On Sunday (Oct. 16), Palestinian terrorists killed three young
Israelis in a drive-by
terrorist shooting in the West Bank
(pictured at right). In
response to pointed warnings of
more attacks of this type, the IDF imposed
restrictions on Palestinian traffic on certain
West Bank roads.
Though the road closures were temporary and aimed at preventing
further loss of life, several media outlets quickly spun this story in
a different direction ― suggesting they are part of a larger
Israeli plan to implement 'road apartheid' in the West Bank.
The Guardian stated:
The Israeli military
has blocked Palestinians from driving on the main artery through the
West Bank in a first step towards what Israeli human rights groups
say is total "road apartheid" being enforced throughout the occupied
territory.
The New York Times also quoted a Palestinian official making the
'road apartheid' claim, and
The
Scotsman said:
On the ground, the condition of Palestinian civilians seems to be
deteriorating further... Israel is moving ahead with plans to make
permanent a ban on Palestinian use of main roads in the West Bank.
Two falsities are disseminated with these media-driven claims:
1) Israel is not 'moving ahead' with plans to
'permanently ban' Palestinian traffic on West Bank roads. What has
occurred ― in the wake of Sunday's shooting and the many others that
preceded it ― is
further discussion of a how separate road systems
might make the West Bank safer for travel, given the ongoing threat of
drive-by terrorist fire. Such discussions are always conducted while
balancing the humanitarian concerns to peaceful Palestinians.
2) The term 'apartheid' is once again, absurdly brought into
the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. HonestReporting
previously provided
a side-by-side comparison of the two situations that debunked the
association vis-a-vis the security fence. That comparison is just as
relevant here. And as former US Mideast
negotiator Dennis Ross stated in
an op-ed this week:
Yasir Arafat loved to equate the Palestinian struggle for
statehood with the struggle of South Africans against apartheid, but
his was always a false analogy. In South Africa, less than 15
percent of the population controlled all the power and wealth and
subjected the other 85 percent to a degrading, inhuman and
segregated existence...
Compare that to the Palestinian movement for self-determination.
Arabs today remain a minority in the area that encompasses Israel,
the West Bank and Gaza. To be sure, given demographic trends, Jews
will become a minority in that area within this decade, but even by
2050, Arabs would outnumber Jews by only 60 percent to 40 percent.
The international community supports a two-state solution because it
recognizes that there are two national movements with populations in
rough equality. That was never the case in South Africa.
As Israel continues to consider methods of protecting its citizenry from
Palestinian terror, HonestReporting encourages subscribers to be on the lookout
in your local media for unfounded claims of West Bank
'apartheid roads', and respond with the facts if they appear.
Comments to The Guardian: letters@guardian.co.uk
Comments to The Scotsman: click here
