Israeli buses for Palestinians spark accusations of segregation

[muriel_volestrangler]

JERUSALEM — The letters to Israeli government officials began piling up last year. Leaders of Jewish settlements in the northern West Bank, citing complaints by residents of harassment by Arabs on their daily commute, lobbied to restrict travel by Palestinian laborers using Israeli bus lines to get to and from their jobs in Israel.

An online petition posted by settlers from the town of Ariel demanded that Palestinians be barred from the buses, alleging that Jewish passengers were experiencing “frightening rides” and feared for their safety. Urging the authorities to act, Ariel’s mayor wrote that his constituents had been subject to abuse and “thuggish acts” by Palestinian passengers.

This week, Israel’s transportation ministry rolled out its solution: special bus lines that pick up Palestinian workers at a crossing point into Israel and return them there at the end of the work day.

The announcement, suggesting separate bus lines for Jews and Arabs, created immediate controversy.

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-05/world/37467810_1_palestinian-passengers-palestinian-areas-west-bank

Haaretz editorial:

New routes to racism
Rather than express 'concern' for the Palestinians by excluding them from Jewish bus lines, it would behoove the prime minister to immediately put a stop to this racist segregation.

At the beginning of the week, separate bus lines were launched for Palestinians in the territories who travel into Israel. The Transportation Ministry claims the lines are meant to ease travel conditions for the Palestinians, but they’re actually another manifestation of a regime based on discrimination and segregation.

Although by law a Palestinian with a permit to enter Israel cannot be prevented from traveling on regular buses, the police is preparing to enforce the separation. Consequently, a Palestinian who reaches a checkpoint on a regular Israeli bus will be asked to get off and wait for the special bus.

Palestinians traveling from Tel Aviv to Samaria were apparently already being taken off buses last Thursday. According to witnesses, an entire busload of people were ordered off a bus near the Shaar Shomron interchange, and their identity cards were checked. All of the passengers turned out to be Palestinians, and they were ordered to leave the terminal and walk to the Azoun-Othma checkpoint, 2.5 kilometers away. According to the police, they were merely implementing Transportation Ministry instructions.

Around four years ago the High Court of Justice disallowed the ban on Palestinians traveling on Route 443, arguing that the military occupier cannot build roads in an occupied area that do not serve the local population. Then Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch, however, got upset by the comparison the petitioners had made between separate roads and the apartheid regime in South Africa. But the decision to separate Palestinians and Jews on the buses is another component of an apartheid approach, and demonstrates that those petitioners’ arguments were not unfounded.

http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/new-routes-to-racism-1.507281

B'tselem calls it "an attempt to use security and convenience as a cover for racism".

[azurnoir]

1. well it's kind of an old story and

we've been 'set straight' about it too

‘Palestinian Only’ Buses in Israel: The Big Lies are Back

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113434523

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Well, a Haaretz editorial and B'tselem comment are telling

because those are Israeli sources. And it's not as if the WP is antisemitic either. With an actual example of how Palestinians are gettign kicked off buses, it's impossible to hide behind "this is just to prevent overcrowding" excuses now.

On edit: I had seen this talked about on a blog, and had looked on Google News, and hadn't noticed this was from last month.

[azurnoir]

3. oh I agree but it seems like not everyone understands

or something