Sir, – Kenneth Harper ridicules the idea of a single-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, which would extend citizenship rights to all peoples living between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean Sea, irrespective of race or religion (Letters, January 15th). He then instructs us on why Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, despite excluding four and a half million Palestinians of voting rights under its de facto rule. And he accuses People before Profit of “irony”. – Is mise,
TOMAS McBRIDE,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.
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A chara, – Defending Israeli democracy, Kenneth Harper claims that “Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Arab citizens can vote in free and fair elections. Arab parties served in the last government coalition of prime minister Yair Lapid” (Letters, January 15th).
The so-called United Arab List (which is just one party) joined Lapid’s short-lived government in June 2021. In the then 73 years of Israel’s existence this was the first and (so far) last time that its substantial Arab minority had been represented in government; not a great advertisement for Israeli democracy.
However, democracy isn’t defined by elections alone. In July 2018, the Israeli parliament passed the Nation State Law, declaring that “the right to national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish People” and “The State views the development of Jewish settlement as a national value”, although such settlement violates the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the main Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem have defined Israel as an apartheid state, while Jewish Currents contributing editor Joshua Leifer describes it as “a liberal ethnocracy that has maintained a military dictatorship in the West Bank for more than half a century”.
Perhaps Mr Harper should reconsider his definition of democracy? – Yours, etc,
RAYMOND DEANE,
Dublin 7.