A settler's view on separation of Jews from Arabs in W. Bank

The decision by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon to separate Arab and Jewish passengers on buses returning from little Israel to Judea and Samaria made me very uncomfortable. The pilot program that was launched Wednesday and suspended several hours later following intense public criticism, seems like a populist decision meant to please someone, and not to meet real security threats.

Seemingly, there is a real dilemma. It must be unpleasant for a (Jewish) girl returning to her home in Samaria to ride on a bus full of Palestinian workers. But there must be a more elegant option than segregation on the grounds of race, nationality or religion. For example, create direct bus lines to the settlements, lines that don’t stop at intersections along the way and don’t pick up the Arab passengers waiting there. True, these buses will have to be subsidized by the state, but it is certainly better than what the world calls "apartheid".
I do not want to address the terrible noise and furious cacophony of the global media against this decision that was made public on Wednesday. The criticism is hypocritical and stems from anti-Semitism. I don’t believe a channel that starts its broadcast with news about an Israeli decision to separate buses for Arabs and Jews (not to cancel Arab transit, only to separate them from Jews who are afraid of them), instead of the genocide in Syria, for example. I do not accept the moral laws they are trying to impose on us.

But there's something else that is more complex: these Arabs, who are Palestinian residents of Judea and Samaria, underwent stringent screening and testing by the Shin Bet security agency and the army, after which they were allowed to enter Israel to work. These are comprehensive tests, which don’t just vet the worker seeking a permit but also his entire family circle. This extensive vetting also provides a disincentive to engage in terrorism, even in stone throwing. The family of someone caught throwing stones at cars driven by Jews, for example, probably won’t be given permits to enter Israel.

So, if the Shin Bet thinks that these people are allowed to enter Israel to work in the homes of Jews, to hang around Israeli neighborhoods, walk on Israeli beaches and wander in Israeli malls, how do they become a security risk when they get on a bus? If they spend the day in a Jewish environment, why should they not be allowed to do so on their way home on the bus? These are the only Arabs who undergo Shin Bet screening and are cleared and deemed safe, even more than Arabs who are Israeli citizens. Of course the Jewish girl traveling alone on a bus full of Palestinians does not know all this, but the defense minister does. So this decision reeks of racism rather than genuine security considerations. I would feel very uncomfortable if this plan is implemented.

And speaking of racism and apartheid, let's see who really suffers segregation in Israel: Jews do not dare get on a yellow cab in the West Bank. Why? Because it's the color of Palestinian taxis traveling on all roads of Judea and Samaria, and it’s inconceivable. Why? Because it is an invitation to kidnapping and murder.
West Bank roads are open to everyone, Arabs and Jews. But Jews approaching Palestinian cities are greeted by enormous red signs warning them that going further risks their life and breaks the law. If there is an Israeli army checkpoint beyond the sign, soldiers will prevent them from getting through. I live five minutes from Bethlehem and I can not go there. This is racial segregation. Apparently I missed the news broadcasts around the world that covered it.

But anti-Jewish apartheid exists not only in the West Bank. Jews risk their lives if they enter certain Jerusalem neighborhoods. Entire villages in the Galilee region or the scattered Bedouin villages in the south have long been under Israeli sovereignty on paper only and completely “judenrein”. Clean of Jews.
And yet, in order to strengthen the sense of security among Jewish passengers returning to their homes in the West Bank, security guards should be deployed on the bus, just as there are at the mall or in restaurants. The fact that Jews are targets of injustice and racism is no excuse for doing the same to Arabs.

Karni Eldad is a musician, married, and a mother of two, a resident of Tekoa (West Bank).




http://www.i24news.tv/en/opinion/71971-150521-a-settler-s-view-on-separation-of-jews-from-arabs-in-w-bank






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