Israel’s transportation minister wants to change the Arabic and English spelling on road signs leading to major cities and ancient holy sites, an Israeli newspaper reports. Historic sites in the Holy Land often have parallel, not always entirely identical, names in Hebrew, Arabic and English. Road signs are generally topped with Hebrew names, then Arabic, which is the second official language of the state, and English.
But instead of their age-old names in Arabic and English, the government plans to use the Hebrew transliteration for new signs, ‘Yediot Ahronot’ reported. Jerusalem will no longer be written as such in English, nor as al-Quds in Arabic, but only as Yerushalayim – both in Hebrew, Arabic and English letters.
Nazareth would become Natsrat, as pronounced in Hebrew, and, the ancient Roman port of Caesaria Kesariya. Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee, becomes Tveria. The initiative was authorized by Transportation Minister Israel Katz of the Likud party. "If someone wants to use a road sign to turn Jewish Jerusalem into the Palestinian al-Quds - that won't happen under this government, and certainly not under this minister," Katz told the paper.
His decision sparked scorn among Arab-Israeli lawmakers, including Ahmed Tibi, of the United Arab List - in the Knesset. "Al-Quds remains al-Quds," he said. "The minister errs if he thinks that word laundering can erase the Arabs' existence in Israel and their link to the land." The move also sparked criticism within the government. "Street signs are no political theme. Arabic is an official language in Israel," said Minorities Minister Avishai Braverman of the Labor Party.
