Real Apartheid: Apartheid was the racial separation and discrimination, institutionalised by law in every aspect of everyday life, imposed by South Africa’s white minority and derived from belief in white racial superiority.
Apartheid as a political weapon: The common practice of whipping up anti-Israel rage by comparing the State of Israel to the Apartheid State of South Africa. This practice cheapens the word ‘apartheid’, reducing it to just another swear word in order to challenge the legitimacy of Israel.
Yusuf Abramjee is group head of news and programming for Primedia Broadcasting, owners of influential South African radio stations - Talk Radio 702, 94.7 Highveld Stereo, and 567 Cape Talk.
Abramjee wrote a biting “Israel is apartheid!” article in the Pretoria News last week (subscribers only). The attack was based on his 5 day visit to Israel to cover the Gaza disengagement.
| At the airport in Tel Aviv a young security woman looked at me and called me aside. She then asked aseries of questions. What is the origin of your surname? Why are you here? Who are you meeting? Where are you staying? After about 15 minutes my luggage was scanned and I was allowed to go. But little did I realise that my real interrogation was to takes place when I left the country. My visit to Ramallah some 20 minutes from Jerusalem was an experience. The checkpoints make younervous. Young soldiers armed with rifles demand to see your passport. Alongside scores of Palestinians wait patiently in queues to enter Israeli territory. Their identity cards are checked Metres away is the new concrete wall or security fence. … But I am still not convinced. These are symbols of division and the restriction of movement in this fashion can never be condoned. It is apartheid and should be condemned in the strongest terms. |
The barrier exists to prevent the infiltration of terrorists and smuggling of weapons into Israel. Surely Abaramjee would not write a scathing attack on South African border patrols who demand to see the passports of people crossing from Mozambique into South Africa. The Palestinians are citizens of the PA, not Israel. So why then does Abramjee subject Israel to a separate set of rules by complaining that Israel insists on checking the ID cards of Palestinians wishing to cross into Israel?
Palestinians are not oppressed on racial grounds as Arabs. They are competitors in a national/religious conflict for land. There are enough real issues to focus on; there is no need to fabricate issues. The fabricated issues make everything worse because they outrage supporters of Israel diverting their attention from the serious issues that need to be resolved.
Abramjee may have questioned intensely, but that hardly equates with Apartheid. Anyone who visits Israel, Jews included, are intensely questioned. Abramjee should know better.
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