Israel Is An Apartheid State

[Cherry Poppin' Daddy]

http://stopthewall.org/analysisandfeatures/726.shtml

 

The great anti-racist fighter Malcolm X once said the problem with corporate owned media and capitalist politicians was that they always made the victim look like the aggressor and the aggressor look like the victim. He called this propaganda "tricknology)”. Today you'd be hard pressed to find a greater example of media tricknology than the depiction of the Palestinian struggle. If you based yourself exclusively on mainstream media reporting, you could be excused for believing that the Palestinians brought all their suffering and misery on themselves!

 

Since its formation in 1948 Israel has worked hard to present itself as a besieged oasis of democracy in the Middle East - a tiny outpost of decency, constantly and incessantly threatened by hordes of bloodthirsty Arabs who are so blinded by their irrational anti-Semitism that they refuse to leave peace-loving Israel alone.

 

The state of Israel is an apartheid state. In the same way apartheid South Africa was an attempt to build an anti-black, exclusively white-controlled country on African land, Israel is an attempt to build an anti-Arab, exclusively Jewish-controlled state on Arab land. This is the essence of Zionism the official ideology of the Israeli state.

 

 

Zionism = Colonialism

 

When Theodor Herzl, the ideological founder of the Zionist movement in the late 1890's, was asked what he proposed to do with the indigenous Palestinian population when his “state of the Jews” became a reality, he replied: “We will quietly spirit them across the border”.

 

Herzl liked this idea because “For Europe, we (the Zionists) would constitute a bulwark against Asia down there [in Palestine]; we would be an advance post of civilisation against barbarism.”

 

The state of Israel was founded on the basis of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine of its indigenous Arabic speaking inhabitants. Joesph Weitz, the head of the Jewish Agency's colonisation department, confirmed this in his 1940 diary. “It must be clear”, he wrote, “that there is no room for both people's together in this country… not one [Arab] village, not one tribe should be left.”

 

The creation of Israel was only possible after the driving out of some 850,000 Palestinians by Israeli military units and terror gangs. Today the number of Palestinians living in refugee camps numbers over 3 million. While any Jew from around the world has the legal right to settle in Israel under the Law of Return, Israel refuses to even discuss allowing Palestinian refugees to return.

 

Racist Apartheid State

 

The key basis of the Israeli constitution and declaration of independence is that Israel is an exclusively “Jewish State”. That the state should be secular, meaning not tied to any religion, is a fundamental democratic demand. The Muslim and Christian Palestinians living in Israel's borders are denied the same rights as Israel's Jewish citizens.

 

Under the 1948 United Nations enforced partition, Israel was granted 54% of Palestine. The Palestinians rejected the partition from the start on the grounds that setting up an exclusively Jewish state would result in the repression and expulsion of the local Arab population. By 1949 Israel had seized 78% of Palestinian land. By 1967, 90% of Palestine had been taken.

 

The outright theft of Palestinian land has continued throughout this period. Before 1948 there were 475 Arab villages within the borders of what became the State of Israel. By 1973, 385 of these had been destroyed by the Israeli authorities. By 1981 one third of the occupied West Bank , conquered by Israel during the 1967 war, had been expropriated. Today over 60% of the land in the West Bank is owned by non-Arab Israeli settlers even though they constitute a tiny minority of the population.

 

In Gaza, there are around 6000 Jewish settlers living among a population of one million Palestinians. Yet 42% of the land in Gaza is owned by Israeli Jews whilst 94% of land in historic Palestine is under the administration of the Jewish National Fund. This land can be leased only to Jewish people. Palestinians and other non-Jews are excluded from leasing this land without exception.

 

The historic demand of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) was to replace the apartheid state with a “democratic secular” state, in which Jewish, Christian and Muslim citizens would be equal. In the late ’80s the PLO made a major concessions and limited their demand to such a state based only on the West Bank and Gaza Strip territories, a tiny portion of historic Palestine. However, they have not even been granted this and these territories remain under military occupation with more and more illegal Israeli settlements being built there each year.

 

The Palestinian people have a proud history of resistance against injustice and have not been defeated. They continue to struggle for justice and self determination in the face of the full might of the US equipped Israeli military.

 

Their struggle should inspire us all to struggle in solidarity with the Palestinians and against the system that causes their oppression.

