Israel democracy at work

So let’s take a deep look at apartheid Israel. It will have an Israeli Palestinian minister in the new coalition, eight Israeli Palestinian MPs in the coalition, an Israeli Palestinian party in the new coalition, eight female ministers and a female Ethiopian minister.

The new government is one third of Mizrahi origin (dark-skinned), 44 ministers and deputy ministers, 17 ministers not of the ruling party (old government). Three totally different political parties make up the new government — is this democracy at work or what? SA has a total of 61 ministers and deputy ministers, only one white minister (Barbara Creecy), only one white deputy minister (John Jeffery), only one minister not from the ruling party. Which is the more democratic government?

Does Israel practise job reservation or, to put it in modern terminology, broad-based BEE? Nothing of the sort, as Israeli Palestinians are represented in every aspect of civil life. No BEE scorecards are necessary for any position in Israel. No racial profiling for any state or private appointments is permitted. Every civil and municipal department is staffed by both Palestinian and Israeli personnel. Israeli Palestinians serve in the police and military at all levels up to staff officer, regardless of gender. SA practices a stringent policy of affirmative action to the prejudice of minority groups. Racial profiling practised in government employment policy.

Does anyone remember the ANC government criticising its sister African country Egypt, which shares a common border with Gaza, for destroying a 10km strip of housing along the border for “security” reasons? There was indeed a deafening silence from all quarters. The ANC government is at pains to condemn the evictions from six houses in the Sheikh Jarrah area where people had been illegally occupying the houses in defiance of a court order. But what do the ANC’s “Red Ants” do to whole communities who occupy land illegally?

We live in a hypocritical world but there is hypocrisy and “uber-hypocrisy ”— guess where the ANC fits in.

Allan Wolman Tel Aviv, Israel