Indeed there is Apartheid in Israel by Shulamit Aloni, former Minister of Education & the Israeli Prize laureate

Indeed there is Apartheid in Israel

A new order issued by the GOC Central command bans the conveyance of
Palestinians in Israeli vehicles. Such a blatant violation of the right to
travel joins the long list of humans rights violations carried out by Israel in
the [Occupied] Territories.

By Shulamit Aloni

01/05/06 "Ynet " --- - 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 reporter 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 transport 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 transport 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”.

Shulamit Aloni, the Israeli Prize laureate who once served as Minister of
Education under Yitzhak Rabin, is from Yediot Acharonot, Israel’s largest
circulating newspaper, which appeared in the Hebrew Ynet but not in the
English-language Ynetnews.

Tranlated by Sol Salbe, an Australian editor, whose comments are in square
brackets.

Hebrew original: http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3346283,00.html Yediot
Acharonot, Israel’s largest circulating newspaper.
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