The authors of “The Israel Lobby” were recently in Tel Aviv, and from all accounts, “the visit of the two controversial American professors was a great success.”

“Like Cape Town in the 1980s, Tel Aviv is a classic apartheid city. Both places are wealthy and urbane port cities with vibrant art scenes and large gay communities. Like Cape Town (compared to its inland counterpart Johannesburg/Pretoria), Tel Aviv is relatively unburdened by the right-wing fervor that marks Jerusalem. At early stages, both Cape Town and Tel Aviv were cleansed of their unwanted populations, making it easier for the remaining residents to pretend that they live in normal places. Only about five thousand Palestinians live in Greater Tel Aviv; they are largely invisible, mostly confined to the ancient city of Jaffa, where they once numbered 100,000.”