Courtesy: Amalia Rinehart, Columbia Spectator

This was featured in the Columbia Spectator on Friday, March 4, 2011.  It was written by Jonathan Huberman, LionPAC Director of Public Relations.

During Israeli Apartheid Week, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestinehas once again offensively exploited a historical tragedy. No rational person can deny the plight of the Palestinians, and no moral person can ignore their suffering. However, labeling Israel as an apartheid state grossly distorts the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and belittles the suffering of South African apartheid victims. If Apartheid Week has proven anything, it has shown that C-SJP misrepresents the moderate majority of Palestinians and works against a peaceful two-state solution.

Israel is a democratic, multi-ethnic country that upholds equal rights for all of its citizens. Minorities comprise 20 percent of Israel’s population, and they enjoy the same civil liberties as any Israeli. Israeli-Arabs vote in Israel’s democratic elections and hold seats in Israel’s parliament. An Israeli-Arab, Salim Jubran, is a judge on Israel’s Supreme Court, and other Israeli-Arabs have served as deputy speakers of the Israeli parliament. Not surprisingly, a recent poll showed that 40 percent of Israeli-Arabs living in East Jerusalem would rather relocate their homes and maintain Israeli citizenship than join a Palestinian state. In contrast to citizens of other Middle Eastern nations, Israeli-Arabs enjoy greater political freedom and opportunity in Israel than they would in any other Arab country.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY—This week, our campus must again contend with deceitful anti-Israel propaganda, as Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (CSJP) participates in the International Israeli Apartheid Week. Apartheid refers to the system of racial oppression that occurred in South Africa, and CSJP seeks to equate Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians with the racist South African regime. Beneath the façade of the apartheid analogy, CSJP makes the insidious allegation that Israel is an inherently immoral and colonial regime with no right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state. These claims are false and offensive, and we cannot stand by silently as our fellow students vilify our homeland.

Israel is a moral country, and we should feel proud to defend it as an island of egalitarian democracy in a sea of despotic oppression. Israel provides equal rights to all of its citizens, regardless of their background. Israeli-Arabs vote in elections, hold seats in the Knesset, and sit on the Israeli Supreme Court. When Israel takes measures of self-defense, such as its construction of the security barrier, it does so from a desire to protect its diverse population, not to enforce racist ideologies. While some inequality does exist in Israel, as it does in every western democracy, the Israeli government has persistently sought to preserve its cultural richness and equality.

LionPAC urges everyone on campus to participate in the many LionPAC and other Hillel sponsored events this week that will respond to the false moniker of apartheid and to help Hillel on College Walk as we seek to further an honest presentation of the facts. Lastly, as always, check back often on http://lionpac.org/ for event announcements, insightful blog posts, and relevant Spectator op-eds.

By Adam Shoshani, GS | 2014

Before I begin, I would like to clarify my views: I hold moderate political opinions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and truly believe that there is only one way to end this longtime conflict in the Middle East- a two state solution- with Israel, as a Jewish and democratic state, living peacefully side by side with a free Palestinian state. Moreover, I place myself somewhere in the center of the political map in Israel.

Holding these opinions, I attended the “Breaking the Silence” event at Barnard College hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine on January 26. Breaking the Silence is a public-benefit organization of former Israeli soldiers working to “raise awareness about the daily reality in the occupied territories.” While I had heard several views regarding the organization, I decided to hear the group’s opinions and presentation for myself. I watched the movie for nearly two hours, and I found myself not only surprised but also disappointed. Following the event, I decided that I could not stand still as different people and organizations hypocritically and wrongfully delegitimized my own country- the state of Israel. The movie presented from start to finish a one-sided story with no real consideration of the Israeli perspective. I am responding to this crude event to give a more balanced and historical view of this tragic conflict.

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