Maariv: “Muslim Woman, Israel’s Secret Weapon To Counter Apartheid Week”

Wednesday March 07, 2012 05:11 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli paper Maariv published a report stating that a Muslim woman from Dir Hanna Arab town, north of the country, is part of an Israeli team that was set up to counter the “Israeli Apartheid Week” held in colleges in South Africa.

Bushra Khalayla, a young Muslim woman who wears a hijab, stated that she is active with this team in countering international campaigns meant to highlight Israel’s apartheid policies and the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Maariv’s reporter, Erick Bender, reported that this young Arab woman is “part of Israel’s secret media weapon," adding that Khalayla “enthusiastically defends Israel, and its legitimacy."

According to the Israeli report, Khalayla also talks to Arab students in Johannesburg, telling them that she is an “Arab, Muslim woman who lives in her country, Israel, and enjoys equal right like any other citizen of the country."

According to Maariv, Khalayla stated that she was lucky to be born in an open and liberal home, and that her husband supports her in all of her activities.

Israel started in recent years an extensive campaign meant to recruit students to campaign in foreign colleges around the world, including in South Africa, meant at countering pro-Palestinian campaigns that expose the illegal Israeli violations, and apartheid policies against the Arabs and Palestinians.

The campaign is mainly meant to counter pro-Palestinian activities that promote the academic boycott in international campuses.

This is happening while some senior Israeli political leaders, even from the far right, are admitting, from time to time, that Arabs in the country are facing discrimination, and are not fully equal with Jewish Israelis.

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