generalspeaking

Segregated Busing?

There was a time, before the first Intifada, when tens of thousands of Palestinians found good-paying jobs in Israel. Work that offered them a decent working environment among Jewish employers. For the most part, it seemed that Jews and Palestinians got along fairly well together, their relations were cordial and the atmosphere was one of mutual support. Jewish employers needed reliable employees and Palestinian employees were glad to have the work.

And then with the Intifadas, relations became strained. Political manoeuvring embarked on a mission to destabilize peace and good order within Israel to pressure it to come to an agreement with the Palestinians that would benefit their grievances without their having to accede to any of Israel's reciprocating demands. Violence turned from the inconvenience of rock-throwing youth to the dread incidences of bombs.

Palestinians were persuaded that their assumed victimhood was so untenable as to require the ultimate sacrifice, that they were to be blessed martyrs. In becoming a suicide bomber and successfully managing to murder as many Israeli men, women and children as possible in the process, vengeance would be satisfied, and the suicidist-murderer's place in Paradise would be assured. Streets were named in honour of suicide-bombers, a cult of martyrdom took place.

And that lasted until a separating wall was built. But the trust that had been established between Jewish employers and Palestinian-Arab employees had evaporated. Palestinians lost their employment because on occasion some who were trusted with the lives of Jews, betrayed that trust and committed slaughter against their trusting employers. The Palestinian Authority was unable to produce jobs to make up for the employment lost in Israel.

But more latterly, Israel has allowed Palestinians to take employment in Israel once again. In an effort to defray the situation prevailing in the West Bank of high unemployment, as a good-will gesture, tens of thousands of Palestinians eventually were hired again for jobs in Israel. Understandably enough, given the bloody past, many Israelis are decidedly nervous about sharing seats on a public bus with Palestinians, since blowing up buses was a favourite past-time not all that long ago.

The Israeli Transportation Authority responded to concerned complaints by Israelis, with an initiative to provide Palestinian-only bus service. A service meant specifically to convey Palestinians from the West Bank into Israel where their employment was. Where previously many Palestinians had taken expensive taxis in transit, the new service provided a less expensive alternative. But the introduction of the new service was met with scandalized charges of 'segregation' and 'apartheid'.

"They are institutionalizing segregated services for Jews and non-Jews" charged an activist with Women for Civil Disobedience, an Israeli-Palestinian campaign group. And apart from human-rights groups in Israel decrying the new move, the international press took up the story and it is presented in the one-sided way usually steadfastly maintained when reporting any type of suspected Israeli social malfeasance.

Little wonder that Israel and its people have been forced to acquire thick skins. The estimated 29,000 to 40,000 Palestinians travelling to jobs in Israel every day were meant to benefit from the new move that was "designed to improve the service for Palestinians entering Israel", according to the transport ministry. Responding to reports of overcrowding and fights between Israeli and Palestinian passengers.

Labels: Conflict, Controversy, Human Relations, Israel, Palestinians

posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, March 06, 2013