Apartheid Label Is Grossly Misapplied to Israel, the Middle East's Only Democracy

Let's talk about the central aim of this week-to demonize the state of Israel by employing a rhetorical comparison of its policies and those implemented by the racist South African regime. Anyone with even remote knowledge of either case should be appalled by the absurdity of this comparison.

The South African regime promoted a policy of ethnic cleansing, forcefully expelled millions of black citizens, and prohibited interracial marriage and intercourse within its borders. To compare such atrocious policies with those of the Middle East's only democracy is irresponsible and offensive.

One need only look at the demographic make-up of Israel and its government in order to understand the ludicrousness of the apartheid claim. A full quarter of Israel's population is not Jewish and includes 1.3 million Arabs. Arabs make up one-tenth of the

members in Israel's parliament, hold high government positions, and have even served on the Israeli Supreme Court. All citizens of Israel, including Arabs, enjoy the same civil rights and liberties. Israel is, ironically, the only country in the Middle East in which Arabs can freely petition their own government. In light of the facts, the apartheid label simply does not stick.

Obviously, the most contentious of Israel's current policies is its construction of the so-called "apartheid wall." Many critics have exaggerated its physical properties to the point of creating the image of a second Berlin Wall.

The reality is that 97 percent of the security barrier consists of multilayered chain-link fencing. The remaining 3 percent had to be constructed out of concrete because of its location in a region that had previously been vulnerable to sniper attacks. The fence is, first and foremost, a security measure-a response to the Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israel that began in 2000 and that have resulted in almost 500 Israeli civilian deaths to date.

The fence is neither a political boundary nor an indication of a desire for territorial expansion. Of course, as with security issue, the fence presents obstacles and the Israeli government is working to expedite the process of traveling between Israel and the West Bank. However, these concerns do not undermine Israel's right to maintain the security of its citizens in the same way that any other sovereign democracy would if faced with comparable threats. The fact that the fence has prevented over 90 percent of attempted terrorist attacks since its construction validates its existence

International Israeli Apartheid Week is one of many symptoms of the unjust double standard that the international community has applied to Israel since its birth. Critics target Israel's Law of Return for Jews as an "apartheid" policy while almost identical citizenship laws in countries like Germany and Ireland go unnoticed.

Almost no one criticizes Jordan for its law barring Jews from becoming citizens. And can anyone remember the last time that the United Nations passed a resolution condemning blatant human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia or Syria? No? That is fascinating, considering the fact that the UN has issued over 300 condemnations of Israel in the last 40 years. This double standard can only be explained by outrageous ignorance or bigotry.

The Israeli apartheid label is a fallacious and offensive attempt to delegitimize Israel. This irresponsible use of "apartheid" dilutes the power of the word, hinders efforts at peace, and leads to ignorance of other glaring cases of injustice, both in the Middle East and worldwide.

Tags: