Part Hate

I have been thinking about the charges that Israel is an apartheid state following the many excellent posts on the topic by Joel Pollak. Joel will soon be participating in a debate on this topic. He also has a great list of 26 thoughts around the apartheid charge - one of the best apartheid posts on the blogosphere.

Apartheid was a legal framework by which whites (a minority) sought to ensure their continued political and economic domination of South Africa. It was based purely on race – South Africans were divided into 2 groups – whites and non-whites (blacks, Indians and colours).

There were two components to Apartheid – grand apartheid with its goal of political separation, and petty apartheid which sought to segregate whites from non whites. Both components were equally important and intertwined for one could not succeed without the other.

Grand apartheid was to be achieved by creating separate political realities for whites and non whites. This was done by revoking the citizenship from non-white South Africans reducing the ‘legal’ population of South Africa so that the whites would be the demographic majority. Homelands called Bantustans were created and these were eventually to become separate independent states. Blacks were to either be physically moved into these homelands, or nationally tied to them (i.e. they would become a citizen of the homeland that they might have never set foot in; and not a citizen of South Africa). Naturally, even blacks that were not yet assigned a Bantustan, were denied suffrage (i.e. they were denied the right to vote).

Legislation was passed to legally separate blacks from whites in all aspects of daily life. The separate public amenities act ruled that blacks and whites would receive separate public services. Blacks and whites were to have separate education, medical care, transport and beaches. The legislation even pervaded to the use of parks – blacks could not sit on the same benches as whites and they could not even use the same water fountains used by whites.

Laws were also passed prohibiting blacks and whites from having sexual relations. This was policed to the extent that a white could be incarcerated for allowing a black of the opposite sex to sit on the front seat in their car.

Apartheid ensured the domination by a white minority over a black majority in every apsect of their daily lives. Blacks could not participate in the political process, they were forced to study in languages selected by the government and their education was geared towards making them useful labourers for their white ‘bosses’.

It is thus easy to see that Israel is not an apartheid state. All citizens of Israel (whether Muslim or Jewish, Arab or European) have equality before the law. There is nothing close to resembling the separate provision of amenities – Muslims and Jews use the same hospitals, Muslims and Jews use the same public transport, Muslims and Jews all vote in Israeli elections, Muslims and Jews can run for election etc etc. Muslims in Israel can choose to study in the language of their preference and Arabic is even one of the national languages of Israel. In apartheid South Africa, although blacks made up over 80% of the population, not a single African language was recognised by the state.

So why does the comparison still stick? The peddlars of this fraudulent comparison often focus on the Bantustan analogy in order to push it.

The peddlars explain that the West Bank and Gaza (Palestinian territories) equate to the old South African Bantustans. It is claimed that this ‘separation’ is a convenient measure for the Jews to devoid themselves of responsibility for the Palestinians. (As a side note, it is this that is the real “Transfer” problem in Israel - - the transfer of all responsibility for the Palestinians to Israel. The Palestinians are never responsible for anything, not even for themselves).

The problem with the comparison is that the separation between Israel and the Palestinian territories is more akin to the separation between South Africa and Mozambique (or any other bordering state) than to South Africa and the Bantustans.

There are many differences in practice (Israel does not rely on the Palestinian territories for labour) but the key difference is one of design.

The separation between South Africa and the Bantustans was designed and implemented by apartheid South Africa. The separation between Israel and the Palestinian territories however, was designed by the 1947 UN partition resolution 181. It was not Israel that created this separation (in order to racially subjugate a majority population!) The UN created the separation in order to create two separate states for two separate nations. This happened all over the Middle East once the Ottoman Empire collapsed.

Those that now claim that Israel has created Bantustan-like homelands for the Palestinians are either completely ignorant of the Middle East history, ignorant of what apartheid really was, or they are being deliberately malicious. Either way I am certain that part of their campaign is driven by hate.

I wonder how many of the silly American students participating in the recent “Israeli Apartheid week” can even name a single apartheid law passed by the old South Africa.

Comments

[Hard Rain]

It's become quite clear that this debate was settled in the 70's when the libel of equating Zionism to racism and Israel to Apartheid was flaunted by the USSR and its Arab cohorts. It was smashed back then and it is just as easy to smash now.

