Yes, There is Apartheid in Israel

This Road is for Jews Only

Yes, There is Apartheid in Israel

By SHULAMIT ALONI

Jewish self-righteousness is taken for granted among ourselves to such
an extent that we fail to see what's right in front of our eyes. It's
simply inconceivable that the ultimate victims, the Jews, can carry
out evil deeds. Nevertheless, the state of Israel practises its own,
quite violent, form of Apartheid with the native Palestinian
population.

The US Jewish Establishment's onslaught on former President Jimmy
Carter is based on him daring to tell the truth which is known to all:
through its army, the government of Israel practises a brutal form of
Apartheid in the territory it occupies. Its army has turned every
Palestinian village and town into a fenced-in, or blocked-in,
detention camp. All this is done in order to keep an eye on the
population's movements and to make its life difficult. Israel even
imposes a total curfew whenever the settlers, who have illegally
usurped the Palestinians' land, celebrate their holidays or conduct
their parades.

If that were not enough, the generals commanding the region frequently
issue further orders, regulations, instructions and rules (let us not
forget: they are the lords of the land). By now they have
requisitioned further lands for the purpose of constructing "Jewish
only" roads. Wonderful roads, wide roads, well-paved roads, brightly
lit at night--all that on stolen land. When a Palestinian drives on
such a road, his vehicle is confiscated and he is sent on his way.

On one occasion I witnessed such an encounter between a driver and a
soldier who was taking down the details before confiscating the
vehicle and sending its owner away. "Why?" I asked the soldier. "It's
an order--this is a Jews-only road", he replied. I inquired as to
where was the sign indicating this fact and instructing [other]
drivers not to use it. His answer was nothing short of amazing. "It is
his responsibility to know it, and besides, what do you want us to do,
put up a sign here and let some antisemitic re****ter or journalist
take a photo so he that can show the world that Apartheid exists
here?"

Indeed Apartheid does exist here. And our army is not "the most moral
army in the world" as we are told by its commanders. Sufficient to
mention that every town and every village has turned into a detention
centre and that every entry and every exit has been closed, cutting it
off from arterial traffic. If it were not enough that Palestinians are
not allowed to travel on the roads paved 'for Jews only', on their
land, the current GOC found it necessary to land an additional blow on
the natives in their own land with an "ingenious proposal".

Humanitarian activists cannot trans****t Palestinians either.

Major-General Naveh, renowned for his superior patriotism, has issued
a new order. Coming into affect on 19 January, it prohibits the
conveyance of Palestinians without a permit. The order determines that
Israelis are not allowed to trans****t Palestinians in an Israeli
vehicle (one registered in Israel regardless of what kind of
numberplate it carries) unless they have received explicit permission
to do so. The permit relates to both the driver and the Palestinian
passenger. Of course none of this applies to those whose labour serves
the settlers. They and their employers will naturally receive the
required permits so they can continue to serve the lords of the land,
the settlers.

Did man of peace President Carter truly err in concluding that Israel
is creating Apartheid? Did he exaggerate? Don't the US Jewish
community leaders recognise the International Convention on the
Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination of 7 March 1966, to
which Israel is a signatory? Are the US Jews who launched the loud and
abusive campaign against Carter for supposedly maligning Israel's
character and its democratic and humanist nature unfamiliar with the
International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the
Crime of Apartheid of 30 November 1973? Apartheid is defined therein
as an international crime that among other things includes using
different legal instruments to rule over different racial groups, thus
depriving people of their human rights. Isn't freedom of travel one of
these rights?

In the past, the US Jewish community leaders were quite familiar with
the meaning of those conventions. For some reason, however, they are
convinced that Israel is allowed to contravene them. It's OK to kill
civilians, women and children, old people and parents with their
children, deliberately or otherwise without accepting any
responsibility. It's permissible to rob people of their lands, destroy
their crops, and cage them up like animals in the zoo. From now on,
Israelis and International humanitarian organisations' volunteers are
prohibited from assisting a woman in labour by taking her to the
hospital. [Israeli human rights group] Yesh Din volunteers cannot take
a robbed and beaten-up Palestinian to the police station to lodge a
complaint. (Police stations are located at the heart of the
settlements.) Is there anyone who believes that this is not Apartheid?

Jimmy Carter does not need me to defend his reputation that has been
sullied by Israelophile community officials. The trouble is that their
love of Israel distorts their judgment and blinds them from seeing
what's in front of them. Israel is an occupying power that for 40
years has been oppressing an indigenous people, which is entitled to a
sovereign and independent existence while living in peace with us. We
should remember that we too used very violent terror against foreign
rule because we wanted our own state. And the list of victims of
terror is quite long and extensive.

We do limit ourselves to denying the [Palestinian] people human
rights. We not only rob of them of their freedom, land and water. We
apply collective punishment to millions of people and even, in revenge-
driven frenzy, destroy the electricity supply for one and half million
civilians. Let them "sit in the darkness" and "starve".

Employees cannot be paid their wages because Israel is holding 500
million shekels that belong to the Palestinians. And after all that we
remain "pure as the driven snow". There are no moral blemishes on our
actions. There is no racial separation. There is no Apartheid. It's an
invention of the enemies of Israel. Hooray for our brothers and
sisters in the US! Your devotion is very much appreciated. You have
truly removed a nasty stain from us. Now there can be an extra spring
in our step as we confidently abuse the Palestinian population, using
the "most moral army in the world".

[Translated by Sol Salbe]

Shulamit Aloni is the former Education Minister of Israel. She has
been awarded both the Israel Prize and the Emil Grunzweig Human Rights
Award by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.

http://www.counterpunch.org/aloni01082007.html

http://aliyaallzionists.wordpress.com/jews-only-by-pass-roads/

  Mirelle