Israel chooses apartheid over peace

 

 

Canadian Arab Federation La Fédération Canado-Arabe

PRESS RELEASE

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

September 28, 2010

 

Israel chooses apartheid over peace

 

As expected, Israel ended its bogus construction moratorium in the

Occupied Palestinian Territories and reaffirmed its goal to continue its

colonization of Palestinian lands. This policy has resulted in tripling the number

of Jewish colonists in the occupied West bank and doubling the Jewish colonists

 in occupied East Jerusalem since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.

 

Israel's colonization and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian land continued apace

during the last 10 months. The so-called settlement freeze was a myth right from

the start. It only covered new construction starts in the occupied Palestinian

West Bank, and did not apply to already-approved construction, infrastructure

projects, or colonies expansion in occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem. 

Moreover, data from Israel's statistical office shows the population of Jewish

West Bank colonies increased by 20 thousand and the Israeli Jewish population

of East Jerusalem rose by 7 thousand since the so-called moratorium was imposed.

 

Israel's actions have made the two-state solution unattainable. It has

formally annexed East Jerusalem. There are currently 520 thousand Israeli

Jews in 132 colonies and 100 outposts in the West Bank and East Jerusalem,

and no Israeli government is willing or able to evict that population. In short the

colonies cannot be undone and a de-facto annexation of the West Bank has

already taken place.

 

Presently, within the borders of historical Palestine there is in fact a single state.

It has one electrical grid, one water system, one currency, one major highway

system, one postal service, and one external border. Goods and people entering

this de facto state come through harbours, airports, and a restricted number of

 crossings. Bills of lading and passports are checked and stamped by officials of

 this single state.

 

Gaza is repressively besieged. West Bank Palestinians and Jerusalemites are

virtually imprisoned by the Wall, checkpoints, permit restrictions, and

total military control. Moreover, there are two different sets of laws for two

different people living in that one state. Jews from Toronto or Buenos Aires

get immediate Israeli citizenship on arrival to live anywhere in Israel or

in the colonies in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem; while Palestinian

 refugees are not allowed to return and Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel are

prevented from living on 93 percent of the State of Israel that is owned by the

Jewish National Fund and the Israeli Land Authority.

 

In short, within Israel and in the West bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza,

Israel has created one bi-national entity between the Mediterranean and

the Jordan River in which one population (the Jews) has separated itself from

the other (the Muslim and Christian Palestinians) and instituted a regime of

permanent domination and discrimination. That is precisely the definition

of apartheid.

 

For more information, please contact:

Khaled Mouammar                                
CAF National President                                 
416-879-6766

www.caf.ca

Established in 1967, the Canadian Arab Federation is a national,

non-partisan, non profit and membership-based organization.  CAF

represents Canadian Arabs on issues relating to public policy.