Saudi Arabia bans protests, Turkey locks up journalists,

Iran and Libya kill their opponents,

Egypt killed protesters, Syria kills hundreds every day.

Haneen Zoabi, an Arab woman is an elected member of the Israeli Knesset

and has led anti-Israel protests.

Israeli apartheid?

Her actions would never be tolerated in any of the surrounding countries,

but Zoabi’s anti-government pieces are routinely published

in main stream Jerusalem newspapers and supported by the courts.

While Saudi Arabian women are forbidden to drive a car,

in Jerusalem, many Arab women take driving lessons

and sit where they want on public buses.

School girls are not afraid to share the same streets,

no matter what uniforms they wear, and go on to attend Israeli universities

and find work in the medical professions in Israeli hospitals.

Arab women walk alone

through the streets of the Old City

and in all the neighborhoods

around

Jerusalem, Israel

dressed in clothing

of all types

and colors.

Often Arab women shop

in Mamilla Mall,

in the Machane Yehuda Market, the shuk,

on Jaffa Street,

King George Street,

and in Talpiot.

They can eat in a street cafe or restaurant

or walk with a male companion.

With young children

or alone,

Arab women are not afraid or forbidden to move around freely.

Israeli apartheid?