The decision of the city of Arad to darken the soccer fields in the city at night (Almog Ben Zikri, Haaretz, September 9) is another of the infuriating decisions of Mayor Nissan Ben Hamo to “protect” residents from the entry of outsiders.

About two weeks ago Ben Hamo ordered roadblocks at the entrance to the city, for fear of an “invasion” by African migrants who were released from the Holot detention center. The latest order targets is aimed against Bedouin children and teens who come to play in the city’s sports facilities, and who according to residents, cause a disturbance. “To my great regret, it wasn’t our young people who came to the fields, and therefore, we decided we’d turn on the lights only upon request,” Ben Hamo said by way of explaining his decision.

The sensitivity of Arad’s residents to the noise coming from the playing fields is understandable. In no city would the residents be willing to tolerate noise in the wee hours of the night. But the municipality’s decision does not stem from the nuisance itself, since had “our young people” come to them, they could have benefited from illuminated fields. We can also assume that had teens from other Jewish communities come to the playing fields that would not have disturbed the mayor.

The decision is aimed at those creating the noise, Bedouin and asylum seekers, who are considered not only a nuisance, but even a threat to the social fabric of the city. By his actions the mayor of Arad is joining several other mayors, who encouraged their residents not to rent out apartments to Arabs or to give shelter to asylum seekers.

Arad decides for itself on the policy of absorption and inclusion of nonresidents, as though it were an independent government that is above the law. It’s hard to come with complaints to the mayor, at a time when the government itself has yet to formulate a clear policy in relation both to the released asylum seekers and to the Bedouin, who are asking for services identical to those provided in Jewish cities.

It is doubtful whether Bedouin children would insist on playing in Arad’s athletic fields if the government were to invest in infrastructure for public recreation in the recognized and unrecognized Bedouin villages and if it were to consider the Bedouin citizens with equal rights. Nor are the asylum seekers happy about living in Arad, of all places, and they would probably prefer cities where they could work.

Relinquishing responsibility for Bedouin and asylum seekers and imposing it on the cities and on charitable organizations is not policy. The failure must be redressed immediately. The mayor of Arad must allow everyone to use the city’s public facilities, and at the same time the government must adopt a policy that will prevent unilateral decisions with no moral foundation.