[Matt]

Israel gained the land through being constantly attacked by bordering nations. The system they have created may not be the best, but it comes from post-World War Two mentality, Jewish settlers in Israel didn't want to almost be wiped out again. Constantly attacking them didn't help confirm that Israel can have a peaceful existance in the near future, so they worked hard to try to survive. It seems that almost always the Jewish people are under attack. Whether or not you agree with the measures they have taken, would you allow yourself to be wiped out neccessarily either? The world does need to come together for a better understanding, but playing the blame game simply does not help people to come together, it distances them.

[pearanoid]

That story neglects the whole part where Palestinians have resorted to violent attakcs against Israel. I'm not saying that I sympathize with Israel at all, they did take land, but I think the issue is a lot more complicated than that story makes it out to be.

[rmak]

they both are at fault. its so easy to blame one side.

[c_neglia3]

Although Palestine is guilty of terrorist violence to further their goals, it should not be overlooked that in their desperation such means must have seemed like their only resort. Not to vindicate suicide bombings and whatnot, but Palestine has acted out of a discouraging situation where they are refugees in their own homeland. Certainly to understand the mentality of Palestinians we have to consider their lifestyle. Also, if we truly want to resolve this historical conflict than it is imperative that the principles of security in that region are recognized. Does it make sense to build a wall seperating two peoples that essentially inhabit the same land? The wall that hate built will only incite further violence as it is a metaphor for the division between the two peoples. Building a wall does not address the core issues surrounding the conflict. It does not address displaced Palestinians, and it does a poor job or addressing boundary issues. If Israel wants its borders secure and terrorism to stop then it should try to breach the gap that it seems to continually create. Until Israel faces the true nature of the Palestinian's troubles they will continue to endure violence: the fruits of their own faulted policies.

[pearanoid]

Yeah, it's just a horrible situation that goes back too far. If only the US would put some of it's power into actually resolving situation like this rather than creating them. And I only pick on the US in this case because they talk about spreading freedom and peace and all that bullshit, but I guess it's just selective freedom and peace. They have to create the conflict first. Okay, sorry, off topic.

[Cherry Poppin' Daddy]

Yeah, it's just a horrible situation that goes back too far. If only the US would put some of it's power into actually resolving situation like this rather than creating them. And I only pick on the US in this case because they talk about spreading freedom and peace and all that bullshit, but I guess it's just selective freedom and peace. They have to create the conflict first. Okay, sorry, off topic.

Actually, Sec of State Condoleeza Rice visited both leaders this week, and Sharon and Abbas are going to meet with Bush in Washington. So, it seems the US is going to help broker some kind of deal.

[therethere]

I wouldn't say that Israel is an apartheid state. Sure, many of the Israeli Arabs aren't treated too well by their fellow Jews, but it's not like South Africa where it was a government-instituted program (eg. resettling the black population into the townships). While Israel has it's faults as an occupier, it really can't be called an apartheid state.

 

Besides, most Israeli Jews support the withdrawal from the Occupied Territories. The only reason that it hasn't happened yet is because the religious right in that country is extremely powerful and sees it's right to establish a 'Greater Israel' with old Biblical borders.

[pearanoid]

Yeah, it's just a horrible situation that goes back too far.  If only the US would put some of it's power into actually resolving situation like this rather than creating them.  And I only pick on the US in this case because they talk about spreading freedom and peace and all that bullshit, but I guess it's just selective freedom and peace.  They have to create the conflict first.  Okay, sorry, off topic.

Actually, Sec of State Condoleeza Rice visited both leaders this week, and Sharon and Abbas are going to meet with Bush in Washington. So, it seems the US is going to help broker some kind of deal.

Yeah, they've screwed up so much over there that they have to try to do something that looks good now. I have zero faith in the current administration.

[Matt]

Bill Clinton tried to help broker a deal too... But I don't think anything came out of those talks...

[sirbeavertease]

Yeah, it's just a horrible situation that goes back too far.  If only the US would put some of it's power into actually resolving situation like this rather than creating them.  And I only pick on the US in this case because they talk about spreading freedom and peace and all that bullshit, but I guess it's just selective freedom and peace.  They have to create the conflict first.  Okay, sorry, off topic.

Actually, Sec of State Condoleeza Rice visited both leaders this week, and Sharon and Abbas are going to meet with Bush in Washington. So, it seems the US is going to help broker some kind of deal.

Yeah, they've screwed up so much over there that they have to try to do something that looks good now. I have zero faith in the current administration.

"The US should try to help."

"They are trying right now."

"Oh, they should stay out of it. Those fucks."

[rmak]

i am definately disgusted with the US/Israel relations and their nuclear arms sharing.

