Questions For Amnesty

Dear Amnesty

Can I be honest with you?

I'm confused.

Perhaps you can help? 

 For a start, you could explain why - given your claim that Israel is an 'apartheid' state -  the following happens there:

1 - if what you claim is true, why do all citizens have equal rights?

There are no inferior or second-class citizens, unlike non-whites in South Africa or minorities in Islamic or Arab countries. 

Arabs occupy senior positions on the Israeli police force, in the parliament and in the Israeli judiciary.

For example, Salim Joubran, who currently serves on the Israeli Supreme Court, is a Christian Arab. 

Ishmael Khaldi, an Islamic Bedouin,  is a diplomat in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Majalli Wahabi (Druze) was the acting president of Israel in 2007. 

These are just a few examples out of the many minority groups holding key positions in Israeli society.

Oh, and let's not forget that it was an Arab judge, , George Karra, who sentenced an ex-Israeli president Moshe Katsav to prison for seven years.

When an Arab judge sentences a former Israeli president to jail -- well, bit of a strange 'apartheid', I think you'd have to agree.

2 - if what you claim is true, why in Israel, is incitement to racial hatred  a criminal offence....?

This is the exact opposite to apartheid in South Africa - where the government actually introduced and passed racist legislation!

3 - If what you claim is true, why do  Arabs and Israelis receive the same treatment, and are together in the same hospitals?

The Hadassah Medical Organisation operates two hospitals in Jerusalem. It was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize due to its push for peace in the Middle East and its equal treatment of Palestinians, Arab and Israelis. 

Arab and Israeli children are born amongst each other in the same hospitals.

Even during Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, Palestinians receive top-of-the-line treatment in Israeli hospitals. 

Now contrast this with South Africa, where Black people were given limited access to health care.

4 -  If what you claim is true, why do Israeli Arabs have their own political parties in the Knesset?

The Joint List is an example of this. They received 13 seats in the 2015 Israeli election. Arabs have equal voting rights.

In South Africa, Black people during apartheid were not allowed to participate in the political process.

5 -  If what you claim is true,  why can Arab citizens seek redress through the courts and government if they feel they have been treated unfairly?

Arab citizens also receive trial based on the facts, not ethnicity. 

In apartheid South Africa, discrimination was authorized from the highest position in the government.

6 -  If what you claim is true, why do  Arabs in Israel have more fundamental rights than other Islamic and Arab countries in the Middle East?

Israeli Arabs  have more rights than they do in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, controlled by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority respectively.

7 - If what you claim  is true, why are there  1.6 million Arab citizens fully integrated within Israeli society?

They make up 20 per cent of Israel's population. There was no such integration in South Africa. 

Furthermore, according to a poll done by Harvard University, 77 per cent of Arab citizens living in Israel would rather live there than any other country in the world. 

If these citizens were experiencing "apartheid," why are so many of them so supportive of Israel...? 

Arabs have the right to move freely, vote, obtain an education, work in prominent positions, receive world-class health care, own land and speak freely. Black people in South Africa had none of these rights.

8  - If what you claim  is true, why have numerous Israeli Arabs now posted on twitter,  condemning your report as nonsense?

 Here are the names of just two: Mohammad Kabiya and  Lorena Khateeb,  

9 - Finally, if as you claim hings are so terrible in Israel. WHY do millions of non Jews STAY? 

 Why do all the Christians, Muslims, Arabs, Druze, and B'hais choose to live there?

Why don't these millions of Arabs - whom you claim are suffering apartheid -  move to one of the nearby Arab states......?  

They all have passports.  

Why do they choose to stay in Israel?

We look forward to your response.

Sincerely

Tabatha Caplan

Founder: What You Should Know About Israel

www.whatyoushouldknowaboutisrael.org