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December 30, 2009

AP Photo Caption Errs on Roads "For Jews"

Rehashing an old canard (see here and here) that there are "Jews only" West Bank roads, an AP photo caption from yesterday reads:

443 jews only.jpg

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 4, 2008 file photo, Palestinian, Israeli and foreign protesters run from tear gas fired by Israeli troops, bottom, during a demonstration on Highway 443 near the West Bank village of Beit Horon outside Jerusalem. Israel's Supreme Court ordered the military on Tuesday Dec. 29, 2009 to allow Palestinians to travel on the part of Highway 443 that runs through the West Bank, handing Palestinians their biggest victory yet against Israel's practice of reserving some roads for Jews. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

As documented earlier by CAMERA, while there are some West Bank roads prohibited to Palestinian traffic, there are no roads either in Israel or the West Bank reserved only for Jews, as this caption claims. The difference is significant -- while most Palestinians may not travel on Highway 443 (this will change in the next five months) and certain other West Bank roads, Israeli Arabs -- Christians and Muslims -- most certainly may.

AP's Amy Teibel accurately described the restriction in her article yesterday, saying that "Israel has created a system of roads in the West Bank restricted to Israeli use." Moreover, AP corrected this very same error last year.

See here and here for other recent AP photo miscaptions.

Posted by TS at December 30, 2009 07:08 AM

Comments

Just as it is wrong to say that South African Apartheid only allowed Afrikaners to vote, since non-Afrikaner whites were allowed to vote too.

Posted by: reader at December 30, 2009 11:17 AM

In truth, there are "Arab only roads". These are the roads that Jews cannot use for fear of terrorist attacks.
The so called "Jews only roads" were built to provide a way around the "Arab only roads", but they are open to people of all religions.

Stan

Posted by: Stan at December 30, 2009 11:46 AM

Reader,

It is actually not quite the same as non-Afrikaner whites voting in apartheid South African elections. Arab Muslims or Palestinian Muslims, if you prefer, who are citizens of Israel are allowed to travel on those roads. It is only those who are not Israeli citizens -- i.e. West Bank residents who are prohibited from travelling on those roads.

Posted by: Pat at December 30, 2009 01:41 PM

Pat, why should Israeli citizens from Tel Aviv (or Jaffa, for that matter) have the right to drive on restricted parts of Road 443 (in the West Bank) while non-citizen Palestinians who live along the same highway and whose land was expropriated to build it cannot?

Posted by: reader at December 31, 2009 09:38 AM

Had Palestinian terrorists not launched terror attacks on Israeli mototorist on 443, including several murders, the Palestinian population would have been able to continue using that road to this day. The Israeli victims include Eliyahu Cohen, Ronen Landau, Sharon and Yaniv Ben-Shalom and Doron Sviri.

Posted by: TS at January 3, 2010 03:27 AM

TS, by your logic how long must Palestinians be banned from using this highway? The ban has been in place for more than seven years already.

Posted by: reader at January 3, 2010 03:15 PM

Reader,

Why should non-citizen Palestinians not have the right to travel on the same highway as Israeli citizens?

For the same reason Israeli citizens are forbidden to drive on roads designated for Palestinian West Bank residents--SAFETY! To prevent the deaths of Israeli citizens!

As TS points out, it is only after Palestinian non-citizens have carried out attack after attack targeting men, women and children that Israel implemented this safety precaution. Israeli citizens are not allowed to drive on certain highways inside the West Bank because they might become targets for attack by Palestinian terrorists and Palestinian non-citizens cannot drive on certain highways connecting Israeli communities because too many attacks have carried out by them or their compatriots.

How many Palestinians have been shot at and killed on those roads by Israeli citizens and how many Israeli citizens have been shot at and killed by Palestinians? If you are honest, you will understand the reason.

Posted by: Pat at January 3, 2010 06:42 PM

Reader,

For the record, I did not state my personal position/logic concerning restrictions on 443. You asked why Palestinians were banned, and I gave you the reason -- due to fatal attack on Israeli motorists.

I guess, after seven years, we can now open the road and see whether or not more Israelis will be shot dead. That certainly is one option.

Posted by: TS at January 4, 2010 03:42 AM

Correcting things a little bit:
1. Bet horon is no West Bank village but, an Israeli settlement;
2. the picture was not taken ON highway 443 but, on the road leading up to Bet Horon.
Just spent a shabbes there, quite recently...

Posted by: lothar at January 19, 2010 11:15 AM

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