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There's a certain irony that many people who celebrate the life of Desmond Tutu and his fight against apartheid continue to ignore that he said Israel does the

There's a certain irony that many people who celebrate the life of Desmond Tutu and his fight against apartheid continue to ignore that he said Israel does the same thing and should be subject to boycott. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/29/comment https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/29/comment

dagaci 5y ago
I dont think anyone is ignoring it, its a Heated topic and actually quite an issue in South African politics now (https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/protests-greet-miss-south-africa-upon-return-israel https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/protests-greet-miss-south...) Wikipedia has a page where the general issues are enumerated https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_and_the_apartheid_analogy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_and_the_apartheid_analo.... Historically scrutiny originally fueled because Israel is seen as a supporter of the apartheid system even after all other western countries had withdrawn support https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-why-israel-supported-apartheid-regime-1.5298552 https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-why-israel-supporte...
- vidarh 5y ago
  It's still ignored by a lot of people who do not hesitate to argue apartheid is bad, yet can't stomach the comparison. Tutu's willingness to call Israeli government policy apartheid, alongside other prominent apartheid fighters, like e.g. Arthur Goldreich, matters greatly in legitimising resistence against those policies. Even so every new person or organisation deciding to come out and saying this is still met with fierce resistance.
  - dagaci 5y ago
    Desmond Tutu views were incredibly consistant and technical, rather than emotional. Policy of Israel is driven by the need to maintain a Jewish majority franchise, should not need to explain why, however the simple demographics of the Arabs would quickly create Arab majority in Israel if Israel were to acknowlege soverentiy over the occupied territories or even permit the return of refugees. An outcome like the above is of course clearly completely unacceptble, locally and in the west. However Israel cannot allow even those territories to become independant because that would require giving up security control, control over valuable land and other natural resources like water. No nation gives away its territory easily! So current status quo with the territories must be maintained!
pastrybanking 5y ago
Desmond Tutu was critical of Israeli government policy in the treatment of Palestinian people and even earlier when Israel maintained friendly relations with the apartheid regime in South Africa. This is also the same man who criticised Arab nations for refusing to recognise Israel as a sovereign state, sympathised with the historical atrocities committed against Jewish people and condemned violence from both parties in the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. There is no irony in celebrating the life of a man who universally condemned oppression and called for a peaceful resolution to one of the most complex conflicts of modern times.
chernevik 5y ago

dagaci 5y ago

I dont think anyone is ignoring it, its a Heated topic and actually quite an issue in South African politics now (https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/protests-greet-miss-south-africa-upon-return-israel https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/protests-greet-miss-south...) Wikipedia has a page where the general issues are enumerated https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_and_the_apartheid_analogy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_and_the_apartheid_analo.... Historically scrutiny originally fueled because Israel is seen as a supporter of the apartheid system even after all other western countries had withdrawn support https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-why-israel-supported-apartheid-regime-1.5298552 https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-why-israel-supporte...

vidarh 5y ago
It's still ignored by a lot of people who do not hesitate to argue apartheid is bad, yet can't stomach the comparison. Tutu's willingness to call Israeli government policy apartheid, alongside other prominent apartheid fighters, like e.g. Arthur Goldreich, matters greatly in legitimising resistence against those policies. Even so every new person or organisation deciding to come out and saying this is still met with fierce resistance.
- dagaci 5y ago
  Desmond Tutu views were incredibly consistant and technical, rather than emotional. Policy of Israel is driven by the need to maintain a Jewish majority franchise, should not need to explain why, however the simple demographics of the Arabs would quickly create Arab majority in Israel if Israel were to acknowlege soverentiy over the occupied territories or even permit the return of refugees. An outcome like the above is of course clearly completely unacceptble, locally and in the west. However Israel cannot allow even those territories to become independant because that would require giving up security control, control over valuable land and other natural resources like water. No nation gives away its territory easily! So current status quo with the territories must be maintained!

pastrybanking 5y ago

Desmond Tutu was critical of Israeli government policy in the treatment of Palestinian people and even earlier when Israel maintained friendly relations with the apartheid regime in South Africa. This is also the same man who criticised Arab nations for refusing to recognise Israel as a sovereign state, sympathised with the historical atrocities committed against Jewish people and condemned violence from both parties in the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. There is no irony in celebrating the life of a man who universally condemned oppression and called for a peaceful resolution to one of the most complex conflicts of modern times.

chernevik 5y ago