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Last update - 11:44 23/01/2007
Occupation: It's horrid, but it's not apartheid
By Bradley Burston

The following is the next in a series of experiments.

It will begin with an appeal for readers to subvert the talkback function for the public good.

It will then continue with a new feature. Selected talkback comments will be highlighted, followed by a response by the author.

__________________________


A friend asked this week why news reports highlight the hate-filled messages of racist Muslim sheikhs in the West and crackpot settlers in Hebron, while ignoring truly blessed work being done for co-existence, efforts which receive little or no media exposure.

Of course she was right. With a keen eye for the tabloid-worthy, we dutifully report the worst in bigoted declarations, feeling ourselves all the more righteous for exposing filth and hatred.

Accordingly, we ask our readers to use the talkback feature to inform the public of efforts by individuals and groups to foster coexistence, counter extremism and hatred, and work for a shared future of well-being.

We want to hear about people who are working to bring peace back from the dead.



_______________________________


From talkbacks over the past week:

In response to the article Jimmy Carter's offensive against U.S. Jewry:

It is disingenuous of Bradley Burston to say that in Israel only extremists refer to Israel`s governance regime of the Palestinian Occupied Territories as apartheid. Former Israeli Education Minister Shulamit Aloni also recently compared Israel`s policies in the POT to those in South Africa under the apartheid regime
(see http://www.counterpunch.org/aloni01082007.html)

Leila Kawar, Brooklyn, New York

I wrote that Carter's use of the word apartheid "assured that Israelis would associate his stance with that of Yasser Arafat at the close of his career, and dismiss the book out of hand."

In my view, what is disingenuous is to pretend that the word apartheid is used as a purely descriptive term.

Wherever one may sit on the pro-Palestinian to pro-Israel continuum, it is evident that the word apartheid is used for a number of reasons, but fostering understanding is not one of them.

It is used specifically because it incites and inflames. Jimmy Carter knows this as well as anyone: When applied to the Arab Israeli conflict, the word apartheid ends discussion, rather than promoting it.

Its purpose is to vilify and demonize. In the arsenal of the extremist, it is the step one takes before making reference to Nazi Germany.

The use of apartheid by a man so well versed in the psyches of the two sides to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by a man who at the height of his career distinguished himself by bringing warring peoples together, is at best counter-productive. At worse it is intellectual sleaze, graffiti in place of reasoned argument.

The occupation is not corrupting and oppressive because it resembles apartheid. The occupation is corrupting and oppressive because it is exactly what it is.

The occupation is horrid, but it is not apartheid.

The occupation must be opposed not because it resembles apartheid, but because it is overtly destructive to both Palestinians and Israelis.

The use of the term apartheid actually contributes to one of the primary reasons why the occupation continues. It is the "Oom Shmoom" syndrome - the Israeli mindset that says "The whole world curses and mislabels us for anything we do or don't do, so we might as well go on doing what we're doing."

As it is, it is too easy for Israelis to maintain a state of denial over the occupation and its evils. It is too easy for Israelis to dismiss hyperbole, to wave away comparisons to the Nazis and other genocidal regimes.

What is needed is honest criticism of the occupation as it is. What is needed is exposure of the specific ways in which Israel's policies cause harm to the harmless, and, in the process, are bad for Israel as well.

The occupation will not end because of a thousand rockets, or ten thousand. It will not end through boycotts by publicity starved academics.

It will end by means of Israelis being exposed to and coming to terms with wrongheaded and often immoral acts committed in the name of security, acts which often harm only non-combatants. It will come through the actions of Israeli courts, of a U.S. administration actively seeking solutions, and, eventually, though the actions of courageous Israeli politicians.

It will come through diplomacy, international involvement, and a process in which mutual demonization gives way to compromise.

What is needed is an attempt to approach Israelis as human beings trying, if often failing, to deal with an impossible array of complex variables.

Human beings, not evil, bloodthirsty colonialist Zionist thugs. Human beings, not a collection of facile, mean-spirited labels.


