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No Apartheid in the Middle East

[Guardian-UK] Lorna Fitzsimons - I find it offensive that the suffering of black South Africans could be equated to the current predicament of the Palestinians. Israel is not an apartheid state. In South Africa discrimination was enforced to establish white racial superiority. This is simply not the case in Israel or the PA. There will always be restrictions on civil freedom in any society when threat of attack is a daily concern. When the scale of the threat diminishes, so will the security measures. Current restrictions are based on legitimate security concerns - not a belief in racial superiority. It is in Israel's interest to see the establishment of a viable Palestinian state but, as disengagement showed, it cannot do it on its own. To blame Israel as an apartheid state is lazy and ignores the responsibilities that lie with every party, including the government of the Palestinian people. We need to be very careful that the universal urge to help the Palestinians doesn't negate their own responsibility and capability to do something about it. The writer is chief executive of the Britain Israel Communications and Research Center.
2007-02-27 01:00:00
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