Ya'alon Vows To Revive Plan To Segregate Israelis, Palestinians On West Bank Buses

[Purveyor]

Defense minister insists only security considerations were behind the controversial plan, which was scrapped within hours of launch following widespread criticism.

By Amos Harel | May 20, 2015 | 5:20 PM

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon did not withdraw his support in a plan to tighten supervision of Palestinians traveling from the West Bank to Israel. The first stage of the plan, which was described as a "pilot," included the enforcment of separate Israeli and Palestinian bus travel in the West Bank.

The implementation of the plan's first phase was suspended by Ya'alon and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu less than a day after it was launched following widespread local and international criticism after a report by Haaretz on Tuesday.

In response to the criticism, Ya'alon said Wednesday that the only goal of the plan was to ensure security – and not segregation between Jews and Palestinians.

"There is no segregation between Jews and Arabs on public transport in Judea and Samaria," Ya'alon said on Tuesday. "There has been no discussion about [segregation] and there has been no decision about it."

more...

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.657384

[Jefferson23]

1. What a line, he thinks anyone who has been paying attention does not already know

their policies?

*Now that the Israeli prime minister has instructed the Minister of Defense to freeze the pilot plan to keep Palestinians off the buses used by settlers, the most explicit and blatant manifestation of the segregation and discrimination regime will temporarily be put on hold, probably due to the negative fallout for Israel’s public image. However, the policy of segregation and discrimination against Palestinians has existed on the ground for a long time and it is the direct continuation of the regime of occupation and settlement. During the past 48 years the State of Israel has created two separate legal systems in the Occupied Territories, one for settlers the other for Palestinians. It also has imposed an official policy of segregation in downtown Hebron and, elsewhere, has set up a system of separate roads for use by Palestinians and settlers. It is therefore no surprise that the lords of the land are now demanding racial segregation on buses.

The flimsy excuses cited to rationalize this separation policy are entirely unconvincing. Particularly recalling the military’s past assertions that Palestinian workers who have undergone all the general and individualized security checks pose no security risk to settlers on the busses. Moreover, internal discourse among settlers unequivocally indicates that the demand for segregation comes from their interest in removing Arabs from the buses.

http://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20150520_separation_in_buses

[azurnoir]

2. so will Bibi knock it down again? IMO that depends on how much his coalition and power matter to him

[eloydude]

3. Go ahead, dump Bibi and his Likudniks... I know he wants to...

and force another election...