Edited February 9, 2005 by rmak

[ecnarf]

In the sense that Hitler is the founder of Israel, then yes, Israel is an apartheid state. If the holocaust had never happened, it's conceivable that Israel wouldn't have been created as a Jewish state.

 

Guess that's a fair comparison.

[Bizud]

Bill Clinton tried to help broker a deal too... But I don't think anything came out of those talks...

If "broker a deal" means "get the Palestinians to retroactively endorse their mistreatment at the hands of Israel over the past 50 years," then yeah, he sure did.

 

There's absolutely no room for debate on this point: Either you accept that Arabs have the same legal and political rights as Jews or you're a racist.

[Matt]

Not everything is that black and white, especially in this situation.

[Bizud]

Some things are. Either Arabs are people who are entitled to the same rights as Jews, including the right to self-determination, or they are something less. Which is it?

[Matt]

This conflict is the ressonance of a religous dispute, it has to be resolved through clearing up issues revolving around religion.

Edited February 9, 2005 by Matt

[Bizud]

Way to not address the point. It's not even about religion, it's about a state that wants a swath of land, but doesn't want the people that come with the land, that in the 60's decided it wanted to be a United States enforcer and accept the costs (subordination) and benefits (assistance, both financial and moral, in repressing the native population) that comes with such a choice.

 

The conflict is entirely of Israel's creation. For nearly thirty years there was no conflict, no intifada, no violence outside the occupied territories, yet the territories remained occupied - and very brutally. The idea that Israel is willing to sit down and talk, but the Arabs aren't, is completely ludicrous - offer after offer has been made by the PLO, the Arab League, Saudi Arabia, and they've all been rejected. Up until 1994, when Arafat basically signed away Palestinian rights by legitimizing the occupation of the territories, there was an offer on the table, made by the PLO, for a two-state settlement, that was supported by Canada, Europe, Russia, the Arab League, most Palestinians, you name it - Israel and the United States rejected it. There's just no way to fudge the truth on this one - there will be peace when enough Americans voice their concerns loudly enough (the vast majority of Americans believe there should be a Palestinian state) and the US stops funding the occupation and slaughter.

Edited February 9, 2005 by Bizud

[toolboxnj]

Some things are.  Either Arabs are people who are entitled to the same rights as Jews, including the right to self-determination, or they are something less.  Which is it?

 

Israeli Arabs have more rights in Israel than any other state in the Middle East.

 

I'd invite those to read counter arguments to articles like these at Capitalism Magazine.

 

It was also noted in this thread that Israel has gained land through war, but the five major conflicts that Israel has fought have been defensive, sometimes against all 22 other Arab states. Israel has never fought a war other than in self-defense.

 

On nukes, a moral state has the right to self-defense.

Edited February 9, 2005 by toolboxnj

[Bizud]

Israeli Arabs have more rights in Israel than any other state in the Middle East.

 

Correct, but also irrelevant. The criticism is that non-citizen Arabs in the occupied territories - we'll leave the question of Arabs with Israeli citizenship aside for now - are mistreated and denied their right to self-determination. It is not an argument to say that they could be worse off. Furthermore, A "Jewish state" is racist by definition. As is a black state, a white state, or an Arab state.

 

It was also noted in this thread that Israel has gained land through war, but the five major conflicts that Israel has fought have been defensive, sometimes against all 22 other Arab states. Israel has never fought a war other than in self-defense.

 

Conquest, even in a war fought only in self-defense, is not recognized by international law (or any sane person) as a valid claim of sovereignty, and it would not be recognized in this case by those who do if the victims were, for example, European. The borders of France were not redrawn to include the Rhineland provinces of Germany after World War II.

 

On nukes, a moral state has the right to self-defense.

 

No argument on those grounds. If other states have the right to have nukes, so does Israel.

[Matt]

Way to not address the point. It's not even about religion, it's about a state that wants a swath of land, but doesn't want the people that come with the land, that in the 60's decided it wanted to be a United States enforcer and accept the costs (subordination) and benefits (assistance, both financial and moral, in repressing the native population) that comes with such a choice.

 

The conflict is entirely of Israel's creation. For nearly thirty years there was no conflict, no intifada, no violence outside the occupied territories, yet the territories remained occupied - and very brutally. The idea that Israel is willing to sit down and talk, but the Arabs aren't, is completely ludicrous - offer after offer has been made by the PLO, the Arab League, Saudi Arabia, and they've all been rejected. Up until 1994, when Arafat basically signed away Palestinian rights by legitimizing the occupation of the territories, there was an offer on the table, made by the PLO, for a two-state settlement, that was supported by Canada, Europe, Russia, the Arab League, most Palestinians, you name it - Israel and the United States rejected it. There's just no way to fudge the truth on this one - there will be peace when enough Americans voice their concerns loudly enough (the vast majority of Americans believe there should be a Palestinian state) and the US stops funding the occupation and slaughter.

There was conflict from before Israel was created, that's why the British left. That's why several Middle-Eastern nations went to war with Israel in the first little while of creation of Israel. That war never ended technically even, and the only reason the Israelis survived was because of poor co-ordination by the would be invaders. The Israelis had enough time to ward off the attackers, and then re-deploy them in the next area where they were to be attacked. Israel has only taken land in the interest of protection of their people. Israel returned land they had taken from Egypt after the 6-day war, after a peace treaty was reached, which is also the only treaty in the middle-east which has not been broken, at least not yet. Quite frankly, Israel has been ganged up on since day one, but they've managed to survive, and usually come out of each conflict better than they were before, which is why they are not well liked in the Middle East.

[toolboxnj]

Israeli Arabs have more rights in Israel than any other state in the Middle East.

 

Correct, but also irrelevant. The criticism is that non-citizen Arabs in the occupied territories - we'll leave the question of Arabs with Israeli citizenship aside for now - are mistreated and denied their right to self-determination. It is not an argument to say that they could be worse off. Furthermore, A "Jewish state" is racist by definition. As is a black state, a white state, or an Arab state.

 

It was also noted in this thread that Israel has gained land through war, but the five major conflicts that Israel has fought have been defensive, sometimes against all 22 other Arab states. Israel has never fought a war other than in self-defense.

 

Conquest, even in a war fought only in self-defense, is not recognized by international law (or any sane person) as a valid claim of sovereignty, and it would not be recognized in this case by those who do if the victims were, for example, European. The borders of France were not redrawn to include the Rhineland provinces of Germany after World War II.

 

On nukes, a moral state has the right to self-defense.

 

No argument on those grounds. If other states have the right to have nukes, so does Israel.

So, you are equating Zionism with Racism? We've been down this road before with UN General Assembly Resolution 3379. Look at the approving countries.. you sure have good company. Interestingly, the most fervent anti-Semitists in Europe before the Second World War and after were among the most approving of a Jewish state.

 

But, it's also necessary to observe that Israel is a secular state. I've never had the privilage of going there, but I have a friend from NYC who is an Israeli citizen as well as know other Jews that have either lived in Israel at one time or another. You'd be surprised (as I was) that orthodoxy is weak and that Israel is as "Jewish" as Canada is "Christian". Israel also has a mixed-socialist economy much like Canada's as well.

 

I don't think you can dismiss the fact that Israeli Arabs have more rights in Israel than any other state as just some off-hand fact. The Palestinian Authority (as well as all Muslim/Arab states, including Iraq) enslave their own people, grant women no right to life, and advocate a culture of violence and death (80% of Palestinians support suicide bombing against Israeli interests) where not only Jews are the targets, but also moderate Muslims who wish to end the violence. Propety rights, human rights, civil rights and individual rights do not exist in the Middle East outside the Israeli state; it's not like this is some problem that only exists in the West Bank and Gaza. But, it's easy to spacegoat the Jews for all of the problems in the Middle East, just as the Jews were scapegoated in Nazi Germany starting with the accusations that the Jews were treasonous and the reason why WW1 was lost.

 

On the issue of Israel's wars of self-defense, you are merely evading. Five major conflicts have been launched at the hands of Israel's neighbors against Israel and they've lost every time. Israel has fought every war in its history in self-defense against Arab aggression. As a moral state, they have the right to self-defense, even with nuclear weapons which they do have at this time. I also challenge you to find this specific section in international law that you are referring to.

 

Perhaps you should put down the libertarian-left literature (aka, anti-Zionist, anti-US literature) and grasp more of an objective view of history.

[pearanoid]

My understanding is that peace efforts have been made, but it's Israel that's often unwilling to meet them.

[Bizud]

So, you are equating Zionism with Racism? We've been down this road before with UN General Assembly Resolution 3379. Look at the approving countries.. you sure have good company. Interestingly, the most fervent anti-Semitists in Europe before the Second World War and after were among the most approving of a Jewish state.

 

Don't see what that has to do with anything. No, Zionism is not racism. A Jewish homeland is fine. A "Jewish state" is inherently discriminatory and grossly unfair to the native Palestinian Arabs.