___________________



Recent blogs:

Leave the U.S. embassy where it is
Jimmy Carter's offensive against U.S. Jewry
Next year in Palestine
What's wrong with Israelis

___________________


The guiding principles of the talkback forum for this article will be mutual respect and openness to dialogue. Participants, even if they rule out, dismiss or oppose coexistence, must, within the confines of this forum, practice it.

Censorship will be unapologetic.

Political orientation will have absolutely no bearing on whether a comment is posted or rejected.

The following will be grounds for deletion:

1. Racist remarks, as well as slurs on the basis of religion, ethnicity and gender.
2. Use of the terms Nazi, Hitler, to describe the actions and policies of Israelis, Palestinians or other parties to the Israel-Arab conflict.
3. Disparaging remarks, personal attacks, vulgarities and profanities directed at other participants in the forum.
4. Advocacy of violence against individuals or religious, ethnic or racial groups, including statements which may be construed as urging attacks on leaders, officials, security forces or civilians.

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  1.   "OOM SHMOOM SYNDROME?" C`MOONN... 10:07  |  indrajaya 23/01/07
  2.   modern civilisation is hell AND its not free either 10:10  |  paul harris 23/01/07
  3.   Typical pro-Israeli response 10:21  |  Sami 23/01/07
  4.   "Separation" 10:27  |  JW 23/01/07
  5.   Institurional discrimination = Apartheid 10:28  |  John 23/01/07
  6.   apatheid is racism 10:50  |  flashman 23/01/07
  7.   edwina currie the former british minister 10:53  |  flashman 23/01/07
  8.   Apartheid is accurate 10:55  |  Marilyn 23/01/07
  9.   apartheid-shmapartheid, stupid name callings 10:58  |  joe 23/01/07
  10.   I Think We Jews Feel As Bad About It As Anyone Else! 10:58  |  Yosemite 23/01/07
  11.   # 3, SAMI 11:00  |  indrajaya 23/01/07
  12.   # 3, SAMI 11:00  |  indrajaya 23/01/07
  13.   When parts are apart . . . . . 11:00  |  revoltop 23/01/07
  14.   now if you 11:01  |  cool 23/01/07
  15.   I agree with flashman 11:12  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 23/01/07
  16.   Mr. Burston, it a bit it like the word `terrorist,` isn`t it? 11:12  |  Jeremiah 23/01/07
  17.   IF Arabs pay the author its apartheid.If it is Darfur or Tibet 11:21  |  PETER SM 23/01/07
  18.   Marilyn: Its a lot more complext than you say 11:22  |  Michael 23/01/07
  19.   Justified 11:28  |  Avi 23/01/07
  20.   So what`s Bradley doing to stop the occupation? 11:30  |  Michael 23/01/07
  21.   Israel`s Options: Bad and Worse 11:44  |  Eli 23/01/07
  22.   What TWISTED/PERVERSE Thinking! ...There Are NO EXCUSES Here. 11:47  |  Proud Pal Defender 23/01/07
  23.   jw 11:49  |  bev 23/01/07
  24.   To Cipora Julianna Kohn 11:52  |  John 23/01/07
  25.   joe in Tel Aviv absolutely correct (end) 11:52  |  bev 23/01/07
  26.   # 10, YOSEMITE SAM 11:54  |  indrajaya 23/01/07
  27.   to Indonesia 12:00  |  bev 23/01/07
  28.   #24, John 12:02  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 23/01/07
  29.   Bradley`s answer: let Israel end the occupation when it wants 12:06  |  Michael 23/01/07
  30.   # 8, MARILYN 12:10  |  indrajaya 23/01/07
