How do Israelis treat Arabs? What happens when an Arab woman tries to buy coffee and the counterman refuses to sell to her? The hidden camera tells all.
(h/t Victor Shikhman)
In March 2012 we defeated a BDS initiative at the Park Slope Food Coop.
In 2024 we will stop them again.
Showing posts with label Apartheid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apartheid. Show all posts
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
"You Don't Know What Apartheid Is"
Sometimes, in the course of politics, we lose site of the real people who have suffered, whose lives have been irrevocably affected by violence. Whether it is South Africans, Israelis or Palestinians, their experiences should never be exaggerated, exploited nor trivialized. It is this type of dehumanization that stands in the way of creating the contacts between people that can bring about true peace.
At the New York Observer article about the BDS initiative at the Park Slope Food Coop, the first comment is from one of the pro-BDS organizers at the Coop. He uses the word "apartheid" four times in his response. This prompted a reply from a Black South African, identifying himself as Baruti, "you don't know what Apartheid is." I have written previously about the fallacy of the apartheid analogy, here, here and here. But everything I have written pales compared to Baruti's words.
I am ashamed to admit at first I took delight in Baruti's strong rebuke. I realized I was being insensitive to his suffering. It is precisely these testimonies that give us perspective.
Mr. Baruti, I wish for you joy and success that will outweigh your tribulations one thousand fold, that you should go from strength to strength. Thank you for speaking out.
With deep respect for Baruti, and to honor the memory of his fallen friends, I reprint his response in its entirety.
Show him some love and click the "like" button on his comment.
At the New York Observer article about the BDS initiative at the Park Slope Food Coop, the first comment is from one of the pro-BDS organizers at the Coop. He uses the word "apartheid" four times in his response. This prompted a reply from a Black South African, identifying himself as Baruti, "you don't know what Apartheid is." I have written previously about the fallacy of the apartheid analogy, here, here and here. But everything I have written pales compared to Baruti's words.
I am ashamed to admit at first I took delight in Baruti's strong rebuke. I realized I was being insensitive to his suffering. It is precisely these testimonies that give us perspective.
Mr. Baruti, I wish for you joy and success that will outweigh your tribulations one thousand fold, that you should go from strength to strength. Thank you for speaking out.
With deep respect for Baruti, and to honor the memory of his fallen friends, I reprint his response in its entirety.
I'm from South Africa. An African South African, not a colonialist. (Americans just call me black.) I experienced Apartheid. Separateness. It was ugly. Many of my friends died.
I've been to Israel. The West Bank. Gaza. Inside of Israel. Lived there for a year touring for a book I want to write.
Mr. Mazza, you don't know what Apartheid is. For all of Israel's faults, you dishonor yourself and my fallen mates by using the word. The UN does not use the phrase "Israeli Apartheid" and you repeating it over and over again does not give it authority. There is really no comparison between Israel and South Africa. We appreciate your help over there in the US for "saving" us back in the eighties, but we here in S.A. did the dirty work. We suffered. We went to jail. We died. You stayed safe, signed a few pieces of paper, spoke at a meeting or two maybe. You follow the same route for your work on human rights in the Middle East.
Tutu is beloved here, but he is not our polestar. He is as political as anyone and we all know it. SA is still quite corrupt and dangerous and he is beholden to make statements reflecting those interests. Sadly,
because atrocities were committed by both sides in our war for freedom, corruption and crime are what we have reaped, and freedom is still very hard to find today in SA. You are, I'm sorry to say, very uninformed about what causes you take up.
Show him some love and click the "like" button on his comment.
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Apartheid Lie Demonizes
This is huge. Toronto gets it.
The Toronto City Council passed a motion requesting the City Manager to update the city's anti-discrimination policy. The councillors don't want to fund the Pride Parade if the group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid will use the event to promote an anti-Israel message.
This is very brave.
Notice the phrase "speech deemed as offensive to groups in the city." Here is the rub when you are talking to a BDS supporter. Israel is Jewish, except when it isn't. When BDS calls it "racist," Israel is Jewish. When you say BDS is anti-Semitic, they say Israel isn't Jewish. They conveniently deny to us the ability to define what is anti-Semitic. However, the EU does have a working definition.
