May 22, 2015

• Segregation or Security on Public Transportation in the West Bank? – Yifat Erlich
  Suddenly when there is an attempt to separate Israelis and Palestinians on Israeli public transportation, cries of apartheid drown out the public discourse. No one is crying racism about the fact that there is no chance I, an Israeli, will ever be able to get on a Palestinian transportation company’s bus. Outside Palestinian towns are signs banning Israelis from entering. In practice, Israelis of Arab descent can enter freely. Only Jews are barred entry.
  The reality is that the Jewish residents of Ariel and Samaria prefer to hitchhike instead of getting on buses filled with Palestinian Arab laborers. Jews are entitled to come home from work without feeling threatened, and therefore they should be offered a public transportation solution which will guarantee their safe return.
  Will an Israeli Arab get on a bus designated for Israelis? Of course he will. In other words, we are not talking about racial segregation but about security segregation on the backdrop of a 100-year conflict. (Ynet News)