  31.   P.P.DEFENDER. The Pal.Covenant & the Hamas Charter got you there. 12:12  |  PETERSM 23/01/07
  32.   It is Apartheid my Friend 12:15  |  Khalid 23/01/07
  33.   #3, Sami, I also have a clear situation here. 12:15  |  Avi 23/01/07
  34.   Media responsibility 12:19  |  Arnie 23/01/07
  35.   Stupid, unintelligent Jews 12:19  |  Khalid 23/01/07
  36.   #26 indrajaya 12:27  |  Avi 23/01/07
  37.   #3 Sami: "the situation is even worse than apartheid" 12:28  |  Yonatan 23/01/07
  38.   Bradley: Liberation is not occupation 12:41  |  Yacov 23/01/07
  39.   # 25, BEV 12:41  |  indrajaya 23/01/07
  40.   khalid 12:45  |  bev 23/01/07
  41.   The E. C. term 12:48  |  Bill 23/01/07
  42.   No. 8 - White Australia Policy 12:59  |  Zelkha 23/01/07
  43.   One arguement 13:01  |  Seanirl 23/01/07
  44.   Apartheid 13:04  |  Oetis 23/01/07
  45.   Khalid, why do you think you were stopped from driving on that 13:04  |  Nadav 23/01/07
  46.   Khalid 13:05  |  Jasmine Murphy 23/01/07
  47.   & NO KIDDING THE SUN TANS US ALL ! 13:06  |  paul harris 23/01/07
  48.   Khalid 13:07  |  Ariel 23/01/07
  49.   # 32, AVI 13:08  |  indrajaya 23/01/07
  50.   Khalid no need to call you stupid, because you are 13:08  |  Jasmine Murphy 23/01/07
  51.   Defining the occupied teritories 13:11  |  Joe 23/01/07
  52.   #32 YES THERE IS APARTHEID IN ARAB LANDS 13:12  |  paul harris 23/01/07
  53.   Oetis 13:12  |  Ariel 23/01/07
  54.   Apartheid versus two independent states 13:17  |  Ben Azai 23/01/07
  55.   An insult to sufferers under real apartheid 13:23  |  howard 23/01/07
  56.   It is apartheid by definition 13:28  |  Saifedean Ammous 23/01/07
  57.   indrajaya 13:31  |  Zed 23/01/07
  58.   To Ben Azai #54 13:40  |  Oetis 23/01/07
  59.   # 57, ZED 13:43  |  indrajaya 23/01/07
  60.   #58 SAMMOUS IMPOSSIBLE JEWS ARABS ARE BOTH SEMITES 13:44  |  paul harris 23/01/07
  61.   re: Yonatan 13:49  |  Sami 23/01/07
  62.   To Ariel #53 13:51  |  Oetis 23/01/07
  63.   Withdrawal is disastrous 13:51  |  Shalom Freedman 23/01/07
  64.   #35 The moral obligations of the creme de la creme 13:53  |  sh 23/01/07
  65.   reson for using word "apartheid" 13:58  |  Richie 23/01/07
  66.   indonesia 14:00  |  bev 23/01/07
  67.   Why import terminology? 14:00  |  Tzfonit 23/01/07
  68.   ...to Sami#3...apartheid? 14:01  |  abraham...mico 23/01/07
  69.   Saifedean 14:02  |  Ariel 23/01/07
  70.   "HORRID" LITTLE OCCUPATION 14:02  |  ISHMAEL ISHMAEL 23/01/07
  71.   Call it burger and fries if you like, 14:02  |  sh 23/01/07
  72.   Of course it`s Apartheid. 14:04  |  Jens 23/01/07
  73.   seannirl or girl 14:04  |  bev 23/01/07
  74.   learn to love "apartheid," you`re stuck w/it brad 14:07  |  ted 23/01/07
  75.   Terrorism, Jihad, militias, and support are horrid 14:13  |  B 23/01/07
  76.   Ummm, so it`s not apartheid? 14:14  |  Johnboy 23/01/07
  77.   oetis 14:15  |  bev 23/01/07
  78.   #73 No one has rights in those dictatorships 14:16  |  Jens 23/01/07
  79.   A key theme identified 14:19  |  Mike 23/01/07
  80.   Oetis 14:20  |  Ariel 23/01/07
  81.   Differences? 14:23  |  Jup33 23/01/07
  82.   Nadav: 1987 first intifada 14:23  |  A Bethlehemite 23/01/07
  83.   Nice gestures and the Holy Grail 14:23  |  Ronnie Wolman