Today: September 9, 2010

 

Is Israel an Apartheid State?

Posted: Tue 23rd February 2010 2.10 PM  | Author: Geoffrey Smith

A recent article in the Guardian newspaper alleged that Israel is an apartheid state.

This same accusation was repeated at a weekend demonstration in London. It was repeated again in a motion debated at the Annual Meeting of a University Trade Union. If something is repeated often enough you begin to think it must be true. That was the basic principle of Goebbels in the Nazi attacks he mounted against the Jewish people seventy years ago. 

So what is the truth about this allegation of apartheid policies?

· If apartheid was in Israel there wouldn’t be Arab members of the Knesset, or Parliament.

· If apartheid was in Israel there wouldn’t be Arab justices in the Israeli High Court.

· If apartheid was in Israel there wouldn’t be Arab university students studying the same subjects as their Israeli peers in Israeli universities.

· If apartheid was in Israel, there wouldn’t be Jewish doctors treating Arab patients and Arab doctors treating Jewish patients.

· If apartheid was in Israel there couldn’t be suicide bombers on buses and in cafes.

Yes, Think about it. If apartheid was in Israel, Arab bombers could not get on the same buses as Jews, nor could they use the same cafes. So they couldn’t mount suicide bomb attacks in buses and cafes. There is no apartheid in Israel. The allegation that there is, is a wicked lie. Is there racism in Israel? Sadly, yes.

Is there racism in Britain? Sadly, yes. It is there in most countries. What is important is that governments are not complacent but tackle racism in education, sport, civil rights, and in promoting job opportunities. The Government of Israel is tackling all these areas.

Look at this paragraph from the Basic Guidelines of the Israeli Government:

“The Government of Israel will work to develop the land to the benefit of all its residents, will ensure absolute social and political equal rights without regard to religion, race and sex, and will respect the civil rights of minority citizens in all fields of its work and plans. The Government will not accept any expression of racism in this country.”

It goes on:

“The Government of Israel will invest significant resources to ensure equal rights for the minorities who live among us, while making an effort to the equal integration of non-Jewish citizens in the civilian society in this country, in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence. The Government will immediately implement a policy of equality in access to education, infrastructure and in receiving health care and welfare.”

These are Israeli government policies in support of the equality of its people, regardless of religion race and sex. Can you find any other country in the Middle East with fairer policies than that towards minorities? So tell your friends the truth whenever you hear lies against Israel, and pray with me that Israel will continue to walk in the path of the prophets to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with their God.

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