|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2015/03/04/a-fresh-look-at-an-old-problem
Palestinian Activist: "Israel Is Not an Apartheid State"
(Times Live-South Africa) Katharine Child - Palestinian Bassem Eid, 56, grew up in a refugee camp in east Jerusalem but does not blame Israel for those difficult years. He blames Jordan for removing 500 people from the old city in Jerusalem in 1966 and creating the camp. In fact, he says he would rather be a Palestinian refugee in Israel than in Syria, Lebanon or Jordan. "Israel is not an apartheid state," he said. "It's a democracy. Arabs are treated at the best hospitals and study at the best universities in Israel. Did that happen during apartheid?" Eid, a human rights activist and political analyst, was brought to South Africa by the SA Jewish Board of Deputies to counter the messages being put out during Israel Apartheid Week. He said that outside interference and calls for boycotts of Israel make the Palestinian-Israeli situation worse.