Is Israel an apartheid state? Lets take a look...

So here I am sitting in South Africa of all places, and I'm hearing people say that Israel is an apartheid state. Now you would think that us South Africans would actually know what apartheid is? So we see just how stronger the Palestinian propaganda is. We should not allow an apartheid state to exist in the world today , of that there is no question. So now we are left with one question, is Israel an apartheid state or not?


So lets take a look at a few points. (I'm under the assumption that any one reading this is educated enough to know what an apartheid is and means. If you do not I suggest you go look up the meaning and history first).

In Israel:

• Arab citizens of Israel have full equality by law.

• Arab's are enfranchised with the vote, where they can form political parties and become members of the Knesset (Parliament).

• The language, Arabic, is one of the national languages of the country.

• Arabic schools receive equal funding to Jewish schools.

• Road signs are written in both Hebrew and Arabic.

• There is an Arab member of the Israeli Supreme Court who often rules in disputes between Jews and Arabs.

• All people share the same busses, the same toilets, and the same park benches.

• All citizens receive equal healthcare in the same hospitals.

• All people can pursue the same employment.

• There is a vibrant and critical free press which often exposes any discriminatory practices

These are just a few points. Also to take into consideration is the fact that the UN, who facilitated the establishment of Israel and the international community acknowledges Israel as a democracy.

I hear people say that there are such heavily controlled borders that the palestinians can't move freely. If they were bombing you and your family would you have security checks or not? I think that the answer is obvious. After 9/11 when America stepped up there security, nobody accused them of being an apartheid state.
Anyone who has been to Israel will know that if anything it is the Jewish people who have there freedom of movement restricted. The palestinians walk around everywhere, even in the Jewish areas. But if a Jew walks into a palestinian area (s)he would probably not come out alive, and there are stories of this happening.

So here are some of my thoughts. What do you think, is Israel an apartheid state......