This is a guest post by Eyal
The issue of the ‘Palestinian-only’ buses has caused quite a stir, as seen by Marc’s impassioned post on the subject.
Writing for The Atlantic, Jeffery Goldberg thinks these bus lines are emblematic of a much bigger problem:
These bus lines are, of course, an embarrassment to Israel, but I do not think their establishment is significant beyond their obvious symbolism. Why? Because they represent only one symptom of the real problem, which is that Israel cannot not, and should not, maintain two separate systems — separate-but-equal, or separate-but-unequal — for Jewish residents of the West Bank, and Arab residents of the West Bank.
Most Israelis want to maintain their country as a Jewish state, and as a Jewish haven. Jews, because they are an ancient people, and because they have suffered at the hands of Christians and Muslims for centuries, have earned the right to independence. Having finally earned the privilege of Jewish autonomy, Israelis do not want to become citizens of the world’s 23rd Arab-majority state. But eventually, if the Palestinians of the West Bank aren’t freed from Israeli domination, that is what they will become.
He is, of course, right.
