Israeli apartheid

Israel and the apartheid analogy is a comparison between Israel 's treatment of the Palestinians and South Africa 's treatment of non-whites during its apartheid era , or a comparison of the Israeli concept of hafrada (separation) with the South African concept of apartheid . The analogy has been used by some scholars, United Nations investigators, and human rights groups critical of Israeli policy. Critics of Israeli policy say that "a system of control" in the Israeli-occupied West Bank , including the ID system, Israeli settlements, separate roads for Israeli and Palestinian citizens around many of these settlements, military checkpoints , marriage law, the West Bank barrier , use of Palestinians as cheaper labour, Palestinian West Bank exclaves , inequities in infrastructure, legal rights, and access to land and resources between Palestinians and Israeli residents in the Israeli-occupied territories , resembles some aspects of the South African apartheid regime, and that elements of Israel's occupation constitute forms of colonialism and of apartheid, contrary to international law. Some commentators extend the analogy to include treatment of Arab citizens of Israel , describing their citizenship status as second-class . Opponents of the analogy claim that the comparison is factually, morally, and historically inaccurate and intended to delegitimize Israel. Opponents state that the West Bank and Gaza are not part of sovereign Israel. They argue that though the internal free movement of Palestinians is heavily regulated by the Israeli government, the territories are governed by the elected Palestinian Authority and Hamas leaders, so they cannot be compared to the internal policies of apartheid South Africa. In regards to the situation within Israel itself, critics of the analogy argue that Israel cannot be called an apartheid state because unlike South Africa which enshrined its racial segregation policies in law, Israeli law is the same for Jewish citizens and other Israeli citizens, with no explicit distinction between race, creed or sex. However, others believe that even if Israeli law does not make explicit distinction between categories of citizens, by creating benefits for IDF service, which is not mandatory for Arabs, in effect it privileges Jewish citizens and discriminates against non-Jewish, and particularly Arab, citizens of the state. Apartheid Israel: possibilities for the struggle within . "In day-long Security Council meeting, Palestine observer says Israeli security wall involves de facto annexation of occupied land" . "How can these Israeli war crimes be appropriately described?" he asked. We believe it is worse than that. Is this a new apartheid system? We believe it is worse than that. The Jewish Federations of North America . Israel has its faults, but apartheid isn't one of them The Washington Post Richard Cohen , 2 March 2010 Please see references: Munayyer, Yousef (23 May 2012). The New York Times . Palestinians in Israel: Segregation, Discrimination and Democracy .

Comparison of Israel's treatment of Palestinians to apartheid Israel and the apartheid analogy is criticism of Israel charging that Israel has practiced a system akin to apartheid against Arabs and Palestinians in its occupation of the West Bank . Some commentators extend the analogy to include treatment of Arab citizens of Israel , describing their citizenship status as second-class . The analogy has been asserted by critics of Israel including scholars, United Nations investigators, the African National Congress (ANC), human rights groups critical of Israeli policy and by several Israeli former politicians. Proponents of the analogy say that "a system of control" in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including the ID system; Israeli settlements ; separate roads for Israeli and Palestinian citizens around many of these settlements; Israeli military checkpoints ; marriage law; the West Bank barrier ; use of Palestinians as cheaper labour; Palestinian West Bank exclaves ; and inequities in infrastructure, legal rights (e.g. " Enclave law "), and access to land and resources between Palestinians and Israeli residents in the Israeli-occupied territories , resemble some aspects of the South African apartheid regime, and that elements of Israel's occupation constitute forms of colonialism and of apartheid, contrary to international law. Critics of the analogy argue that the comparison is factually, and morally inaccurate and intended to delegitimize Israel. Opponents of the analogy also assert that the West Bank and Gaza are not part of sovereign Israel. They argue that though the internal free movement of Palestinians is heavily regulated by the Israeli government, the territories are governed by the elected Palestinian Authority and Hamas leaders , so they cannot be compared to the internal policies of apartheid South Africa. Proponents compare the occupied territories to the Bantustans setup within South Africa, which were also classified as "self-governing" or "independent". Other criticisms of the analogy note that Israeli law is the same for Jewish citizens and other Israeli citizens, with no explicit distinction between race, creed or sex, whereas South Africa enshrined racial segregation policies in law. However, others believe that certain laws do explicitly or implicitly discriminate