Road sign initiative will remind Arabs of government’s official positions

[Donald Ian Rankin]

http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3745671,00.html

We see much confusion when it comes to road signs here in Israel.

We have quite a few empty fields with a sign in the middle warning Israelis about the danger of drowning. We have junctions where the same community appears to be located both to the right and to the left of the sign. Meanwhile, the signs directing us to some towns, such as Holon, are almost impossible to comprehend – let’s see you get there.

Yet these are all charming mistakes that tell us something about the nature of Israeli bureaucracy.

What is not charming at all is the fact that the sign leading motorists to Jerusalem includes a translation to three languages: In Hebrew it says “Yerushalaim”; in English it says “Jerusalem”; in Arabic it says “al-Quds.” Now that is not very funny.

So perhaps the new road sign initiative is not the most important priority faced by the minister of transportation at this time. However, despite all, even as a less important matter this initiative is much more justified than many other minor issues.

The different names on our road signs are not an issue of semantics or of pettiness. They constitute a problem. They also constitute a statement. They reflect the views of some of the Arabs who reside in Israel.

They view Jerusalem as a city that must be divided and turned into two capitals. They view the site of the Temple as a Palestinian area.

It is of course their right to see reality that way, but it’s the State’s duty to remind them of the government’s official position when it comes to official records and signs.

In respect to Arab villages, the name posted on the signs should be the one commonly used by those who reside there. However, the names of Israeli towns such as Akko and Haifa, even though they have an Arabic name as well, need to be written using their Hebrew name even in the Arabic translation.

I guess it depends what you think the purpose of road signs is - are they there to remind people of the official political positions of the government, or are they there to help people find their way around?