Is Emory’s “Apartheid Week” really here again so soon?

While more extreme methods of argument over issues concerning Israel have been just cause for criticism — witness the model wall, symbolizing the partition separating the West Bank from Israel, that Emory Advocates for Justice in Palestine set up in Asbury Circle — the fact that the word “apartheid” has continued to be a part of the dialogue has not been properly censured. However, like other derogatory terms that rely on their ability to appeal to people’s emotions, using the word “apartheid” to describe the situation in Israel is factually inaccurate.

On a literal level, the word “apartheid” suggests certain practices. While there is no doubt that prejudices exist, the claim that Israelis ascribe to or practice ethnic supremacy over Palestinians is simply incorrect. Compare what children are being taught in the schools of the West Bank and Gaza to those in Israel. The Israeli education system is politically neutral and operates in an egalitarian environment, teaching subjects such as math, history and language. In contrast, in numerous Arab curriculums and textbooks, it is commonplace to teach hatred of Israel and of Jews specifically.

The false parallel that some students have deliberately drawn between the racist and discriminatory laws in South Africa to those of modern day Israel is flawed. During the apartheid in South Africa, the white minority ruled over a large black majority with strict segregation laws while denying equal rights and opportunities. Blacks were not allowed entry to white-only trains, beaches and hospitals — no such segregation exists in Israel.

Roughly 20 percent of the population in Israel is Arab and enjoys the exact same legal rights and opportunities as Jewish neighbors, including the right to vote, to live and to work. Additionally, Arabs hold numerous positions in the Israeli Knesset legislature and other governmental bodies, including the judiciary.

The inaccuracy of the comparison additionally demeans the plight of the millions of oppressed black South Africans who endured the brutal and unequal system of real apartheid. Certainly, it is true that Palestinian Arabs living in the West Bank and Gaza are not Israeli citizens — nor do they wish to be. Instead, Gazan Palestinians live under the brutal terrorist regime of Hamas, which systematically liquidates political opponents, suppresses free speech and oppresses its women. No Jewish-Palestinian segregation exists in Gaza; no Jews live there following the withdrawal of the Israeli Defense Forces. Meanwhile, a historically corrupt and oppressive Palestinian Liberation Organization rules in the West Bank, but is now struggling toward building elements of a democratic society.

Many cite Israel’s security fence as proof of an “apartheid” system. But the Israeli government built the security barrier in 2006 as a measure to prevent terrorists from infiltrating Israel, not as an attempt to disadvantage Palestinians. The statistics speak for themselves: Between 2001 and 2003, before the security barrier was built, terrorists infiltrating from the West Bank and Gaza murdered 399 Israeli citizens. During the next two years, when the wall was partially built, the number of murdered citizens was significantly reduced to 78. In 2008, only one such death was recorded.

This attack on Israel is also curious considering the rampant political, religious and gender-based oppression that exists in the Palestinian territories.* Palestinian officials make no effort to protect women from domestic violence, homosexuals are often tortured, beaten and killed and the Christian minority in the West Bank has been persecuted for decades.

Moreover, it is interesting that these students choose to target Israel when Palestinians suffer far greater legal discrimination at the hands of Muslim “Brothers” in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Many are denied political and employment rights. Additionally, the number of Muslims suffering for deviating from the “true path” in Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan and India is many multiple times greater. Have students decried these atrocities as well, or is the actual focus of the protests on Emory’s campus to defame Israel?

Distorting facts and propagating hatred against Israel will not save lives, promote democracy or bring peace to the Middle East. These misguided tactics, particularly the use of inflammatory misnomers such as “apartheid,” work against the millions of Israelis and Palestinians who together want and deserve peace. Passionate students on campus — as well as interested members of the media and blogosphere — should strive to engage one another in a productive and respectful discourse. Promoting the sharpening of emotional divides, on the other hand, only prevents the dialogue from moving forward.

Mathew Rotenberg is a College senior from Minneapolis. He is the president of AIPAC at Emory.

*Ed. Note: This column has been edited from it's original version in order to remove incorrect information concerning female suffrage among Middle Eastern nations.