Comments on Israel Apartheid WeekTypePad2011-03-08T12:29:02ZDavid Bognerhttps://www.treppenwitz.com/tag:typepad.com,2003:https://www.treppenwitz.com/2011/03/israel-apartheid-week/comments/atom.xml/treppenwitz commented on 'Israel Apartheid Week'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d8341c581e53ef014e869e2975970d2011-03-10T08:02:03Z2011-03-10T08:02:03Ztreppenwitzhttp://www.treppenwitz.comProphetJoe ... Israeli Arabs are not required to do military service. However, many from the Druse and Bedouin communities do...<p>ProphetJoe ... Israeli Arabs are not required to do military service. However, many from the Druse and Bedouin communities do serve. Those that serve do so almost exclusively in combat units. The Druse are exceptionally brave soldiers, and the Bedouin are some of the best trackers in the world. Yes, there are some companies in the defense sector (such as mine) which do not hire Arabs because of the diffiiculty in getting them high enough security clearances (which are set by the ministry of defense).</p>Larry commented on 'Israel Apartheid Week'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d8341c581e53ef014e5fbad8d4970c2011-03-08T21:53:17Z2011-03-08T21:53:17ZLarryIf you are a Palestinian Arab and live in Ramallah, how do you fly to Paris? Is it an easy...<p>If you are a Palestinian Arab and live in Ramallah, how do you fly to Paris? Is it an easy process, like if you live in Efrat?<br />
Can you vote in national elections (ie Israel's, since there is no internationally recognized Palestinian state)?<br />
Do you have representation in Parliament?<br />
Do you really believe they have equal rights under Israeli law? If not, do you believe the Palestinian authority is completely self-governing? Should they have their own state so that they can have a voice in their daily lives?<br />
I'm not saying that there is an obvious solution, or that there is any tenable solution to the political crisis, but your post seems to ignore the rights that the average citizen of a democracy takes for granted that Palestinians lack.<br />
I'm not pointing blame, but I think one has to face reality.<br />
Larry</p>Griffin commented on 'Israel Apartheid Week'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d8341c581e53ef014e5fba697f970c2011-03-08T20:16:09Z2011-03-08T20:16:09ZGriffinTruly a great posting David. Personally, I've stopped listening to what the UN or the international community says because it's...<p>Truly a great posting David. Personally, I've stopped listening to what the UN or the international community says because it's always the same. i.e. "Israel is horrible" "death to the Jews" etc etc. No one seems to care that suicide bombers aren't exactly the best way to make peace, or that Israel's "peace partners" aren't exactly what you would call friendly. And you were spot on about minorities in America, IMHO, a lot of stuff is self-imposed, you see what you want to see and ignore what you don't want to see, to be fair there is injustice, it's inevitable, but I look around my university and there are two very striking things to me, one is that women outnumber men at 3:1, so much for women not having as equal access...and the other thing that I find striking is that there are at least 2/5-3/5 of the student population is a minority. I personally thing that that is pretty great for equality and what not.<br />
One last thing, I dont' know if you saw this or not and I am slightly stealing this from The Muqata, but apparently the UNRWA honored the first Palestinian women suicide bomber yesterday/today...that's rather disheartening and saddening if you ask me (http://muqata.blogspot.com/2011/03/unrwa-honors-first-palestinian-female.html)</p>Annette Alpert commented on 'Israel Apartheid Week'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d8341c581e53ef014e5fba3b19970c2011-03-08T19:45:54Z2011-03-08T19:45:54ZAnnette Alperthttp://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c581e53ef014e86931f78970dIf you really want to talk about Apartheid, I would point to the refuge camps in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan...<p>If you really want to talk about Apartheid, I would point to the refuge camps in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan which have maintained their fellow Arabs/Muslims as indentured refugees over 7 decades and don't confer on them statehood because they would have to accept them into their society as equals. These states are really guilty of Apartheid. That's not to mention the UN Refugee Agency which derives its funding off of maintaining squalid permanent refugee conditions to insure its own ongoing livliehood. The UN should be tried for crimes against humanity.</p>ProphetJoe commented on 'Israel Apartheid Week'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d8341c581e53ef014e5fb8d661970c2011-03-08T15:03:01Z2011-03-08T15:03:01ZProphetJoehttp://www.prophetjoe.comDavid, Living in the heartland of the US, I'm afraid I'm not altogether versed in the intricacies of Israeli society....<p>David,</p>
<p>Living in the heartland of the US, I'm afraid I'm not altogether versed in the intricacies of Israeli society. You mention that Israeli Arabs are exempt from military service at their own request -- is that universal, or do some Israeli Arabs serve in combat units? Are there jobs/industries where Israeli Arabs are prevented from working because they are viewed as a security risk? Are they allowed full voting rights? Do they have their own party within the Israeli political spectrum?</p>
<p>As for apartheid, Wikipedia (I know, but I went there because of its liberal, progressive, highly-biased viewpoint) includes this point about Israel:</p>
<p>"South Africa's statutory research agency the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) stated in a 2009 report that "the State of Israel exercises control in the [Occupied Palestinian Territories] with the purpose of maintaining a system of domination by Jews over Palestinians and that this system constitutes a breach of the prohibition of apartheid."</p>
<p>Umm, what about Islam... doesn't everyone have to convert to Islam or face dhimmitude or death?? Isn't THAT far worse of a situation than not letting "Palestinians" become citizens (a group that often calls for the destruction of Israel)? So what about the Islamic societies?</p>
<p>Israelis (Jews) have done more for the world through their medical and technological advances since 1948 than (probably) any other country on the face of this planet. Those advances in medicine, for example, help all people -- Jews, Arabs, Europeans, etc. What has Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, at al. done in the last 50 years? They've spread Sharia Law throughout the lands (not a good thing) and given us suicide bombers... yippee! The world is upside down...</p>Bryan commented on 'Israel Apartheid Week'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d8341c581e53ef014e5fb883d6970c2011-03-08T13:50:27Z2011-03-08T13:50:27ZBryanTo nitpick: Jordan actually did offer the Palestinians citizenship, and even had representation in their Parliament (however little that actually...<p>To nitpick: Jordan actually did offer the Palestinians citizenship, and even had representation in their Parliament (however little that actually meant) for the West Bankers. Now that Palestinians are a majority in Jordan, the East Bank Jordanians are systemically revoking Palestinians' citizenship, assumedly so that they don't get "overwhelmed" with Palestinians. Too late, I suppose.</p>
<p>Lebanon, Syria, and every other Arab country, though, are certainly at fault for maintaing the Palestinians in abominable conditions, both physically--in camps--and politically--as stateless.</p>