Israel's "street apartheid" - Polidicks

[url]http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2010/07/20107101335494763.html[/url] [release]Mahmoud Alami, a Jerusalem taxi driver, knows the city like the back of his hand. He knows the neighbourhoods, the streets. And he knows the stop lights. There is one in particular that troubles him not professionally but personally. It stands between Beit Hanina, a Palestinian neighbourhood, and Pisgaat Zeev, a Jewish settlement. "It stays green for [settlers] for five minutes. But to go in and out of Beit Hanina? Only two or three cars can pass," Alami says. "It's too short. It causes a lot of traffic jams." Al Jazeera found that stoplights that lead to Jewish settlements and neighbourhoods stay green for an average of a minute and a half. In Palestinian areas, it's 20 seconds. One light in predominantly Arab East Jerusalem is green for less than 10 seconds. "[Palestinians] are stuck," says Amir Daud, another taxi driver. "It reflects a very bad situation for the people." [B]Budgetary discrimination[/B] Traffic jams are just one of the many problems that plague infrastructure and services in Palestinian areas of Jerusalem. Roads are poorly maintained. They are narrow and bumpy, riddled with cracks and potholes. Street signs and sidewalks are almost non-existent. Trash containers are usually communal and there are often too few to meet the needs of the neighbourhood. Pedestrians, forced to walk on the shoulder of the road, wade through garbage. Jewish neighbourhoods and settlements, on the other hand, are neat and orderly. Sidewalks and traffic circles keep pedestrians safe; roads are well-marked, some with lit signs. Most buildings have a garbage bin and the streets are free of litter. In one Jewish area, a grassy median is adorned with a rainbow assortment of decorative sculptures - metal children playing, kicking footballs, and riding bikes. When Al Jazeera presented a list detailing the differences between Jewish and Arab neighbourhoods to the Jerusalem municipality, the spokesperson denied the findings. But, speaking on the condition of anonymity, a former employee of the Jerusalem municipality confirmed that there is discrimination on a budgetary level. The sports department offers the most dramatic example - only 0.5 per cent of funds are allocated to Palestinian neighbourhoods. The other 99.5 per cent goes to Jewish areas. [B]Quality of life [/B] Nisreen Alyan, an attorney at the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), has recently filed a petition protesting against the lack of garbage collection in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Tsur Baher, located in East Jerusalem. Despite a population of 20,000, only 12 streets receive the service. This impacts both health and the quality of life, Alyan explains. Stray dogs, some carrying rabies, are attracted to the piles of trash. Residents have been attacked by the animals. And now children are afraid to go outside. "There are no public gardens for them, they don't have anything," Alyan says. "So these streets are the only place for the cars, for the children, for the garbage, for the dogs, for everything." The petition ACRI has filed asks the municipality to meet its legal responsibility, "nothing less, nothing more," Alyan says. "[This] means that they have to give [the residents] the right of sanitation." Alyan has informed the city of Tsur Baher's troubles in the past. But the city claims it cannot serve the whole neighbourhood because garbage trucks cannot maneuver the small streets. Alyan points out that this should not be an obstacle. The municipality has found creative solutions in other parts of Jerusalem. The streets in Tsur Baher are problematic, one resident explains. There are not enough of them. While most Palestinian neighbourhoods are subject to building restrictions, Tsur Baher is one of the few that is free to build. Much of their land has been appropriated by a neighbouring settlement, Har Homa; some is on the other side of the Israeli-built separation barrier; and there is no infrastructure to reach what is left. The lack of roads also means that