Israel Takes Cue From Apartheid 'Divide-and-Rule' Playbook
By Heidi-Jane Esakov
Published March 03, 2014.
Few things get under the skin of supporters of Israel like the use of the term ‘apartheid’ to describe the state or its policies. Less than two weeks ago, a campaign named Rethink2014 was launched by pro-Israel activists to challenge what it calls “the Apartheid smear,” just ahead of the global event known as Israel Apartheid Week that looms in March.
In an especially stunning blow to the campaign, Israel’s Knesset took a page from the apartheid policy playbook by seeking to divide and rule its Arab population — just as South Africa once sought to play off parts of its black majority against one another.
Just last week, the Israeli parliament enacted a law that calls for the expansion of the Advisory Committee for Equal Opportunity in the Employment Commission. It essentially aims to distinguish between Christian and Muslim Arabs, with the goal of giving preference to the former. The law further hopes, according to its sponsor, Yariv Levin of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-Beteinu Party, to “de-Arabize” Christians.
A law that offers material benefits to one group over another — in this case, Christian over Muslim Arabs — in order to maintain the privilege of the dominant group is precisely the sort of law that served as the cornerstone for apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid was not just about enacting laws to directly maintain white domination and privilege. It was a carefully crafted system of social engineering that attempted to reinforce difference through policies and laws.
The divide-and-rule objective of the new law is underscored by Levin himself.
Read more: http://forward.com/articles/193718/israel-takes-cue-from-apartheid-divide-and-rule-pl/#ixzz2uwcPPfNj