Why has Israel decided to keep only Hebrew names on their road signs?
The Israeli transport ministry said on Monday that it will get rid of Arabic and English names for cities and towns on road signs, keeping only the Hebrew terms. “Minister Yisrael Katz took this decision that will be progressively applied,” a ministry spokeswoman told AFP. Currently Israeli road signs are written in Hebrew, Arabic and English, with the city names in each language. So Jerusalem is identified as Yerushalaim in Hebrew, Jerusalem in English and Al-Quds in Arabic (along with Yerushalaim written in Arabic script). Sources: http://news.yahoo.
Under the new policy the Holy City will only be identified as Yerushalaim in all three languages. Nazareth (Al-Nasra in Arabic) will be identified as Natzrat and Jaffa (Jaffa in Arabic) will only be written as Yafo. Katz told the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot that the move was a response to the Palestinian refusal to use Hebrew names for some Israeli towns. “On Palestinian maps, Israeli towns are often still identified with the Arabic names used before the 1948 war” when Israel was created, he said. Israel gave Hebrew names, often of biblical origin, to many villages, towns and areas that came under its control following the 1948 war. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090713/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflicttransportisrael Sources: http://news.yahoo.
JERUSALEM (AFP) – The Israeli transport ministry said on Monday that it will get rid of Arabic and English names for cities and towns on road signs, keeping only the Hebrew terms. Currently Israeli road signs are written in Hebrew, Arabic and English, with the city names in each language. So Jerusalem is identified as Yerushalaim in Hebrew, Jerusalem in English and Al-Quds in Arabic (along with Yerushalaim written in Arabic script). Under the new policy the Holy City will only be identified as Yerushalaim in all three languages. Katz told the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot that the move was a response to the Palestinian refusal to use Hebrew names for some Israeli towns. Elections earlier this year brought a right-wing coalition to power that includes the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, which has demanded Israel’s Arab minority demonstrate greater loyalty to the Jewish state. Sources:
Related Questions
- Why do some road names not fall within the roadways? Why are some road names overlapping parcel boundaries with no signs of a road casement nearby?
- Ive been living in Fairford Leys for some time now but my road still has no sign. Who is responsible for road names and signs?
- Why has Israel decided to keep only Hebrew names on their road signs?
