Saturday, March 2, 2013

Palestinians living in an Apartheid state called Israel

It seems that Israel is opening up "Palestinian only" bus routes in the occupied territories.  According to Ynet, "The Transportation Ministry defended the plan, saying it was the result of reports and complaints saying that the buses traveling in the area were overcrowded and rife with tensions between the Jewish and Arab passengers."

Technically it's illegal to refuse anyone the right to ride a bus but several bus drivers told Ynet that "Palestinians who will choose to travel on the so-called "mixed" lines, will be asked to leave them.. "

"I believe this is worse than conditions in Montgomery that Rosa Parks felt intolerable in the 1950s. When will this make the New York Times? Or J Street's blog?" wrote Philip Weiss on the MondoWeiss website.

Apparently, there has been the tension and scuffles between Jews and Palestinians on the lines and drivers and Palestinians when the drivers refuse to board them. Along with this, the Israeli paper Haaretz reports that Israeli's living in Gaza who want to enter Israel will have to undergo "tissue culture testing" to prove their identity. This is nasty stuff. The process is a very expensive one, especially for a Palestinian or Gazan resident. One can imagine the anger and hatred that has built up over the years in the Palestinian community.  I know of Americans who talk about being willing to die and commit violence to defend our rights and homes but condemn Palestinians who resort to unconventional measure to fight back against one of the most heavily armed nations in the world that kills their children, bulldozes their homes and takes their land. The perpetrators are often Russians or South Africans or simply religious nuts who believe god gives them the right to do this.

This is what is referred to as a the only democracy in the Middle East, a Democracy for Jews for sure.  US imperialism supports Israel because it is the most reliable ally in the region helping ensure US multinational corporations can plunder the region's resources.  The US gentile bourgeois care not for their Jewish competitors and would abandon them in a moment if they had to, both here and in Israel. The 30,000 troops in Bahrain sit idle as an absolute monarchy crushes with violence a movement for democratic rights and reforms, those Jews who believe their safety can be guaranteed by the Zionists and their Washington allies are mistaken.  While  one can understand why older Jews especially have some sympathy for Israel given the experience of Stalinism and the Nazis,  Israel is a black mark on centuries of Jewish leadership in the struggle of all people's for freedom and justice.

This Auschwitz survivor explains why he opposes the policies of the Zionists:

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