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Is it ApartheidSunday 09 Feb 2003
author: Fred Schlomka (fred@icahd.org)
Actually the scene in the West Bank especially is starting to look like something similar to Apartheid. When you consider that under the Olso agreement there was created seperate 'cantons' with concentrations of Palestinian population known as Area 'A'. These eight or so areas are now completely isolated from each other and Palestinians need permits to travel from one area to another. Jewish residents of the West Bank have freedom of movement. Sharon has said that these are the areas he wants to call a Palestinian State, surrounded by sovereign Israeli territory. It all starts to look like the so-called 'Sovereign Black Homelands' of the former South Africa which were surrounded by White controlled territory.
Arafat may eventually sign off on a truncated state, just as the greedy black leaders in South Africa agreed to accept fiefdom enclaves. However like the Apartheid Regime, the world will never accept anything less than a viable fully functional state for the Palestinians. However if the occupation is now irreversable then we need to look at a single state or confederation with equal rights for all.
Indeed even inside Israel where 93% of the land is controlled by the state there is a form of Apartheid. Only Jews are permitted under the law to lease government owned land. No-matter that 78% of the land was confiscated from palestinian refugees. So the 22% of israeli citizens who are Palestinian Arabs are confined to 7% of our land. Call it what you will but it is not a Democracy.