Apartheid State of Israel I received the following e-mail from three different people: If you get tired of the hyperbole skip to the end for my comments; And boy, do I have some. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (THIS IS THE ENTIRE MESSAGE AS I RECEIVED IT) The following letter was written to the President of Rutgers State University by an Israeli citizen after reading her published comments on the Israeli/Palestinian situation Dear Ms Kates, I think you are a remarkable woman. You are neither an Arab or a Jew, you do not study the Middle East or any associated subject, and correct me if I am wrong, you have never visited the region. Therefore I am somewhat astounded at your expertise and at your comments on Israel being an "Apartheid State". I have lived in Israel for many years and I would be delighted to take you on a virtual tour of our country. Let me first give you a couple of minor points. Israel occupies ).1% of the land mass of the Middle East and it is the only Jewish state, not only in this region, surrounded as we are by 22 Arab states, but in the world. Let us begin our "virtual tour". You have already been through immigration at Tel Aviv airport with your boyfriend, whom we shall call Ken. You will have filled out a visitors form. This form will not ask you, as it will in many of the Arab countries that surround us, what is your religion, and it will certainly not ask you, as they do in Saudi Arabia for a "certificate of religion." The day is Sunday! You will want to attend a church service. No problem in the Apartheid state of Israel. We tolerate and freely allow worship for all religions. This is more that can be said for nearly all of the surrounding 22 Arab nations. In fact many of them would not even have a single church, let alone a synagogue. After a lovely service you and Ken would head for a leisurely lunch, maybe at one of the lovely beachfront restaurants of Tel Aviv. You would most likely have returned to your hotel and put on a very casual outfit, as fitting for the very hot Israeli summers. This could be a pair of shorts and a tight fitting skimpy t -shirt. No problem in the Apartheid state of Israel. In Israel we allow freedom of dress, especially for women who are not made to wear bulky long robes, a veil to cover their face, and wouldn't it be a pity if you had to cover that lovely coiffed hairdo, as you would probably have to in most of the surrounding 22 Arab states. During lunch Ken could gaze lovingly into your heavily painted eyes, complete with a good application of black mascara. He would be free to lean across and kiss your lips, finely painted with lip liner, 2 shades of burgundy lipstick and gloss. People would think you were probably in love, especially as Ken has displayed a good wine on the table. Public displays of affection and consuming alcohol in the Apartheid state of Israel is nothing unusual and not even scorned upon. That’s more that can be said for many of the surrounding 22 Arab states, where your glossy lips would be considered whorish and alcohol is forbidden. But Ken, being a little flirtatious, pinched one of the young waitresses while you went to reapply your lipstick. It was harmless and luckily for the young girl in the Apartheid state of Israel, her father and 6 brothers will not take her to the family pool in the evening and drown her, as they would in some of the 22 surrounding Arab states. After lunch you and Ken drive around. You are even allowed to drive. It is not forbidden in Israel. You stumble across a kindergarten. The children are running around and enjoying themselves. They are not made to sit for hours reciting by rote pages of meaningless texts from religious books. Their games are in the sandpits or on the swings. They are not infested with hate or told the only honor to their lives will be in death. In the Apartheid state of Israel we rejoice in life and living. We do not promote murder and violence by brainwashing our children with hatred, as they do in many of the surrounding 22 Arab states. By the end of the day, you and Ken come across a political rally. Many thousands have turned up. In the Apartheid state of Israel, all the citizens, men, women, Jews, Arabs and Christians are free to vote. We are allowed to openly criticise our government and our media, including the TV and newspapers, offer without prejudice, a choice of opinions. Every person has the right to openly agree with or condemn the government. This can certainly not be said for most of the surrounding 22 Arab states, ruled as they are by oppressive dictators, where any dissent is met with dire consequences. Of course, most of the 22 surrounding Arab states can't offer you a good old fashioned homicide bombing as a tourist attraction. This can only happen in the Apartheid state of Israel, surrounded as we are, by so many hostile countries, determined as you are to wipe us off the face of the earth. Where else can you get on a crowded bus, often packed with children and come face to face