emergency services cannot access all parts of the neighbourhood. Children have died in house fires. And because of a police order that prohibits ambulances from entering Palestinian neighbourhoods without a police escort residents have died waiting for medical care. "The problem is that the policemen don't come in time," a resident says. "The ambulance is stopped waiting at the top of the neighbourhood for half an hour .... People have died in this situation." "[ACRI is] writing another petition about it now," Alyan adds. [B]Paying taxes [/B] Asked about traffic lights in Tsur Baher, Alyan answers that there are none. Out of concern for the children's safety, the residents scraped together the money to add speed bumps to the roads. In other neighbourhoods, Palestinians have pooled funds to pay for garbage collection and street sweeping. This is after they have paid taxes. Because over 90 per cent of Israel's Palestinians live in towns separate from the Jewish population, many Israeli Jews excuse away the differences between Arab and Jewish areas with a "poor municipality" argument. They are poor, their towns are poor. Arabs do not pay a lot of taxes, or enough taxes, or any taxes at all, Israeli Jews say, so their villages cannot afford the same services they enjoy. But that reasoning falls apart in Jerusalem, a city striped with Palestinian and Jewish areas. And with Nof Tzion (Zion View), a Jewish settlement found smack in the centre of Jabel Mukhaber, a Palestinian neighbourhood, the differences are glaringly obvious. "For years, [Jabel Mukhaber] didn't have a main street," Alyan says. "Just after they built Nof Tzion, [the municipality] built a very fine street with pavement and lights." But the road stops dead after Nof Tzion. It gets bumpy, dropping off into gravel, then dirt, for the Palestinians. The "poor municipality" argument does not hold weight in Jerusalem for another reason. To the city's Palestinians, who have only residency and no citizenship, paying taxes is tremendously important. "If you won't pay your taxes, you won't have proof that east Jerusalem is the centre of your life and if you can't prove that, you will lose your residency," Alyan explains. This means that one becomes stateless, a refugee. "Before [Palestinian residents of Jerusalem] find money to feed their children, they pay their taxes," Alyan says. Tsur Baher, along with neighbouring Umm Tuba, pays approximately $7mn in taxes annually to a municipality they do not get to vote for. East Jerusalem residents tell Alyan that they just want the government to invest what they have paid back into the neighbourhoods. 'Psychological warfare' Yousef Jabareen, the director of Dirasat, the Arab Centre for Law and Policy, explains that public services are also funded on the national level. This is another point of inequality. Jabareen points to the "National Priority" programme that gave economic incentives to government-selected areas. When the programme was introduced in 1998, 500 Jewish towns received national priority status. While Palestinians make up nearly 20 per cent of Israel's population, and half of the nation's poor, only four Arab villages were selected. "That was a classic example of how the allocation of government resources is discriminatory," Jabareen says, adding that grave inequalities can be found in the state-funded educational system as well. Everything - from the poor conditions of the infrastructure to the lack of public services - adds up to leave Palestinians feeling rejected and disconnected, Jabareen says. "It's a feeling of frustration and of not belonging .... That the government and state is excluding you and you are not counted as an equal." Do the disparities in Jerusalem's neighbourhoods and the differences in funding throughout the nation amount to apartheid? "In some areas you could identify some characteristics of apartheid that should raise a lot of concern about the future," Jabareen comments. A young Israeli Jew, fresh from army service, simply remarks, "It's a kind of psychological warfare. The idea is to get [Palestinians] to leave."[/release] Some roads are more equal than others.

