Ari Lesser – Israel Apartheid

People say Israel's an Apartheid state
But I can't relate to that baseless hate
It's not really fair to try and compare
A racist regime with the war on terror
Using common sense against violence
Israel had to build up the border fence
And if you think that's Apartheid it's because
You don't know what Apartheid really was
For two thousand years the Jews all roamed
But we always called Israel our home
Unlike the British and Dutch who came
To South Africa where they had no claim
They already had countries overseas
But they wanted to expand to new colonies
So they conquered the natives, bought and sold
That land they stole full of diamonds and gold
The whites united and decided to create
South Africa, as a democratic state
But soon they denied blacks voting rights
So the whole government was controlled by whites
The House and the Senate and all of the courts
Were white so the black people got no support
Plus the police would arrest, and beat
Any peaceful protesters in the street
They split everybody into four different races
And moved them by force into separate places
If you were Indian, black, or brown
You had no business in a white town
They had segregation of transportation
Buses, bus stops, trains and train stations
Separate ambulance, different doctor and nurse
And the black hospitals were always worse
Restaurants, hotels, and the public park
Might be off limits if your skin was dark
It was crime and you could get more than a fine
If you crossed the line of that "Whites Only" sign
They had separate teachers at different schools
Black and white beaches and swimming pools
Cafes and movies theaters wouldn't let folks in
Discriminating if they had the wrong color skin
No mixed marriage, it was a criminal act
For a white person to have sex with a black
Apartheid went from the womb til the tomb
Couldn't even take dump in the same bathroom
People say Israel's an Apartheid state
But I can't relate to that baseless hate
It's not really fair to try and compare
A racist regime with the war on terror
Using common sense against violence
Israel had to build up the border fence
And if you think that's Apartheid it's because
You don't know what Apartheid really was
In Israel, Apartheid is not the case
Cause regardless of gender, religion, or race
All Israeli citizens black, brown, and white
Have equal social and political rights
So the Arab Israeli Population
Which makes up twenty percent of the nation
Might be a minority but at least
They can vote, unlike the rest of the Middle East
Look at the whole region you'll see only
Israel is truly a democracy
Every citizen's right to vote is protected
And Arab officials often get elected
That's an important point, let me stress it
There's a dozen Arabs, with seats in the Knesset
Plus an Arab Judge on the Supreme Court
So they don't fall short on government support
Everyone has access to the same schools
The same beaches and the same swimming pools
The same resorts and hotel guestrooms
Same public parks and public restrooms
The same cinemas, restaurants, and cafes
Same trains, buses, taxis, and highways
Same doctors, and nurses, all deliveries
Of babies are done in the same facilities
Arab Israeli life expectancy's great
Up by Twenty seven years since nineteen forty-eight
And their infant mortality rate has declined
From thirty-two per thousand to less than nine
And they're doing much better economically
Relative to every other Arab country
There's no restrictions on choice of career
They're welcome in the military if they volunteer
They can work and reside wherever they please
From Eilat all the way to the sea of Galilee
They live in the very same cities as Jews
On the same street in the same house if the choose
So people say Israel's an Apartheid state
But I can't relate to that baseless hate
It's not really fair to try and compare
A racist regime with the war on terror
Using common sense against violence
Israel had to build up the border fence
And if you think that's Apartheid it's because
You don't know what Apartheid really was