on the basis of creed or race, in effect privileging Jewish citizens and disadvantaging non-Jewish, and particularly Arab, citizens of the state. These include the Law of Return , the Ban on Family Unification, and many laws regarding security, land and planning, citizenship, political representation in the Knesset (legislature), education and culture. The Nation-State Bill , which has been met with worldwide condemnation, has also been compared by members of PLO , opposition MPs, and other Arab and Jewish Israelis, to an "apartheid law". On 12 December 2019, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination decided that it has jurisdiction to investigate a complaint by Palestine against Israel for breaches of its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination . Well, not all land, but only a part of it — Jewish National Fund land." Sarid, Yossi . "In day-long Security Council meeting, Palestine observer says Israeli security wall involves de facto annexation of occupied land" . "How can these Israeli war crimes be appropriately described?" he asked. We believe it is worse than that. Is this a new apartheid system? We believe it is worse than that. Tuesday's lengthy ANC statement accused Israel of 'crude viciousness,' comparing it to South Africa's past apartheid regime. Apartheid Israel: possibilities for the struggle within . The Jewish Federations of North America . Please see references: "Israel passes Jewish nation law branded 'racist' by critics" . "Knesset: Israel verabschiedet Gesetz zu "jüdischem Nationalstaat" " . The New York Times . Palestinians in Israel: Segregation, Discrimination and Democracy . The Guardian . 23 April 2018 . The Times of Israel . 24 December 2019 .

Assertion that Israel's actions amount to the crime of apartheid For Israel's relations with apartheid-era South Africa, see Israel–South Africa relations § Early relations: 1948–1994 . A Palestinian child sitting on a roadblock at Al-Shuhada Street , known as "Apartheid Street", in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian city of Hebron in the West Bank , which is closed to Palestinians and only open for Israeli settlers and tourists. sidebar Israel's policies and actions in its ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories have drawn accusations that it is committing the crime of apartheid . Leading Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights groups have said that the totality and severity of the human rights violations against the Palestinian population in the occupied territories, and by some in Israel proper, amount to the crime against humanity of apartheid. Israel and some of its Western allies have rejected the accusation, with the former often labeling the charge antisemitic. Comparisons between Israel-Palestine and South African Apartheid were prevalent in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. Since the definition of apartheid as a crime in 2002 Rome Statute, attention has shifted to the question of international law. In December 2019, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination announced commencing a review of the Palestinian complaint that Israel's policies in the West Bank amount to apartheid. Soon after this, two Israeli human rights NGOs, Yesh Din (July 2020), and B'Tselem (January 2021) issued separate reports that concluded, in the latter's words, that "the bar for labeling the Israeli regime as apartheid has been met." In April 2021, Human Rights Watch became the first major international human rights body to say Israel had crossed the threshold. It accused Israel of apartheid, and called for prosecution of Israeli officials under international law, calling for an International Criminal Court investigation. Amnesty International issued a report with similar findings on 1 February 2022. The issue is debated by scholars and lawyers, United Nations investigators, the African National Congress (ANC), human rights groups, and many prominent Israeli political and cultural figures. Israel and a number of Western governments and scholars have rejected the charges or objected to the use of the word "apartheid". The European Commission considers the term "not appropriate" to use "in connection with the State of Israel". Some argue that the situation is not comparable to apartheid in South Africa, that Israel's policies are primarily driven by security considerations, and that the accusation is factually and morally inaccurate and intended to delegitimize Israel. Those who support the accusations hold that certain laws explicitly or implicitly discriminate on the basis of creed or race, in effect privileging Jewish citizens and disadvantaging non-Jewish, and particularly Arab, citizens. These include the Law of Return , the 2003 Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law , and many laws regarding security, land and planning, citizenship, political representation in the Knesset (legislature), education and culture. The Nation-State Law , enacted in 2018, was widely condemned in both Israel and internationally as discriminatory, and has also been called an "apartheid law" by members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), opposition MPs, and other Arab and Jewish Israelis. "Maan News Agency: Hebron road renamed "Apartheid Street" " . 