That's pretty disgusting. It's basically economic ethnic cleansing.

[QUOTE=MrEndangered;23267135]That's pretty disgusting. It's basically economic ethnic cleansing.[/QUOTE] it's all part of the systematic oppression that the US fully supports

It all looks and smells like an musty old shithole anyway IMO.

[QUOTE=POLOPOZOZO;23267296]It all looks and smells like an musty old shithole anyway IMO.[/QUOTE] ya your home is worth more than someone else's right?

Don't you all see this is necessary to protect Israel

LOL @article... 'street aparthide'.. sigh.

If I was Israel's leader, I'd be like: If you stop tossing missiles and suicide bombers our way, we'll open the boarders and start taking care of you a little more.

[QUOTE=Second-gear-of-mgear;23272745]If I was Israel's leader, I'd be like: If you stop tossing missiles and suicide bombers our way, we'll open the boarders and start taking care of you a little more.[/QUOTE] Except the article is relating mostly to Arab Israeli citizens and I guess West Bank Palestinians, who mostly don't do anything bad.

[QUOTE=Second-gear-of-mgear;23272745]If I was Israel's leader, I'd be like: If you stop tossing missiles and suicide bombers our way, we'll open the boarders and start taking care of you a little more.[/QUOTE] I think you're Israel's leader

[QUOTE=SunBird;23272854]I think you're Israel's leader[/QUOTE] I'm 1/3 Jewish, which isn't enough. But I do think I'd be a great leader for a rather fucked up country, politically speaking.

[QUOTE=Second-gear-of-mgear;23272745]If I was Israel's leader, I'd be like: If you stop tossing missiles and suicide bombers our way, we'll open the boarders and start taking care of you a little more.[/QUOTE] Thats like a tiny minority of a tiny minority of people who are involved with the missile attacks, so punishing the entire country is completely logical of course.

[QUOTE=ThePunisher1;23272998]Thats like a tiny minority of a tiny minority of people who are involved with the missile attacks, so punishing the entire country is completely logical of course.[/QUOTE] The tiny group is in control of that quasi state. That quasi state attacked Israel. Israel retaliated. SHOCK.

[QUOTE=ThePunisher1;23272998]Thats like a tiny minority of a tiny minority of people who are involved with the missile attacks, so punishing the entire country is completely logical of course.[/QUOTE] They seem to be targeting school and hospitals. That's rather low, even on Israels standards.

[QUOTE=ohadje;23273014]The tiny group is in control of that quasi state. That quasi state attacked Israel. Israel retaliated. SHOCK.[/QUOTE] That's Gaza. The West Bank is on the other side of the country and has at most disorganised extremists placing bombs around their own holy sites. This is just the result of no civil planning or consideration for them at all. The settlements shouldn't even be there and they should of been their own independant country a long time ago.

Jerusalem isn't in the West Bank, it was annaxed by Israel and it is the Israeli capital. 'Israeli settlements in Jerusalem' is a bullshit term that refers to Jewish neighbourhoods build in East Jerusalem - which is 100% legitimate. [quote]This is just the result of no civil planning or consideration for them at all.[/quote] Israel has made the PA to handle that. Israel, the US and the EU are donating millions to the PA so it will build proper infrastructure .

[QUOTE=ThePunisher1;23272998]Thats like a tiny minority of a tiny minority of people who are involved with the missile attacks, so punishing the entire country is completely logical of course.[/QUOTE] History is littered with blanket punishments.

I remember reading an article that said street lights from Palestinian districts remain green only for a short time, while for Jewish districts, it's rarely red and green most of the time. It's sick. [editline]04:20PM[/editline] [QUOTE=ohadje;23273014]The tiny group is in control of that quasi state. That quasi state attacked Israel. Israel retaliated. SHOCK.[/QUOTE] Israel broke the ceasefire...

[QUOTE=JerryK;23268934]ya your home is worth more than someone else's right?[/QUOTE] No when cities are 2000 years old they also have 2000 years worth of shit flowing through them.

Hamas did. [QUOTE]I remember reading an article that said street lights from Palestinian districts remain green only for a short time, while for Jewish districts, it's rarely red and green most of the time. It's sick.[/QUOTE] LOL Do you also belive in Peter Pen and Big-Foot? Seriously, don't believe anything that you read about what is happening in Israel-proper. You can always ask the Israelis on the board whether it's true or not (and it's a fucking lie, I'll tell you that).

[QUOTE=ohadje;23274164]Hamas did. LOL Do you also belive in Peter Pen and Big-Foot? Seriously, don't believe anything that you read about what is happening in Israel-proper. You can always ask the Israelis on the board whether it's true or not (and it's a fucking lie, I'll tell you that).[/QUOTE] I'll find the article later on the street lights, but no Israel broke the the ceasefire :rolleyes: Don't even debate that. [URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KntmpoRXFX4[/URL] (CNN) [URL]http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/05/israelandthepalestinians[/URL] [URL]http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2008/1230/1230581467173.html[/URL] etc. [editline]04:47PM[/editline] SHOCK. [editline]04:49PM[/editline] Well actually, it's in this article as well. I'd rather trust the media then an Israeli who tries to make Israel seem cuddly and nice. [quote=Article]"It stays green for [settlers] for five minutes. But to go in and out of Beit Hanina? Only two or three cars can pass," Alami says. "It's too short. It causes a lot of traffic jams." Al Jazeera found that stoplights that lead to Jewish settlements and neighbourhoods stay green for an average of a minute and a half. In Palestinian areas, it's 20 seconds. One light in predominantly Arab East Jerusalem is green for less than 10 seconds.[/quote]

