Do We Live in a Free and Open Society?

The newly elected mayor of Tiberias, Ron Kobi, said some nasty things the other day. He said he is going to do whatever he can to stop building projects designated for the Haredi community. Kobi said the Haredi community should continue to grow but only outside of Tiberias - in Tiberias they are already 22% of the city and they should not be allowed to reach the 30% mark.
Obviously Kobi has brought the wrath of the Haredi politicians dowqn on his head with these statements. Anytime a mayor talks about not building for Haredim or not being willing to bring a HHaredi community to his or her city, the Haredi politicians make a big deal out of it. Kobi was particularly nasty, but his point was not new or unique.
As I have said before, Israel is a democracy with a mostly free society. People can, and should be able to, buy a house and live, wherever in the countrey they wish to. Haredi people should be able to live in Bet Shemesh, Eilat, Ranana, Beer Sheva, Tiberias, Tzfat, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa or any other town, just like anyone should be able to buy his dream home in whatever town he or she might prefer.
However, I do not get excited by the outrage against mayors trying to prevent the Haredi community from buying in any given town, as wrong as I think it is, as long as those very same Haredi asknaim and politcians do the very same thing attempting to prevent secular or dati people from living in Haredi areas. As long as the Haredi asknaim are working to psuh secular resident sout of Bet Shemesh and ensure all future construction is for Haredim and not for secular, as long as secular wannabe residents are not welcome in Modiin Ilit, Beitar, Har Nof, among other places, I don't get excited by the outrage. I think both are equally wrong, but I do not think it is right to demand one side open its doors to the other with no reciprocation and to continue allowing the other side to build itself enclaves that keep everyone else out. Either we live in a free and open society welcoming to all or we do not. You cannot have it both ways.
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