew word for "storeroom", making it clear she was talking about work. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The manager erupted. "She started shouting, kicking boxes and telling us we were forbidden to speak Arabic," Salma recalled.

"She told us: 'This is a Jewish state. Arabic stays at home.'" Salma's experience is one of several reported in recent months by Palestinian workers who say they have been told not to speak Arabic at work. The complaints span hospitals, pharmacies and retail stores.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); One of the most recent cases involved a Palestinian employee at a Good Pharm branch in Jaffa. Local media published WhatsApp messages in which a manager allegedly threatened workers who spoke languages other than Hebrew, claiming that hearing Arabic could deter customers traumatised by the 7 October attacks. Good Pharm said it employs and serves people from all sections of society, is committed to equality, and would address the manager's conduct internally.

Palestinian workers, however, say little has changed. Feeling the racism In Salma's case, everyone on the shop floor was Palestinian. The manager was the only Jewish Israeli present.

She said the ban remained in force even when the shop was closed and there were no customers. 'I had heard about racism before this, but I never understood the feeling until now' - Salma, Pa…