[QUOTE]I'll find the article later on the street lights[/QUOTE] IT'S BULLSHIT NO MATTER HOW MANY LINKS YOU'LL GIVE ME SON. [QUOTE]but no Israel broke the the ceasefire[/quote] Hamas sent 6 terrorists into Israel who got killed. Hamas did a voilent act against Israel, thus Hamas broke the cease fire. SHOCK oh wait.. not really. [quote]then an Israeli who tries to make Israel seem cuddly and nice.[/quote] That's a brilliant tactic there, aka "Zionist liar!".

[QUOTE=ohadje;23274387]IT'S BULLSHIT NO MATTER HOW MANY LINKS YOU'LL GIVE ME SON. [/QUOTE]Source that it's bullshit? [quote] Hamas sent 6 terrorists into Israel who got killed. Hamas did a voilent act against Israel, thus Hamas broke the cease fire. SHOCK oh wait.. not really.[/quote]Wait, are you seriously fucking trolling? Israel raided Gaza and killed 6 Hamas. Read the links I gave you. [editline]04:56PM[/editline] You just demonstrated that you know nothing on the Gaza conflict.

[Quote]Source that it's bullshit?[/quote] Oh boy... [quote]Israel raided Gaza and killed 6 Hamas. Read the links I gave you.[/quote] "Israeli troops crossed into the Gaza Strip late last night near the town of Deir al-Balah. The Israeli military said the target of the raid was a tunnel that they said Hamas was planning to use to capture Israeli soldiers positioned on the border fence 250m away. Four Israeli soldiers were injured in the operation, two moderately and two lightly, the military said." [QUOTE]You just demonstrated that you know nothing on the Gaza conflict.[/quote] You're so cute!

[QUOTE=ohadje;23274471]Oh boy...[/quote] Oh boy... stop evading the argument. [quote] "Israeli troops crossed into the Gaza Strip late last night near the town of Deir al-Balah. The Israeli military said the target of the raid was a tunnel that they said Hamas was planning to use to capture Israeli soldiers positioned on the border fence 250m away. Four Israeli soldiers were injured in the operation, two moderately and two lightly, the military said."[/QUOTE] Oh, I thought "Hamas sent 6 gunmen to Israel and got killed :downs:" what happened to that statement. So Israel raided Gaza because they thought were using a tunnel to capture Israeli soldiers. That means Israel broke the ceasefire. [editline]05:03PM[/editline] [quote=ohadje]You're so cute![/quote] I don't know if you're either trolling, flamebaiting or just evading the argument.

[QUOTE=ohadje;23273014]The tiny group is in control of that quasi state. That quasi state attacked Israel. Israel retaliated. SHOCK.[/QUOTE] YEAH retaliate by denying basic necessities to and repressing people who have nothing to do with the quasi-state! AND THEN BULLDOZING THEIR HOMES TO MAKE SHOPPING CENTERS!

