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Peres Defies Threats on South Africa Visit, Refutes Charges of "Apartheid"
(Jerusalem Post) Greer Fay Cashman - Former Israeli President Shimon Peres, 92, addressed the South African Jewish community's gala Salute to Israel on Sunday in Johannesburg, despite calls by the South African Muslim Lawyers Association that he be arrested for war crimes. Peres declared: "The State of Israel was established against all odds when it was surrounded by enemies and wilderness. We transformed it into a strong, morally just, progressive and democratic state with human rights, justice and the pursuit of peace." Peres addressed the claims by protesters outside the hotel that Israel is an "apartheid state" because of the way it treats Palestinians. Peres insisted that there is not a single word in Israeli law that discriminates against people for reasons of creed, color, ethnicity or nationality. Peres recalled that at Israel's birth, "we were 650,000 people surrounded by 50 million Arabs. Without sufficient equipment or ammunition we fought for our rights. You call that apartheid? People tend to forget that we made peace with the Arabs," citing Egypt and Jordan.