A security guard checks the identification of visitors near the entrance to a park in the northern Israeli town of Afula, July 14, 2019. The sign in Hebrew reads, “ The park is open to Shchakim Network activities and to residents of Afula only” — ReutersA court on Sunday ordered a predominantly Jewish town in northern Israel to lift a ban on non-resident visitors to its parks, a prohibition that a rights group said was aimed at keeping Arabs out.
Lawyers for Afula, a city of 50,000 people, contended the restrictions stemmed solely from a desire to reduce overcrowding during the summer months and keep maintenance costs down. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who supported the bill, said the legislation did not detract from the equal individual rights enjoyed by all of Israel’s citizens.