TORONTO — Calling Israel an apartheid state is an insult to those who suffered under real apartheid, an Israeli activist said last week.
The members in the picture are, from left, Ronit Gordon, Ava Klemensberg, Rafi Yablonsky, Aryeh Green, Jonathan Mackenzie, Anna Neuman, Esther Lax, Tali Spektor, Faygle Train and Melissa Hooper. Not present and on the Hasbara board are Josh Benchetrit, Ben Feferman & Shira Gilboord.
Speaking to York University students at an event held by Hasbara at York, Aryeh Green, director of Media Central in Israel, said that while criticizing Israel’s policies can be legitimate, what is not legitimate is to “twist the definition of human rights,” by suggesting that setting up roadblocks is a violation of Palestinian human rights.
“If we really care about Palestinian society or the Palestinian individuals who are suffering under what is, even today, an authoritarian regime, what we really need to be doing is protesting the incredible limitations of Palestinian human rights by their own leadership,” Green said. “If we really care about Palestinians, we want to promote their welfare, to pursue policies and an agenda that will be for their benefit. We have to demand a democracy.”
People who accuse Israel of being an apartheid state forget that Israeli citizens who are not Jewish enjoy the same rights as their Jewish counterparts, said Green.
“The facts are that Israel has a 20 per cent minority...who are Arab Muslims. Those Arab Muslims have the same rights, the same responsibilities [except for serving in the army] and enjoying the same status in society as any Israeli Jew.”
Green also discussed Israel’s reasons for building the security barrier that stretches from Beit-Shean in the north to Arad in the south.
“With the aid and encouragement and often active involvement of Palestinian security forces, a wave of terror acts...caused havoc in Israel society,” he said. “Death and havoc was caused for Arabs, Jews, Muslims, Israelis, tourists... and therefore, in order to stop that wave of terror, Israel decided to build a security barrier to physically prevent terrorists from being able to get into those population centres.
“In the context of building that barrier...and building special roads for Israelis to be able to travel to and from their communities without having to drive through Arab villages where people were injured and killed over the course of a decade, that did make a separation without question. But any Israeli – black, white, Christian, Muslim, Jewish – can ride on those roads. This is a question of a citizen of the state of Israel having a right to travel to and from his community without fear for his life, whether that citizen is Arab or Jewish, Muslim or Christian.”
Melissa Hooper, VP of education for Hasbara at York, organized the event. She said Green’s message was “basic, but powerful.
“I like that he is not necessarily trying to promote one side,” Hooper said. “He is just trying to encourage fair and honest reporting.
“Democracy is important to our lives and his message is very universal. He also dared to suggest ideas I have heard before, such as Israel is a leader in human rights, but he remained moderate.”
Other events held by Hasbara at York include a speech by Itamar Marcus from Palestinian Media Watch and a protest against Norman Finkelstein. Members on the board include Rafi Yablonsky, Jonathan Mackenzie, Josh Benchetrit, Ava Klemensberg, Ronit Gordon, Anna Neuman, Tali Spektor, Esther Lax, Hooper, Shira Gilboord, Ben Feferman and Faygle Train.