with some poor plighted Palestinian ghoul, who thinks life isn't very jolly, having been fed and brainwashed by evil organizations like Hamas, to believe that the only way forward is to murder innocent people. This dehumanized creature will have been fed on a 24/7 diet of lies and hate incitement. He will have been coaxed with the reward of 72 vestal virgins waiting for him in Paradise. His demonic mother will be dancing in the street, waving her $10,000 check. While Israelis are scraping their dead children off the side walks, the Palestinians will be lighting fireworks and dancing in the streets to honor this mass murderer as a hero, often to their children who are being systematically nurtured to the next generation of mass murderers. The Apartheid state of Israel--forgive me, Ms. Kates, but you seem somewhat confused as to the meaning of the word. It usually refers to segregation. Its funny, isn't it, that a large section of the Jews who live in the Apartheid state had to flee for their lives from nearly all of the surrounding 22 Arab states. These countries not only have no tolerance for Jews, they refer to anyone who is not a Muslim as an Infidel and an enemy. I find it somewhat curious that you find nothing "apartheid" about these countries. Maybe you should do a project on how many churches there are in Saudi Arabia. Let me help you- there are none. It would not be tolerated. I am proud to live in this Apartheid state. In 55 years we have become one of the most technologically advanced nations on this planet, with many innovations that have made Israel a true leader in many fields. It is tragic that we live in a region that feels threatened by our achievements. Israel is not an Apartheid state and it is appalling that a so-called intelligent and thinking person like you can go around finding feeble excuses for murder. Ms. Kates, there is no justification in any society for getting on a crowded bus, often packed with children, detonating an explosive belt, often packed with nails and shrapnel and destroying innocent lives. This is not a freedom fighter, or a person seeking justice, but a chronically irreversibly evil human being. I can only assume that one day in the near future, Ms. Kates, you will chip off that heavy layer of make up and discover your conscience. As always, David. END OF ORIGINAL MESSAGE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Comments: I have tried to find the original letter, that this was a riposte to, and failed. I did find out that the person who supposedly wrote it was not the president of Rutgers State University but just a student there. I don't know what she said in it but this is what I have to say to David and all the other deluded fools who champion the Laws of the State of Israel: True, there is no Apartheid in Israel and there never has been. What there is in Israel is a little bit worse than that. In Israel there are no laws to keep the various groups separate because there is no way that they can mix. Where in South Africa and Rhodesia it was illegal for blacks and whites to marry each other, the church could have easily done that provided that there existed one enlightened priest (and I am told that there were a few.) In Israel, there is no way, in any church, synagogue or mosque, that a Muslim can Marry a Jew, or a Christian for that matter of fact. Try to understand that David - A JEW CAN ONLY MARRY ANOTHER JEW OF THE OPPOSITE SEX - MUSLIMS CAN ONLY MARRY MUSLIMS - CHRISTIANS CAN ONLY MARRY CHRISTIANS - AND SO ON. I was just debating this with a friend the other day and he was trying to explain to me that I do not understand, that that is what it takes if you want to be a Jew and live in Israel and than he started telling me about France, about anti-Semitism and all kinds of other things that had nothing to do with the fact that the Laws of Israel are accomplishing by omission something that laws of South Africa only managed to control partially. And David, though I have not read the original letter I do not think that it was comparing Israel to any of its neighbors the way you and my buddy want to do because you cannot muster a good enough argument to support your point of view. Does the State of Israel have the right to do this? Well, if certainly has the power and the support of a majority of its citizens. I hope you all enjoy the fruits of your 57 years of conflict; the economy is surely booming (tell me it has nothing to do with war, I would like some more fairy tales.) Does it have the moral right? It depends - ask any Yeshivah boy and he will work that newly learned Pilpul crap on you till you won't know what's hit you. Ask me and I will just tell you - NO WAY!!! Ask God and if you don't receive your answer fall back to the Torah. Just make sure that God really said what you think he said - The Kabbalah does not seems to think it is as simple as all that. And remember, that no matter what you do or think on this life, one day it will end and you will have to face HER - and Lotsa Luck to You!