Unfortunately, as Jimmy Carter has so eloquently illustrated, the use of the word is an excellent means to stir an emotional response to an issue rather than one of reasoned analysis. He's made it quite clear (and so have others) that they don't care just how much the term is able to equate with reality, they just choose to use it "'cause it's all like powerful and stuff for like the movement."

It's just the A-typical strategy of attacking Zionism and Israel- don't worry about the truth, just go with hyperbole and hollow argument.

[Steve]

Absolutely correct - and the same applies to calling Israel a colonial state. Doesnt stand up to a factual analysis but its an easy way to get the intellectually lazy on your side.

[TC]

There is certainly extensive discrimination in the Middle East - but it ain't coming form Israel. Pehaps you could draw attention to this, and show the dublicity or hypocricy of some of Israel's critics.

[Cynic]

As for those "silly" American students please stop being nice and realise what they are truly about and read the following:

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0207/glick022707.php3

"At an "Israel Apartheid Week" event at City University of New York, after watching a propaganda film, 19-year old Binyamin Rister rose and politely asked the ISM presenters if they supported terrorism. When he received no reply he politely repeated the question. Rather than wait for an answer, CUNY security guards dragged Rister from the room and then repeatedly banged his head against the wall of an elevator and threw him head first down the stairs. Rister's injuries from the assault by campus security required him to be evacuated by ambulance in a neck brace to the hospital.

In an almost identical case at Georgetown last year, Bill Maniaci a 65-year-old retired Jewish American police officer was brutalized by Georgetown security guards after he asked ISM spokesmen if they supported terrorism. He is currently suing Georgetown for $8 million in damages for the assault. According to Lee Kaplan's report of the CUNY event in Frontpage Magazine, there were seven witnesses to the unprovoked attack against Rister. He too has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against CUNY.

Many of those left wing American students are part of the 21st Century's fascists.

[Anthony]

See the article at wikipedia on the apartheid accusation. It has an excellent intro with diversity of opinion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegations_of_Israeli_apartheid

[Hard Rain]

More horrendous Israeli apartheid today /sarcasm:

"Effective today, and for the first time in the history of Israel, a Druze, Majali Wahba will be both acting president of Israel and speaker of the Knesset (Parliament).

Source: Al-Rafidayn, Iraq, February 27, 2007"

From MEMRI: http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/740.htm

[Steve]

Cynic - I totally hear you.

[ZionistYoungster]

The problem is not the arguments. It is never difficult to rebut the anti-Zionists' arguments, as they are based on lies, distortions and fakery (which holds true for that invention called, "The Palestinian Nation", as a whole). The problem is those arguments fall on receptive ears, the ears of those who are all too eager to latch onto any excuse to murder Jews (G-d forbid). For that reason, I think that, just as important if not more so than to defend ourselves, to respond to the arguments against us, is to attack our enemies, to demonize the other side (without resorting to fakery, of course--but there's no need, because reality demonizes the other side only too well).

[David All]

In refuting Carter's piece of trash, two points are important to make:
1). The overwhelming negative reviews of this book by leading newspapers including the leading lights of Political Correctness, the New York Times & the Washington Post.
2). The millions of dollars the Carter Center has recieved from his new found buddies, the Saudis.

[Mr. Anonymous]

Israel is not just apartheid state. Also controls USA in ways hard to believe. And is the main instigator of wars and terrorism [Mossad assassinated Olaf Palme of Sweden, and created Hamas and Al Quaida]. Israel can GO TO HELL1 [Which is already in hell, anyway]. WE HATE ISRAEL UNTIL IT BECOME PALESTINE!

[Carl Muller]

I spent a year in Israel. According to my experience it is the only country where I have been in my life where there is nor racism. They have Arabs in parliament and the only thing they presently want to do is keeping the Islamic Jihad out. That is why they build the wall.
We live in the most beautiful country in the world and we have burglar bars. I do hope that Ronnie & friends remove theirs because why do they have it??? Do not criticize a country unless you haver lived in it and experienced their challenges. Israel took in so many refugees after WW11. They housed them, clothed them, fed them and Jews from all over the world paid for that. And they left and lost all their property and belongings in the Arab countries.
On the other side, the Arabs kept the refugees in camps.

[Ugg Boots Outlet]

If you honestly believe this, I'm at a complete loss for words to file a comment.