What is in reality loaded and inflammatory for Abramovich, chairman of the Whitewashing War Crimes Commission, are facts.
Israel is an unabashed apartheid entity, Fact. In fact it is a racist apartheid entity, that undermines human decency and peace.
As recent as 15 March 2017, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) report stated Israel has violated international law by operating an apartheid regime.
‘The weight of the evidence supports beyond a reasonable doubt the proposition that Israel is guilty of imposing an apartheid regime on the Palestinian people, which amounts to the commission of a crime against humanity.’
And in November 2017, Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Mandela who fought South African apartheid, on a visit to Palestine stated, ‘Palestinians are being subjected to the worst version of apartheid’.
It is indeed a shame when irresponsible zionist apologists abandon moral objectivity in order to become an unabashed spokespersons for the vile side that perpetrates war crimes, against the indigenous Palestinian families, by peddling and recycling the myth of divine right to Palestinian real estate.
In a region of dictatorships and theocracies, Israel has established one of the most robust armament industries which it tests on trapped Gazan families and sells to said dictatorships and theocracies. Fact.
I urge the Byron Shire Echo to uphold the factual word – apartheid – and to refrain from using inverted commas around the truth.
Dr Vacy Vlazna, coordinator, Justice for Palestine Matters
The use of the term apartheid” for Israel is not a matter of fact. It is a definition that unsuccessfully tried to change the what people mean by apartheid through a UN resolution so that it included Israel. It was nothing more than a publicity stunt. The resolution was not supported by Australia and like-minded liberal democracies, and Australia still does not use the term in other than its original sense – for South Africa. Those who are trying to revive the extension of its use to Israel pay homage to the communist and other dictatorships and one party states who supported the resolution.
Forget this Orwellian double speak and focus on an accurate portrayal of issues in Israel and you will have a lot more credibility with the sort of people of good sense and conscience who so strongly objected to apartheid.
Dr Vlazna has a commendable list of skills. Another skill, although not widely known but apparent from her letter is her skill in name calling and writing in capital letters. Oh and one more, quoting completely irrelevant sources.
So who is the UN commission or ESCWA Dr. Vlazna quotes. This illustrious group of Countries are: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, The Sudan, The Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, The United Arab Emirates and Yemen. World leaders all, in human rights, women’s rights and gay rights, freedom of the press and democracy. Not an antisemite among them. Trying to gain some credibility by quoting a no name who happens to be Nelson Mandela’s grandson is just lame.
You letter is disingenuous, to trot out some of the worst abusers of the modern era to support your argument and then point the finger at Israel lacks honesty and assumes the we are gullible fools. You and your ilk are the reason the road to peace seems so unlikely not just Israel and not the Palestinian people.
The dictionary meaning of “apartheid” means racial segregation. Two races are kept apart. The first part of the word is “apart”.
That means there is an equality about the races but we all know there is severe inequality. One race is treated better than the other race and that is the crux. They are kept apart so one race can dominate in a batter status that the other race.
That is correct Len. What the UN tried to do was define Zionism as form of racism, so that Israel fell within a definition of apartheid; so anti-Israel supporters hoped to ride on the groundswell of opinion against South Africa. We never supported that and it was later overturned.
Unlike Apartheid, equality of all is enshrined in Israel’s Declaration of Independence :: [Israel] ‘will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex;….’
Arab citizens of Israel have equal rights to Israelis- Arabs vote, are represented in the Knesset (parliament) by Arab members of Knesset. Arabs exist throughout all strata of Israeli society – including as judges, professors, President of Israel.
Thus to equate Israel with Apartheid South Africa is to denigrate the suffering of black Africans who were dehumanized by Apartheid.
Undoubtedly Palestinians are often in dire circumstances, but they need to look to their own corrupt leaders to overcome their unfortunate plight.
Dr Vlazna is more interesting in propagating propaganda than speaking the truth. If he was really concerned about apartheid he would be condemning Saudi Arabia for its gender apartheid and criticising the Palestinians themselves with their leader Abbas having said to Egyptian media back in 2010, “I will never allow a single Israeli to live among us on Palestinian land”.
Israel is forced to keep the ‘Palestinians’ under security control in the disputed territories because there are too many who are inclined to mount attacks against Israel, because of the constant incitement from their politicians, religious leaders and social media to kill or maim Jews.