That was the headline in the Jerusalem Post the other day. It is about the Israeli government approving, for the first time ever, bus routes that actually reach Palestinian towns in Israel. As offensive as this inequality is, it reminds us how little is known about the rampant discrimination against Palestinians in Israel. Many people are probably aware of the most egregious violations, or can at least guess at them (housing, employment, education, health, military, and so on), but it’s understandably difficult to grasp just how thoroughly unequal Israeli society is today.
In order to accurately quantify these inequalities, you’d have to think about each area of life and then compare the quality of services and outcomes between Palestinian Israelis and Jewish Israelis. What about free speech? Paved roads? Marriage? The list is potentially infinite.
This issue is worth thinking about when considering both the two state solution (without democratic protections stronger than those afforded to Palestinian Israelis today, these kinds of discrimination will likely get worse), and the one state solution (even if these injustices can be democratically overturned, just imagine the magnitude of the head start that one segment of the population has enjoyed). It’s a strong reminder that if and when there is a political solution, there will still be a long way to go to reach a truly equitable society.
