Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site unc.unc.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!unc!fsks
From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion.jewish,net.nlang.africa
Subject: Re: Apartheid on the West Bank
Message-ID: <742@unc.unc.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Dec-85 15:10:26 EST
Article-I.D.: unc.742
Posted: Sun Dec 15 15:10:26 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 16-Dec-85 04:24:30 EST
References: <4188@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> <360@ubvax.UUCP> <1448@ihlpg.UUCP> <431@eneevax.UUCP> <210@pluto.UUCP> <491@mhuxr.UUCP>
Reply-To: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Organization: CS Dept, U. of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill
Lines: 38
Xref: watmath net.politics:12485 net.religion.jewish:2870 net.nlang.africa:187
Summary: 

Marcel-Franck Simon:

>   To get back to the original argument: were Israel to annex the West Bank,
>   would that make the Palestinians Israeli citizens?

Yes, unless they refused to accept Israeli citzenship.  When Israel annexed
the old city of Jerusalem, all residents were offered full Israeli citizenship.
Few accepted this offer, perhaps out of fear of PLO retaliation.  As an aside,
I believe the Samaritans on the West Bank have become Israeli citizens
(you remember "the parable of the good Samaritan").

>   If so, would they not have a majority of the vote (assuming they were
>   to vote as a block)?

Yes.   This is the chief argument why Israel should NOT annnex the West Bank.

>   Should Israel, then, limit their voting rights, thereby assuring it
>   remains a Jewish state?  If it does so, does that not violate
>   the principles of democracy that Israel is founded on?

Right.  That is why Israel hasn't done it (yet).

>   And does limiting the rights of a subset of its citizens,
>   because of their race, not put Israel in a position similar to
    ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^
>   that of South Africa, or of the US prior to the Civil Rights
>   and Voting Rights acts? 	Marcel-Franck Simon ihnp4!{mhuxr, hl3b5b}!mfs

If Israel limited Arab's voting rights, it could not be because of race.
After all, Arabs and Jews are of the SAME race (especially when you consider
that a majority of Israeli Jews are Sephardic, i.e. from Arab countries).
What you are describing would have to be described as religious (not racial)
discrimination.  This would make Israel more similar to the Arab countries,
who already have much religious (pro-Muslim) discrimination.  There would be
no similarity with South Africa, as South Africa does not have any religious
discrimination that I know of.

	Frank Silbermann