Published: 3 June 2022
Last updated: 4 March 2024
DAVID KNOLL takes issue with Dov Waxman’s analysis of Amnesty’s apartheid allegation against Israel
In the opinion piece published by The Jewish Independent entitled Amnesty’s Apartheid Accusation – A wake-up call that will only get louder, Dov Waxman writes, “What is already clear, however, is that such accusations, whether helpful or not will only become more frequent and more widespread in the years to come, if the Israeli occupation continues and the conflict remains unresolved.”
The first issue to be addressed in response, is why make the apartheid accusation? As Waxman recognises, the apartheid accusation is effective because it immediately creates a negative word picture around the State of Israel.
That the historical comparison with South Africa is false, and the factual foundation flimsy and easily debunked, still leaves the accuser with what is known in marketing parlance as a first mover advantage. It is designed to reinforce sympathy for the Palestinian Arab population living in the occupied West Bank.
Complete unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank may satisfy some urge for moral conduct, but it is a complete misreading of the causes of the conflict to think this would end the slanders against Israel.
A tight security regime is imposed by Israel in order to protect her citizens from violence. At the same time, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority persecute dissent with force towards their own people.No reasonable person would suggest we not sympathise with those suffering from these actions.
Contrast these conditions with Arabs in Israel, who vote, sit as part of the current Government, and hold various high offices, including on the Supreme Court of Israel.
The second issue is would a Palestinian nation state in the West Bank lead to no or less invective against Israel?