The Toronto City Council passed a motion requesting the City Manager to update the city's anti-discrimination policy. The councillors don't want to fund the Pride Parade if the group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid will use the event to promote an anti-Israel message.
Changes sought to city's anti-discrimination policy after Gay Pride flap
[Councillor James] Pasternak maintained that the group's [Queers Against Israeli Apartheid] very name - which links Israeli treatment of Palestinians to the South African Apartheid movement - was provocative and designed to demonize Israel and Jews.
Pasternak said he's hoping that a new policy will be tougher in dealing with speech deemed offensive to groups in the city - and would prohibit messaging such as Queers Against Israeli Apartheid deliver.
"This is a group that is designed to demonize," he said. "We have a responsibility here and now to make sure that groups like that and others aren't given public space in which to operate. We had some holes in our current policy and we weren't able to really come to the conclusion that the term 'Israeli apartheid' violated that policy. We're hoping for a refreshed policy so that those terms are deemed to be discriminatory."
This is very brave.
Notice the phrase "speech deemed as offensive to groups in the city." Here is the rub when you are talking to a BDS supporter. Israel is Jewish, except when it isn't. When BDS calls it "racist," Israel is Jewish. When you say BDS is anti-Semitic, they say Israel isn't Jewish. They conveniently deny to us the ability to define what is anti-Semitic. However, the EU does have a working definition.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
The Apartheid Canard
Q: What does Apartheid have to do with Israel?
A: Absolutely nothing.
Yet, the BDS movement accuses Israel of being an apartheid state to justify the call to boycott. Apartheid is mentioned in 3 of the pro-BDS letters printed in the Gazette and twice in the submission to the agenda committee.
"Apartheid" is an Afrikaans word meaning "apartness." It is the name of the system of harsh and brutal discriminatory laws instituted in South Africa in the 20th century to maintain the dominance of the minority white population over the 90% majority non-white population. In the 1980’s there was a movement to boycott South Africa, as a way of supporting the anti-apartheid activists in South Africa. Apartheid was abolished in 1994.
By making the “apartheid” accusation, BDS tries to equate Israel with South Africa, making it worthy of our approbation and boycott. The accusation is a complete denial of historical fact. The analogy is false.
The apartheid canard illustrates the BDS movement’s Bigotry, Dishonesty, anti-Semitism.
Dishonesty: The Israeli Arabs have full civil rights. They are free to vote and hold political office. They have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, including even criticizing the government and suing in court. They are not restricted in education or profession. Arabs serve as officers in the army, a supreme court justice and President of the State. None of this was available to the non-white South Africans. To use the term “apartheid” is to diminish and disrespect the suffering of non-white South Africans.
Bigotry: Palestinian refugees and their descendents have been denied absorption and citizenship in all but one of their host countries. Those same countries rejected the partition of the British Mandate of Palestine into a Jewish State and an Arab State and they declared war on the newborn Jewish State. They caused the Arabs to flee and become refugees. Could you imagine if the U.S. refused to absorb the refugees created by its involvement in Vietnam? BDS does not stand up for the right of those Arabs.
What about the Arabs living under the administration of the Palestinian Authority or Hamas? They have not had elections in over 5 years. They are not free to criticize their government. They do not have free press. Christians are not free to practice without harassment. Women do not have equal rights and homosexuals are persecuted. Who stands up for their rights?
More Dishonesty and some anti-Semitism: BDS refers to Israel as a colonial presence and Zionism as a colonial movement, attempting to equate the Jews with white European South Africans. Colonists are foreigners settled in a territory for the purpose of establishing and maintaining the sovereignty of their mother country. Jews who immigrated to the Ottoman Districts of Jerusalem and Beirut were not representatives of their countries, nor were they attempting to supplant the local Ottoman rulers. They came to live their lives as Jews in the Land of Jewish origins, to join the uninterrupted Jewish community there, and to escape oppression in their previous country of residence. They were not colonists. Calling Jews colonists is an attempt to deny the connection between the Jewish people and the Holy Land, to deny the Jewish historical and cultural legacy, to deny the authenticity of the Jewish People. In other words, it is an attempt to erase an essential part of Jewish identity. That is anti-Semitism.
The apartheid claim is a false accusation. It is designed to demonize, delegitimize and isolate the Jewish State. It is part of the overall BDS strategy to demonize and delegitimize Israel.