[QUOTE]stop evading the argument. [/QUOTE] What argument? That article makes shit up, and I tell you it isn't true because I friggin live here (have Arab freinds, go through Arab areas regaulerly, meet Arabs on a daily basis etc' etc') and I know what I'm fucking talking about. So if some jerk made an article in the Al-Jazeera saying that Israel poisens the Hummus that is delivered to supermarkets through out the Arab villages - would you believe that? I don't see why do you belive that fucking crystal clear fraud. [QUOTE]Oh, I thought "Hamas sent 6 gunmen to Israel and got killed " [/quote] I was shooting off my memory events that occured 2 years ago. Wasn't sure about the details, but you're clearly picking straws. [QUOTE]So Israel raided Gaza because they thought were using a tunnel to capture Israeli soldiers. [/quote] And if Hamas was indeed building a tunnle in order to abduct an Israeli soldier - that would clearly be considered a hostile act on my book and therefore a breach of the ceasefire. Imagine this: You're in a fight with someone - but you agreed to stop. You drew a line, you stand at one side and your opponent is at the other side. If you would know he's making preperations (I dunno, drinking thai tea, eating beef jerky) to slap you hard while you're asleep - wouldn't you consider it a hostile act and therefore a breach in your agreement? Would you wait for him to slap you? [quote]YEAH retaliate by denying basic necessities to and repressing people who have nothing to do with the quasi-state! AND THEN BULLDOZING THEIR HOMES TO MAKE SHOPPING CENTERS[/quote] "Hi I'm 12 and what is this?"

[QUOTE=ohadje;23274632]What argument? That article makes shit up, and I tell you it isn't true because I friggin live here (have Arab freinds, go through Arab areas regaulerly, meet Arabs on a daily basis etc' etc') and I know what I'm fucking talking about. So if some jerk made an article in the Al-Jazeera saying that Israel poisens the Hummus that is delivered to supermarkets through out the Arab villages - would you believe that? I don't see why do you belive that fucking crystal clear fraud. [/quote] The article didn't make "shit" up since this isn't the first time I heard about street lights, and you simply expect me to believe its wrong 'cuz u say so' . The Hummus shit has nothing to do with the argument, but instead is an irrelevant exaggerating analongy. [quote] I was shooting off my memory events that occured 2 years ago. Wasn't sure about the details, but you're clearly picking straws. [/quote] Just shows how much you know. [quote] And if Hamas was indeed building a tunnle in order to abduct an Israeli soldier - that would clearly be considered a hostile act on my book and therefore a breach of the ceasefire. Imagine this: You're in a fight with someone - but you agreed to stop. You drew a line, you stand at one side and your opponent is at the other side. If you would know he's making preperations (I dunno, drinking thai tea, eating beef jerky) to slap you hard while you're asleep - wouldn't you consider it a hostile act and therefore a breach in your agreement? Would you wait for him to slap you? "Hi I'm 12 and what is this?"[/QUOTE] No because Israel claimed that the tunnel was a threat to their security. However, there was no provocation from Hamas before that Israeli incursion. Tunnels were the only way the Palestinians were breaking the Israeli blockade to smuggle food, medicine and other necessities to Gaza. Israel had a tight siege on Gaza for most of the time during the ceasefire, which by itself was a violation of the terms of the ceasefire.

[quote]The article didn't make "shit" up since this isn't the first time I heard about street lights, and you simply expect me to believe its wrong 'cuz u say so' . The Hummus shit has nothing to do with the argument, but instead is an irrelevant exaggerating analongy. [/quote] Than it's my word (and other 7 million Israelis, Arabs and Jews) word against Al-Jazeera's word. Why won't you come here, to the country, since you're so passionate about this and stuff - and see for yourself? [QUOTE]Just shows how much you know.[/QUOTE] The fact you lurk Wikipedia doesn't allow you to think you're any knowledgable of the subject (which you clearly aren't, you're only throwing key-sentences indoctrinated to you through intense reading of Al Jazeera). I was simply wrong on one detail because I wasn't checking it (didn't really matter anyway), and your misreable display of straw-picking is really no fun to watch. [quote] However, there was no provocation from Hamas before that Israeli incursion. [/quote] What was it than? A peace gesture? [QUOTE]Tunnels were the only way the Palestinians were breaking the Israeli blockade to smuggle food, medicine and other necessities to Gaza. [/quote] Speaking of knowledge (or common sense...), the tunnle was heading towards Israel -not Egypt. It's is virtually impossible for Palestinians to smuggle anything from Israel to Gaza (directly) so the only food-supplying tunnles are between Gaza Strip and Egypt.

If I didn't know better, I'd think you were a burnemdown alt.