2 November 2011. Space and Mobility in Palestine . The New York Review of Books . "UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination publishes findings on Cambodia, Colombia, Ireland, Israel and Uzbekistan" . "A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid" . A regime that uses laws, practices and organized violence to cement the supremacy of one group over another is an apartheid regime. Israeli apartheid, which promotes the supremacy of Jews over Palestinians, was not born in one day or of a single speech. It is a process that has gradually grown more institutionalized and explicit, with mechanisms introduced over time in law and practice to promote Jewish supremacy. These accumulated measures, their pervasiveness in legislation and political practice, and the public and judicial support they receive – all form the basis for our conclusion that the bar for labeling the Israeli regime as apartheid has been met. The Occupation of the West Bank and the Crime of Apartheid: Legal Opinion,' Yesh Din 9 July 2020. Michael Sfard , Israeli progressives have started to talk about 'apartheid' The Guardian 3 June 2021. Rahman, From confusion to clarity: Three pillars for revitalizing the Palestinian National Movement . Brookings Institution 12 December 2019:'The debate about whether the apartheid label applies to the Israel-Palestine case is already happening. Legal scholars and academics around the world have been taking up the issue for at least a decade.' White, Ben (18 March 2017). The Times of Israel . Tuesday's lengthy ANC statement accused Israel of 'crude viciousness,' comparing it to South Africa's past apartheid regime. Apartheid Israel: possibilities for the struggle within . European Journal of International Law , 24 (3), 915-928. The Case Against Israel's Enemies: Exposing Jimmy Carter and Others Who Stand in the Way of Peace . Palestine and Israel: A Challenge to Justice . "Knesset: Israel verabschiedet Gesetz zu "jüdischem Nationalstaat" " .

Israeli system of racial segregation and discrimination A Palestinian child sitting on a roadblock at Al-Shuhada Street within the Old City of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank . Palestinians have nicknamed the street "Apartheid Street" because it is closed to Palestinian traffic and open only to Israeli settlers and tourists. sidebar Israeli apartheid is a system of institutionalized segregation and discrimination in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and to a lesser extent in Israel proper. This system is characterized by near-total physical separation between the Palestinian and the Israeli settler population of the West Bank , as well as the judicial separation that governs both communities, which discriminates against the Palestinians in a wide range of ways. Israel also discriminates against Palestinian refugees in the diaspora and against its own Palestinian citizens . Since the 1948 Palestine war , Israel has been denying Palestinian refugees who were expelled or fled from what became its territory the right of return and right to their lost properties . Israel has been occupying the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since the 1967 Six-Day War , which is now the longest military occupation in modern history, and in contravention of international law has been constructing large settlements there that separate Palestinian communities from one another and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state . The settlements are mostly encircled by the Israeli West Bank barrier , which intentionally separates the Israeli and Palestinian populations, a policy called Hafrada . Jewish Israeli settlers are subject to Israeli civil law, but the Palestinian population is subject to military law. Settlers also have access to separate roads and exploit the region's natural resources at its Palestinian inhabitants' expense. Academic comparisons between Israel–Palestine and South African apartheid were prevalent by the mid-1990s. Since the definition of apartheid as a crime in the 2002 Rome Statute , attention has shifted to the question of international law. In December 2019, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination announced it was reviewing the Palestinian complaint that Israel's policies in the West Bank amount to apartheid. Since then, several Israeli, Palestinian, and international human rights organizations have characterized the situation as apartheid, including Yesh Din , B'Tselem , Human Rights Watch , and Amnesty International . This view has been supported by United Nations investigators, the African National Congress (ANC), human rights groups, and many prominent Israeli political and cultural figures. The International Court of Justice in its 2024 advisory opinion found that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories constitutes systemic discrimination and is in breach of Article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination , which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid. The ruling did not specify whether it was referring to racial segregation , apartheid, or both. Elements of Israeli apartheid include the Law of Return , the 2003 Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law , the 2018 Nation-State Law , and many laws regarding security, freedom of movement , land and planning, citizenship , political representation in the Knesset (legislature), education , and