A: Absolutely nothing.
Yet, the BDS movement accuses Israel of being an apartheid state to justify the call to boycott. Apartheid is mentioned in 3 of the pro-BDS letters printed in the Gazette and twice in the submission to the agenda committee.
"Apartheid" is an Afrikaans word meaning "apartness." It is the name of the system of harsh and brutal discriminatory laws instituted in South Africa in the 20th century to maintain the dominance of the minority white population over the 90% majority non-white population. In the 1980’s there was a movement to boycott South Africa, as a way of supporting the anti-apartheid activists in South Africa. Apartheid was abolished in 1994.
By making the “apartheid” accusation, BDS tries to equate Israel with South Africa, making it worthy of our approbation and boycott. The accusation is a complete denial of historical fact. The analogy is false.
Dishonesty: The Israeli Arabs have full civil rights. They are free to vote and hold political office. They have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, including even criticizing the government and suing in court. They are not restricted in education or profession. Arabs serve as officers in the army, a supreme court justice and President of the State. None of this was available to the non-white South Africans. To use the term “apartheid” is to diminish and disrespect the suffering of non-white South Africans.
Bigotry: Palestinian refugees and their descendents have been denied absorption and citizenship in all but one of their host countries. Those same countries rejected the partition of the British Mandate of Palestine into a Jewish State and an Arab State and they declared war on the newborn Jewish State. They caused the Arabs to flee and become refugees. Could you imagine if the U.S. refused to absorb the refugees created by its involvement in Vietnam? BDS does not stand up for the right of those Arabs.
More Dishonesty and some anti-Semitism: BDS refers to Israel as a colonial presence and Zionism as a colonial movement, attempting to equate the Jews with white European South Africans. Colonists are foreigners settled in a territory for the purpose of establishing and maintaining the sovereignty of their mother country. Jews who immigrated to the Ottoman Districts of Jerusalem and Beirut were not representatives of their countries, nor were they attempting to supplant the local Ottoman rulers. They came to live their lives as Jews in the Land of Jewish origins, to join the uninterrupted Jewish community there, and to escape oppression in their previous country of residence. They were not colonists. Calling Jews colonists is an attempt to deny the connection between the Jewish people and the Holy Land, to deny the Jewish historical and cultural legacy, to deny the authenticity of the Jewish People. In other words, it is an attempt to erase an essential part of Jewish identity. That is anti-Semitism.
The apartheid claim is a false accusation. It is designed to demonize, delegitimize and isolate the Jewish State. It is part of the overall BDS strategy to demonize and delegitimize Israel.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Look Who Also Says It Isn't Apartheid!!
Ishmael Khaldi is the vice consul for Israel in San Francisco and a Bedouin from Northern Israel. Two years ago he wrote a response to Israel Apartheid Week in the San Francisco Chronicle:
Pray for the complete recovery of Daniel Aryeh Ben Tamar, the 16 year old boy severely injured in his school bus when it was hit by a laser guided anti-tank missile fired from Gaza on April 7, 2011
If Israel were an apartheid state, I would not have been appointed here, nor would I have chosen to take upon myself this duty. There are many Arabs, both within Israel and in the Palestinian territories who have taken great courage to walk the path of peace. You should stand with us, rather than against us.Go read the whole thing.
Pray for the complete recovery of Daniel Aryeh Ben Tamar, the 16 year old boy severely injured in his school bus when it was hit by a laser guided anti-tank missile fired from Gaza on April 7, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Look Who Says It Isn't Apartheid!!
Vanguard Leadership Group (VLG), a leadership development academy and honor society for top students at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities, placed an ad in several college newspapers objecting to the use of the term "apartheid" to describe Israel. They wrote:
(h/t Elder of Ziyon)
The use of the word "apartheid" by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in its characterization of Israel is patently false and deeply offensive to all who feel a connection to the State of Israel.Read the whole text.
Under apartheid, Black South Africans could not vote and had no rights in a country in which they were the overwhelming majority of the population. SJP has chosen to manipulate rather than inform with this illegitimate analogy. Therefore, we request that you immediately stop referring to Israel as an apartheid society and acknowledge that the Arab minority in Israel enjoys full citizenship with voting rights and representation in the government.
(h/t Elder of Ziyon)
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