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Does Israel Abide by International Standards of Human Rights?
(Washington Post) Jennifer Rubin - The New York Times asked the Democratic presidential candidates the same 18 questions, including asking whether Israel abides by international standards of human rights. Here is the answer they should have given: You know it's weird you are asking about the only true democracy in the region. Saudi Arabia dismembered an American journalist. Egypt is run by a brutal authoritarian. Syria's Bashar al-Assad committed genocide. And yet you want to know about Israel. Why don't you focus on any of those, on China, on Russia, on illiberal regimes that have come to power in Europe? Now you may be referring to its policies regarding the Palestinians. Let's start with a reminder that, on multiple occasions, Israel has offered the Palestinians more than 90% of the West Bank. Currently the offer is on the table to negotiate with the Palestinians with no preconditions. Israel is not perfect. However, the insistence on singling Israel out for criticism is emblematic of a double standard. Criticize Israel (I do). But let's not make it No. 1 on the wanted list of human rights violators. It frankly shouldn't be on the list at all.