AP proves the USA isn't a democracy

An "analysis" from AP:

Is Israel a democracy? The answer is not so straightforward, and it increasingly matters given the diplomatic fallout over hardliner Benjamin Netanyahu's re-election last week.

The displeasure felt in some quarters over his win has placed front and center the world community's unwritten obligation to accept the results of a truly democratic vote.

In other words, the people who can't stand that Israelis democratically elected a party they loathe want to pretend that the votes don't matter.

For Israel, the argument is especially piquant, because its claim to be the only true democracy in the Middle East has been key to its branding and its vitally important claim on U.S. military, diplomatic and financial support. Israel's elections, from campaign rules to vote counts, are indeed not suspect.

Gee, thanks.

But with the occupation of the West Bank grinding on toward the half-century mark, and with Netanyahu's election-week suggestion that no change is imminent, hard questions arise.

But among Israelis themselves, there is increasing angst over the fact that their country of 8 million people also controls some 2.5 million West Bank Palestinians who have no voting rights for its parliament.

 Who are these Israelis? The Ha'aretz crowd who are in a distinct minority! "

If the 2 million Palestinians of Gaza — a territory dominated indirectly by Israel — were added to the equation, then together with the 2 million Arab citizens of "Israel proper" the Holy Land would be home to a population of some 12 million, equally divided between Arabs and Jews.

Of the Arabs, only a third have voting rights. These are the "Israeli Arabs" who live in the areas that became Israel in the 1948-49 war, which established the country's borders.

OK, now we know the AP's rules of democracy: anyone who is "occupied" and anyone who is "dominated indirectly" must have voting rights or else the democracy is suspect.

Obviously, these new criteria for democracy apply to Israel and only Israel.  Because in the past century the US has occupied Japan, the Philippines, parts of Germany and Austria, much of Iraq, Haiti and many other territories. That's over a hundred million people who were disenfranchised from voting in American elections at one time or another.

The US economically dominates Canada.

How come none of those countries were allowed to vote in US elections?

It is even worse, because as I have shown, some 10 million US citizens are not allowed to vote in national elections. In Israel, every citizen can vote.

If we apply consistent rules to AP's formulation of "democracy" then the US is anything but a democracy.

But the point of AP's "analysis" is not to define democracy. it is to delegitimize Israel. And as with so many criticisms of Israel, it applies rules to Israel that simply don't apply anywhere else in the world. Unsuspecting readers do not know enough to compare Israel with other democracies who have controlled unincorporated territories and AP sure isn't going to mention it, because it is not interested in "analysis."

The double standard towards the Jewish state is blatant. Too bad no AP reporters will analyze  their own racism.

(h/t Anne, Bob K)