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Source: http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=118&x_article=1280
Israeli Historian Benny Morris Refutes Norman Finkelstein
[CAMERA] Israeli historian Benny Morris was cited by anti-Israel activist Norman Finkelstein as an "informed commentator" who agrees with Carter's apartheid comparison. In response, Morris said: "Israel is not an apartheid state - rather the opposite, it is easily the most democratic and politically egalitarian state in the Middle East, in which Arab Israelis enjoy far more freedom, better social services, etc. than in all the Arab states surrounding it. Indeed, Arab representatives in the Knesset, who continuously call for dismantling the Jewish state, support the Hizbullah, etc., enjoy more freedom than many Western democracies give their internal oppositions." "As to the occupied territories, Israeli policy is fueled by security considerations rather than racism - and indeed the Arab population suffers as a result. But Gaza's and the West Bank's (Arab) population are not Israeli citizens and cannot expect to benefit from the same rights as Israeli citizens so long as the occupation or semi-occupation continues, which itself is a function of the continued state of war between the Hamas-led Palestinians and Israel."