culture . Israel says its policies are driven by security considerations, and that the accusation of apartheid is factually and morally inaccurate and intended to delegitimize Israel. It also often calls the charge antisemitic, which critics have called weaponization of antisemitism . Colonialism, apartheid and the native question: The case of Israel/Palestine. The work of comparison: Israel/Palestine and apartheid. Apartheid Israel: Possibilities for the Struggle Within . Space and Mobility in Palestine . The New York Review of Books . "UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination publishes findings on Cambodia, Colombia, Ireland, Israel and Uzbekistan" (Press release). The Times of Israel . "A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid" . A regime that uses laws, practices and organized violence to cement the supremacy of one group over another is an apartheid regime. Israeli apartheid, which promotes the supremacy of Jews over Palestinians, was not born in one day or of a single speech. It is a process that has gradually grown more institutionalized and explicit, with mechanisms introduced over time in law and practice to promote Jewish supremacy. These accumulated measures, their pervasiveness in legislation and political practice, and the public and judicial support they receive – all form the basis for our conclusion that the bar for labeling the Israeli regime as apartheid has been met. The Times of Israel . Tuesday's lengthy ANC statement accused Israel of 'crude viciousness,' comparing it to South Africa's past apartheid regime. Apartheid Israel: possibilities for the struggle within . Palestine and Israel: A Challenge to Justice . "Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legal Consequences of Israel's Policies and Practices in the "Occupied Palestinian Territory" " . The Court then moves to examining whether there is also a violation of Article 3 of CERD, which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid. This, of course, is a totemic issue in terms of the competing narratives of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And here the Court, seeking internal consensus, opted for a more ambiguous approach …. but the bottom line of the Court's approach seems clear – at best Israel's actions amount 'only' to racial segregation, but they could also be apartheid. And the reason for this ambiguity is again the need to maintain consensus within the Court Keane, David (31 July 2024). Article 3 refers to racial segregation and apartheid, and a breach of Article 3 could refer to racial segregation, apartheid, or both. This is seen in the Separate Opinions, some of which considered the finding of a breach of Article 3 as a finding of apartheid; others believing the Court had not made such a finding. "Apartheid, international law, and the occupied Palestinian territory: A reply to John Dugard and John Reynolds". The case against Israel's enemies: Exposing Jimmy Carter and others who stand in the way of peace . These organizations argue that weaponizing antisemitism to silence legitimate criticism actually undermines attempts to address rising antisemitism. Republished from Geddie, Eve (13 March 2023). Eve Geddie was writing as the director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office. "This weaponizing of the charge of "antisemitism" to try to stop such perfectly legitimate and accurate criticism of Israel's apartheid in the Palestinian occupied territory is cheapening, and hence harming, the important fight against antisemitism" ( Tweet ) – via X (formerly Twitter) . Amnesty's report is important and for many advocates it is affirming of what they have been stating all along is a racist regime of systemic discrimination. However, for many longstanding critics of Israel, accusations of Israeli apartheid are not new, nor is the predictable backlash against them whereby antisemitism has been weaponized by Israel and its supporters. This backlash is now been directed against Amnesty International "How a Leading Definition of Antisemitism Has Been Weaponized Against Israel's Critics" . As Human Rights Watch noted, the first example opens the door to reflexively labeling as antisemitic human rights organizations and lawyers who argue that current Israeli government policies constitute apartheid against Palestinians "I Regret to Report There's a New Antisemitism Controversy at Harvard" . There have been a few lines of attack on Penslar, and there are thus a few issues at hand. First, there is the notion that he called Israel a regime of apartheid. & What makes the series of events at Harvard so disheartening is not that the attack on Penslar is unique but that it transparently gives the game away: There is no set of credentials that can prevent a person who is earnestly trying to do work in this space from getting sucked into the politicization and, yes, weaponization of antisemitism. This is the way that current public debates over antisemitism tend to go, in Congress and on debate stages, on social media and between friends, within families and within organizations. But when fact and understanding and nuance of the issue are all considered secondary, what gets sacrificed isn't just an individual's career or standing or time, but comprehension of the actual issue that is antisemitism. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).