In the previous entry I brought attention to Ronnie Kasrils' Israeli apartheid accusations. Kasrils wrote
The Palestinian minority in Israel has for decades been denied basic equality in health, education, housing and land possession, solely because it is not Jewish. The fact that this minority is allowed to vote hardly redresses the rampant injustice in all other basic human rights. They are excluded from the very definition of the "Jewish state", and have virtually no influence on the laws, or political, social and economic policies. Hence their similarity to the black South Africans.
This Honest Reporting critique of a comparison of Israel to the US before the civil rights movement squashes the Kasrils argument.
As opposed to the U.S. (and apartheid South Africa - ed), the foundational document of the State of Israel upheld the principle of civil equality ― despite the fact it was drafted during a state of war with surrounding Arabs:
[The State of Israel] will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex... We appeal, in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months - to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the building of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions. (Israeli Declaration of Independence, 1948)
Eleven Israeli Arabs currently serve in Israel's Knesset, including two in the dominant Likud party.
An Arab Justice, Salim Joubran, holds a seat on the Israeli Supreme Court.
The Israeli government is currently implementing a 4-year, 4 billion shekel plan to develop infrastructures in the Arab sector.
Israeli Arabs and (Palestinians) attend and lecture in every Israeli university. In fact, prominent Arab academics such as Sari Nusseibeh were outspoken against the recent boycott of Israeli universities by the UK's Association of University Teachers.
Even diplomatic positions are open to Israeli Arabs, who have held key posts in Atlanta (Consul-General), South America, Finland (Ambassador) and elsewhere.
Israeli Arabs consistently state that they'd prefer to remain in Israel rather than join a future Palestinian state. A May 2001 survey found that just 30 percent of Israel's Arab population would agree to the Galilee Triangle being annexed to a future Palestinian state. By February 2004, according to the Haifa-based Arab Center for Applied Social Research, that figure had reached 90 percent preferring to remain in Israel.
The government of Israel has officialy recognised some policy shortcomings. Their acknowledgement and will to bring about change further emphasises the utter craziness of the comparisons made by Kasrils.
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