We hear so often that Israel is racist and apartheid, that it is not a true democracy.
Ha’aretz reporter Noah Kosharek reports on a march through Tel Aviv by Arab women which was organised by the Workers Advice Center.
The women want to work in agriculture but there is a general policy of employing foreign workers within that sector.
The main thrust of the protest is to bring attention to the plight of Arab women and empower them to find work at a fair wage.
Apparently 83% of Arab women in Israel don’t work. This is probably more of a cultural problem than one of discrimination although the article does not explore the causes of such a high figure.
So what is my point?
How many Arab countries would countenance a demonstration by women at all? Were these women marching through Tel Aviv attacked or abused? No. Can you imagine a march of Jewish women in Teheran or Damascus?
This is a fundamental difference between Israel and its neighbours which many on the left in the UK who support Israel’s enemies: Israel is a free country and a democracy. It is not perfect by any means, but at least everyone regardless of race or religion can find a voice. There is freedom of speech and of the press.
The world concentrates on Israel’s relationship with the Territories, the Separation Wall, the restriction of movement and illegal settlements. All these are genuine concerns, and the plight of Palestinians outside of ‘Israel proper’ can be described as being between the ‘Rock’ of Israel’s policies in the Territories and the ‘Hard Place’ of being subject to rule by either Hamas or the PA.
The questionof whether you can separate the two Israels – the Israel within the pre-1967 and the Israel in ‘the Territories’ – I’ll leave to another time.
See the article here