 

But, it's also necessary to observe that Israel is a secular state. I've never had the privilage of going there, but I have a friend from NYC who is an Israeli citizen as well as know other Jews that have either lived in Israel at one time or another. You'd be surprised (as I was) that orthodoxy is weak and that Israel is as "Jewish" as Canada is "Christian". Israel also has a mixed-socialist economy much like Canada's as well.

 

Jewish is an ethnicity as well as a religion. Judaism has little to do with this, socialism, even less.

 

I don't think you can dismiss the fact that Israeli Arabs have more rights in Israel than any other state as just some off-hand fact. The Palestinian Authority (as well as all Muslim/Arab states, including Iraq) enslave their own people, grant women no right to life, and advocate a culture of violence and death (80% of Palestinians support suicide bombing against Israeli interests) where not only Jews are the targets, but also moderate Muslims who wish to end the violence.

 

No argument. The PLO and PA are thugs and terrorists.

 

Propety rights, human rights, civil rights and individual rights do not exist in the Middle East outside the Israeli state; it's not like this is some problem that only exists in the West Bank and Gaza.

 

Yawn, no argument, also irrelevant.

 

But, it's easy to spacegoat the Jews for all of the problems in the Middle East, just as the Jews were scapegoated in Nazi Germany starting with the accusations that the Jews were treasonous and the reason why WW1 was lost.

 

No one said anything about blaming "Jews" for anything. We're talking about holding Israel to account for the actions perpetrated by the state of Israel in the territory occupied by Israel and the denial of rights by the state of Israel (the Palestinian Authority is nothing but an agent of Israel - it's made very clear to them that they run the occupied territories at Israel's pleasure, and Israel maintains and exercises its claims to ultimate sovereignty over the territories). Nothing more. Don't try to generalize that into anti-semitism.

 

On the issue of Israel's wars of self-defense, you are merely evading. Five major conflicts have been launched at the hands of Israel's neighbors against Israel and they've lost every time. Israel has fought every war in its history in self-defense against Arab aggression. As a moral state, they have the right to self-defense, even with nuclear weapons which they do have at this time. I also challenge you to find this specific section in international law that you are referring to.

 

First, I never referred to a specific section of international law. I said that none exists, and we both know that's impossible to cite. The burden of proof must fall on those who say it exists. Second, I did not contest that the state of Israel has the right to self-defense, including nuclear weapons. I don't even know what your point is here. Attacks by Arab neighbours (none in the last few decades, incidently) do not justify the systematic denial of rights to an entire population. It is more than clear that in the eyes of the state of Israel, the land in question is "not for Arabs."

 

Perhaps you should put down the libertarian-left literature (aka, anti-Zionist, anti-US literature) and grasp more of an objective view of history.

 

You don't need to be reading left-libertarian literature to criticize blatant human rights abuses.

[Matt]

If there's no "Jewish" state wouldn't that be discriminatory? The Jewish population has been kicked out of every European country at one time or another in the past, if a nation was offered to people with that type of history, they should take it. The Jewish population on whole made no efforts to have a country, only the Zionists. That is all that happened, however, Israel has been constantly attacked to the point where it seems they cannot trust the outside world. Anyone watch any of the news coverage on the 60th Aniversary of the liberation of Auchwitz? One members of the Israeli parliment said "let us not forget that no one came to our aid", that sets the tone for what happens. Instead of playing the blame game, steps need to be taken to build up trust in the area, that is the only way to help out, because once you build up trust, then you can work on peace talks.

 

 

Also I found this article on www.cbc.ca. I like it because it is less biased then the intial one in this topic.

 

News story from "cbc.ca"

Israel and the Palestinians

CBC News Online | February 7, 2005

 

Since May of 1948 when the modern state of Israel was proclaimed, the land has had two parallel histories, one for the Jews who control the state and one for the Palestinians who say the nation was built on their homeland. Statehood for Israel left over 700,000 Palestinians as refugees. For every day of the fifty years of its existence, Israel has been on war footing, fearing the aggressive hostility of its neighbours and spending staggering amounts of its energy and economy on defense. For every day of the same fifty years the displaced Palestinians and their Arab supporters have worked, often with great violence, to recover land for a Palestinian state.

 

There is cause for optimism, however: for the first half of that time, the situation in Israel was bubbling hostility punctuated by Arab attempts at total annihilation. For the latter half of Israeli history, it's been bubbling hostility punctuated by attempts at a settlement. Haltingly, steps toward resolution proceed when a generation ago such steps could barely be imagined.

Edited February 9, 2005 by Matt