The State of Israel was established in 1948, with its Declaration of Independence guaranteeing "complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race, or sex" and promising "freedom of religion, conscience, language, education, and culture." Israel's detractors, however, seek to sully these words through false accusations and broad generalizations incapable of accurately describing a complex situation on the ground — namely, replacing the word democracy with apartheid. There are many words to describe the State of Israel. Perfect is not one of them, but democratic certainly is. As always, we unequivocally defend Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine's (SJP) right to put on any events they wish, but we seriously question their decision to move the conversation in this negative direction, from productive dialogue to hateful misinformation. Our campus projects an ethos different from most other universities, particularly when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Where other universities see confrontations on the quad, we see challenging questions and desire for thoughtful dialogue (and the occasional back-and-forth in the Daily).
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is an annual series of events held across the globe, aiming to label the State of Israel as an apartheid state and to implement Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns. The unfortunate reality is that campaigns like IAW will serve to further polarize our campus, detract from productive dialogue and isolate members of the Tufts Community.
One of the IAW events is a hunger strike to honor KhaderAdnan, a Palestinian prisoner who was arrested under military detention and completed a 66-day hunger strike in protest, and who is now being called the "Palestinian Gandhi."
While the event is meant to promote non-violent resistance as a means of improving Israeli detention policies, what deeply concerns Friends of Israel (FOI) is SJP's choice of Adnan as their inspiration for the event. Adnan is reported to be a spokesperson for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S., the E.U. and Israel, and has been responsible for over 30 suicide bombings. At a 2007 rally, Adnan demanded of the crowd, "Who among you will carry the next explosive belt ... Who among you will have his body parts blown all over?"
Additionally, SJP will be holding an event entitled "Birthright, and the Whitewashing of Apartheid." We feel that this event implicates not only FOI, but also Tufts Hillel and the greater Jewish Community. By attacking Tufts Hillel's Birthright program, meant to foster a positive connection between Jewish students at Tufts and their ancestral homeland, this event will only serve to harm and ostracize the Jewish community on campus.
One of the most disconcerting parts of IAW campaigns is their core message, that Israel is an apartheid state. Israel is not, nor has it ever been an apartheid state. Accusers may say that apartheid simply means "separation" but the word apartheid is a decidedly political term used to evoke painful memories of the brutally racist South African regime — and in this case to paint false generalizations of conditions in Israel/Palestine.
As defined by the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court, apartheid consists of "inhumane acts ... committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime."
By contrast, within Israel proper, Arabs, who constitute 20 percent of the population, are full citizens that enjoy the same political rights as any other Israeli, play an active role in all sectors of society, participate in all levels of the democratically elected government and enjoy a benefit not afforded to many Arabs in the rest of the Middle East. There is an Arab member of the Supreme Court of Israel and 14 Arab members of the Knesset. Israeli Arabs have even represented Israel on the global stage in both Miss Universe and Eurovision competitions.
Israeli society is not perfect and unsurprisingly, some racism exists against Arabs. Just as it took almost 200 years for the civil rights movement to gain traction in the U.S., it will take time for the maturing State of Israel. As President Obama said of Israel and the U.S., "As two vibrant democracies, we recognize that the liberties and freedoms we cherish must be constantly nurtured."
Any level of racism must be viewed as unacceptable. FOI calls upon the Israeli government to take concrete steps to further integrate the Arab Israeli community, but employing the term apartheid and accusing Israel of systematic discrimination only deepens the divide rather than pulling Arabs and Jews closer together.
Exponents of the Israeli apartheid theory point to its alleged application in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These critics, however, ignore many of the important facts. Since the Oslo Peace Process in 1993, 94 percent of Palestinian citizens in the West Bank (and all of the Gaza Strip since Israel unilaterally withdrew in 2005) are under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority or Hamas. Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza govern themselves, have their own courts and don't pay taxes to the State of Israel. They are not citizens of Israel and therefore, by definition, are not subject to apartheid.
Critics further argue that the existence of separate roads in the West Bank for Israeli traffic, checkpoints and the security barrier constitutes apartheid. These security measures were set up as temporary mechanisms in response to the Second Intifada, where thousands of innocent civilians were murdered. Only five percent of the security barrier is actually a concrete wall, and the security barrier has contributed to a 90 percent decrease in the number of suicide bombings. Because the Palestinian Authority has not been able to guarantee the security of Israeli travelers, both Jewish and Arab, Israel has an obligation to maintain these measures to ensure the safety of its citizens.
Israel's intent has never been to maintain or prolong the suffering of the Palestinian people nor to deny them their right to statehood, a quality distinctly different from that of the South African regime. Israel has repeatedly voiced its support for a two-state solution, offering Palestinians all of Gaza and over 95 percent of the West Bank to no avail.
There is no doubt that the Palestinian people endure hardship, just as there is no doubt that Israeli democracy is flawed in its development. But to describe this situation as apartheid is a crude misrepresentation of the facts. As South African Interior Minister Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi said, "The Israeli Regime is not Apartheid, it is a unique case of Democracy." Both peoples deserve the right to self-determination. We need negotiations between both parties without preconditions to achieve a two-state solution.
At Tufts, we feel we have an opportunity to build a better community. We encourage healthy discussion and intellectual discourse. Just a year ago students from FOI, Hillel and SJP attended a retreat sponsored by the Provost, which fostered a safe space for productive dialogue and understanding.
It's not about being on the "right" side of history, nor polarizing "camps." It's about moving forward together to bring peace, and peace takes two.
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Shira Shamir is a sophomore majoring in international relations. Erica Feldman is a sophomore majoring in biology and community health. They are Co-Presidents of Tufts Friends of Israel.
