Letters to the Editor: Is Israel an apartheid state? Readers discuss the treatment of Palestinians
To the editor: Israel is not an apartheid state. Arab citizens of Israel have fully equal legal and civil rights. They have served with distinction in the Israeli military, are over-represented in the Israeli medical fields, have served on the Israeli Supreme Court and have their own political party, which was included in a recent Israeli governing coalition. (“Is Israel’s treatment of Palestinians a form of apartheid?” Jan. 9)
Palestinian Arabs residing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are not citizens of Israel, and by their own preferences are governed by the Palestinian Authority or Hamas. They do not have the same rights in Israel as Israeli citizens, just as noncitizens do not have the same rights as U.S. citizens in our country.
Implacable foes of Israel such as Human Rights Watch (whose founder decried its subsequent anti-Israel bias) have sought to distort and weaponize the definition of apartheid to use it as a cudgel against Israel. That effort is a part of the broader attempt by Israel’s foes to eliminate the country.
But Nelson Mandela obviously held no such opinion of Israel, as he accepted an award from an Israeli university in 1997.
No one should be deceived by the apartheid lie about Israel — it is just another arrow in the quiver of Israel’s dishonest and implacable foes.
Daniel H. Trigoboff, Williamsville, N.Y.
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To the editor: For those who follow events in the Middle East, news of Israeli apartheid is not a startling revelation. But we could not have known this by relying solely on our mainstream media. Israel’s misdeeds over the last several decades have gone unreported or have been reported with a strong bias toward the Israeli side.
It is no surprise to followers of the Palestinian situation that Israel’s real intent now is to destroy Gaza and force the residents to leave. Its actions have been described as genocide.
It will be interesting to observe how the media cover this harsh accusation against a state whose people were subjected to the very same criminal action.
Joseph Tillotson, Redondo Beach
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To the editor: The fact that Egypt has blockaded Gaza along with Israel clearly illustrates that the blockade is not based on race or religion, but rather the prevention of terrorism.
Israel didn’t want Hamas attacking its citizens, and Egypt didn’t want Hamas using its territory as a base from which to launch such attacks.
However, such logic is lost on the knee-jerk anti-Israel crowd, which says nothing about Egypt’s actions but screams “apartheid!” when Israel takes the same measures.
Jay Hoffman, Orlando, Fla.
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To the editor: If one wants to explore this topic further, begin by reading Jimmy Carter’s book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” I am surprised his book was not mentioned in the article.
Paul Burns, Granada Hills
