Now, more than ever, Americans must realize Israel is a champion of democracy in the Middle East. Israel is a parliamentary democracy with regular free and fair elections. These elections reflect the society in which the citizenry live. This is because Israel is one of the few places in the Middle East where all citizens-'women and minorities included'have the right to vote. With 120 elected representatives in the parliament, Arab-Israeli's have their own party and hold 10 seats. Deputy Prime Minister Saleh Tarif, an Arab-Israeli, is a minister in Ariel Sharon's cabinet. In a country of roughly six million, Israel has over one million Arab-Israeli citizens. It is a system of proportional representation.
In addition to being democratic, Israel is also secular. This is an anomaly in a region where the majority of states are governed by religious doctrine. In Israel, the ultra-religious do not run government unless they gather a majority of votes. Law and order is maintained by due process that is awarded to all.
In fact, in March 1999, Abdel Rahman Zuabi became the first Arab member of Israel's Supreme Court. In the words of Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz, \One judges a democracy by the way its courts react in the dispassionate cool of judicial chambers. And the Israeli Supreme Court and other courts have reacted magnificently. For the first time in Mideast history, there is an independent judiciary willing to listen to grievances of Arabs'that judiciary is called the Israeli Supreme Court."" In contrast to many of its neighbors, Israel epitomizes democracy in its secular government and judicial system.
Pluralism, a component of democracy, is embedded throughout Israel. Debate between the left and right is encouraged. Parties advocating all kinds of views are able to demonstrate and protest without fear. Free speech is promised in Israel; their newspapers, television and other forms of media emit a diverse spectrum of views. Plenty of Jewish intellectuals openly write and broadcast in opposition to the government of the day. Is that liberality ever true in the rest of the non-democratic Middle East? Israel's pluralistic society is a result of its democratic principles.
Recently, a divestment program comparing Israel to apartheid South Africa has started on few college campuses. Inflammatory propaganda paints Israel as an apartheid state. As educated students and faculty at UW-Madison, it is our duty to understand and communicate that this comparison is a gross falsity.
To claim that the Israeli government commits no faults would be na??ve. No democratic state is innocent of mistakes and wrongdoings, especially during times of conflict. People must take everything into consideration when critiquing Israel. Israel is a democratic speck in a sea of terrorizing, authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. It is time to stand up and advocate for a state that protects every citizens' freedoms in the Middle East. It is time to advocate for Israel.
