'Israel Not an Apartheid State'

[Levi]

Former South African President: Israel Not an Apartheid State

F.W. de Klerk, who served as the last President of apartheid-era South Africa, said on Wednesday that it was unfair to say that Israel is an apartheid state.

De Klerk, who is visiting Israel where he received an honorary doctorate from Haifa University, gave an interview to Channel 2 News, in which he was asked about comments recently attributed to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, that Israel would become "an apartheid state" if talks failed.

"There are many definitions of apartheid. I do not know what Mr. Kerry meant, but one should be careful about making comparisons,” said de Klerk, adding, “From what I know of Israel, I do not think it's a fair comparison.” He continued, "I ​​would not call Israel an apartheid state. You have closed borders, but even the United States has closed borders and Mexicans cannot enter freely. There are Palestinians here with full rights and representation in the Knesset, there are no discriminatory laws against them. It's not fair to call Israel an apartheid state. If Kerry said it, I think he made a mistake.”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/181164