Of racism and occupation and apartheid ...
by Adam Keller
Spokes-person for Gush Shalom .
At the beginning of this very busy week there was a public uproar in the U.S. when Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was heard saying very racist things about blacks. Among other things Sterling had said that "In Israel, the blacks are just treated like dogs."
Sterling probably heard that the State of Israel imprisons without trial thousands of refugees and asylum seekers from Africa, far away among the Negev desert sands, and that Israeli cabinet ministers express pride that such is their policy and promise to continue pursuing it. Perhaps he also heard that even Ethiopians who are Israeli citizens and are officially recognized as Jews suffer quite a bit of discrimination and prejudice in Israel; that in many places there are people who refuse to rent them apartments and that some call them "apes” and “monkeys". Anyway, Sterling evidently liked what he heard of the treatment of blacks in Israel, and he considered it a good model for white Americans to emulate.
The vile racist remarks of Donald Sterling did not go without an appropriate response. After several days of public outrage, the NBA commissioner banned Sterling for life from all games of this League, and in addition imposed on him a fine of 2.5 million Dollars, to be passed on to charity.
In the same week, there was in the United States another public storm, also derived from publication of a recorded conversation. In the final accord of his failed peace efforts, Secretary of State John Kerry sounded a warning that if Israel does not end its occupation of the Palestinian territories nor give civil rights to their residents, it might become an Apartheid state.......
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