An Israeli and a Palestinian scathed by South Africa apartheid rhetoric

In an article in Haaretz published on May 4th, an Israeli and a Palestinian tell about their trip to South Africa to speak about the Middle East and reassure South Africans: “No, Apartheid does not exist inside Israel”.

Read full article here.

 

 

 

 

Israel Apartheid Week agitators could not care less about promoting Mideast peace

In an Op-Ed published last week in Ynet, Dore Gold addresses campus hatred against Israel:

“Typically, those hurling these charges against Israel hope that their audiences are ignorant of the facts. In apartheid South Africa, blacks were not allowed to use white hospitals, they could not attend white universities and they could not participate in the South African parliament. Visit Hadassah Hospital today, or any other health facility in Israel, and see Jewish and Arab doctors caring for Jewish and Arab patients. Witness for yourself at Hebrew University or any institution of higher learning as Jewish and Arab professors teach students of different backgrounds. Go to the Knesset, and observe the debates involving both Jewish and Arab parliamentarians.”

 

 

Debunking the ‘Israel apartheid’ myth

In an article published on 22 February, Neil Lazarus debunks the ”‘Israel apartheid’ myth”.

“To describe the situation of the Palestinians in the same terms as the situation of the blacks of South Africa during apartheid is to belittle the struggle for liberation of that country’s black majority. In that regard, Desmond Tutu’s recent rantings seem to undermine and trivialise his own struggle.”

Read full article and view videos here.

“The Russell Tribunal on Palestine: An International “Court” of Public Opinion?”

“In a move laden with mostly symbolic significance—yet potentially fraught with the likelihood of fomenting further ill will in a troubled region—the jury of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine recently published its final statement, concluding that “Israel subjects the Palestinian people to an institutionalized regime of domination amounting to apartheid as defined under international law.””

Read full article here.

“The Russell Tribunal Dishonours victims of apartheid”

“To attack Israel by using the word “apartheid” is therefore to deracialise a racist concept, and it runs the risk of inviting anyone who visits, or truly understands, Israel to say that if this is apartheid, apartheid must have been a perfectly reasonable system.”

Read full article here.

“Kangaroos in South Africa”

“Apartheid is a sexy catchword to denounce Israel, but it makes a mockery of and cheapens the tremedous suffering endured by South Africa’s black citizens.” Full article here.

“Israel and the Apartheid Slander” by Richard Goldstone

“In Israel, there is no apartheid. Nothing there comes close to the definition of apartheid under the 1998 Rome Statute: “Inhumane acts… committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime.” Israeli Arabs – 20 percent of Israel’s population – vote, have political parties and representatives in the Knesset and occupy positions of acclaim, including on its Supreme Court.” Read full article here.

“Lies told about Israel are beyond belief”

“(…)Yet the attacks go beyond reality. They depict a racist monster which does not exist. I was astonished by the lack of knowledge which leads even well-meaning people into unjustified and cockeyed attitudes. The widespread ignorance also opens the way to manipulation: there are people who, for reasons best known to them, are malevolent and hate-filled towards Israel; it’s depressing to read their lies and distortions, and even more to find that they are believed.”

Read full article here.

Why Israel is not an Apartheid State – Resources

A set of resources put together on this website, all by prominent writers.

“Lost in the blur of slogans” by Ishmael Khaldi

In 2009, Ishmael Khaldi, theen vice-Consul for Israel in San Francisco wrote about the Israel Apartheid Week: “My perspective is unique, both as the vice consul for Israel in San Francisco, and as a Bedouin and the highest-ranking Muslim representing the Israel in the United States.”Read more.