Sandra Tamari writes about her deportation from Israel for the Belleville News-Democrat:
Israel’s discriminatory policies have affected my family before. In 1966, my father came to the United States for work. Soon after, Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip. Israel conducted a census of residents of the Occupied Territories in 1967 to create a population registry. Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 270,000 Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories before the war were absent during the census for study, work or because they fled the conflict. Many Palestinians, including my father, were denied their right to regain residency status. When my father returns to visit his family, he must do so on a tourist visa granted at Israel’s discretion.
The U.S. Congress has done nothing to tell Israel that this is an outrage. Instead, they go along with AIPAC in giving Israel over $3 billion in military aid per year to further dispossess Palestinians.
Israel’s treatment of Palestinians contrasts to its red-carpet treatment reserved for Jewish immigrants from anywhere. On my flight to Tel Aviv, I sat next to a woman who had just graduated from college and was headed to Israel for her first visit on a fully-funded “birthright” trip designed exclusively for Jews. The Israeli “Law of Return” offers Israeli citizenship to any person of Jewish heritage. By denying the right of return for millions of Palestinians refugees like my father, Israel maintains an artificial Jewish majority.
My deportation was designed to intimidate me into silence, but it won’t work. I plan to encourage the Presbyterians in the coming weeks to support divestment from corporations profiting from the occupation. I will hold up my recent experience as a prime example of how Israel is intent on allowing only those who are exclusively interested in hearing Israel’s perspective into the country. Those who have concerns they wish to share with U.S. Christians are unwelcome. I am convinced my story will lead many people to examine more closely the discriminatory policies Israel is enacting.
Read the rest of “Deportation show Israel’s intolerance” here.
“My deportation was designed to intimidate me into silence, but it won’t work. I plan to encourage the Presbyterians in the coming weeks to support divestment from corporations profiting from the occupation. I will hold up my recent experience as a prime example of how Israel is intent on allowing only those who are exclusively interested in hearing Israel’s perspective into the country. Those who have concerns they wish to share with U.S. Christians are unwelcome. I am convinced my story will lead many people to examine more closely the discriminatory policies Israel is enacting.”
It’s not 1948 any more. The Palestinians understand the Israeli machine and are more than a match for it.
“Birthright”? How they corrupt English words. The word “Aliyah” was only coined in the 1930’s during the British mandate by illegal immigrant Zionist Jews in Palestine according to the “Encyclopedia Judaica” which also boasts about “Israel” being created by illegal immigration.
No. Ms Tamari’s father wasn’t’ banned from entering Israel’. He was denied the right to regain residency status. Obviously he wasn’t banned from entering Israel or he wouldn’t be able to return to visit his family.
Am I the only person who reads this stuff?