Letters For Palestine
Is Israel an Apartheid state?
For Decades, people have been debating whether Israel is an Apartheid state or not.
Legal Definition
Apartheid has an International Legal Definition
International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination
International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
The crime of apartheid is defined by the 2002 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as inhumane acts of a character similar to other crimes against humanity "committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime".
The crime of apartheid under the Apartheid Convention and Rome Statute consists of three primary elements:
Israeli Apartheid
Some people think this is a recent debate because of the statements made by B'Tselem (Israel's Largest Human Rights organisations) and Human Rights Watch (an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights) and Amnesty International.
Its Not. This debate has been going on for Decades with report after report detailing Israeli Apartheid.
2022 - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967
2022 - Al-Haq, Addameer, Habitat International Coalition
2022 - International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School and Addameer
2022 - Amnesty International
2021 - B'Tselem
2021 - Human Rights watch
2020 - Yesh Din
2019 - Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
2017 - UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
2017 - Human Rights Council
2012 - Russell Tribunal on Palestine
2009 - Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa
2006 - President Carter - Book
2002 - UNGA 4th Committee
2002 – Anglican Communion News Service
And many, many more going back to 1967 and then 1948.
But this debate has been going on for Decades and Governments around the world have Chosen to "Look The Other Way" On Israeli Apartheid (defined as a Crime Against Humanity in the Rome Statute - Article 7 - Crimes against Humanity, item 1 - j).
The debate started as far back as 2002 with the United Nations General Asembly debate - "Israeli Practices in Occupied Palestinian Territories - Form of Apartheid"
So for more than 20 years, Governments have Chosen to ignore Crimes against Humanity and tried to hide behind the excuse - "It's Complicated"!
It is Not Complicated.
Either:
1) You Actively Support International Law, UN and Human Rights Conventions
or
2) You are on the side of the Oppressor
It is Not Complicated!
As Desmond Tutu has stated - “If you are Neutral in situations of Injustice, you have Chosen the side of the Oppressor".
For Decades, people have been debating whether Israel is an Apartheid state or not.
Legal Definition
Apartheid has an International Legal Definition
International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination
International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
- Rome Statute - Article 7 - Crimes against Humanity, item 1) j
- https://www.icc-cpi.int/resource-library/documents/rs-eng.pdf
The crime of apartheid is defined by the 2002 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as inhumane acts of a character similar to other crimes against humanity "committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime".
The crime of apartheid under the Apartheid Convention and Rome Statute consists of three primary elements:
- an intent to maintain a system of domination by one racial group overanother;
- systematic oppression by one racial group over another;
- and one or more inhumane acts, as defined, carried out on a widespread or systematic basis pursuant to those policies
Israeli Apartheid
Some people think this is a recent debate because of the statements made by B'Tselem (Israel's Largest Human Rights organisations) and Human Rights Watch (an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights) and Amnesty International.
Its Not. This debate has been going on for Decades with report after report detailing Israeli Apartheid.
2022 - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967
2022 - Al-Haq, Addameer, Habitat International Coalition
- Entrenching and Maintaining an Apartheid Regime over the Palestinian People as a Whole
- Report - https://www.alhaq.org/cached_uploads/download/2022/01/20/final-draft-lynk-s-apartheid-submission-1-1642656045.pdf
2022 - International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School and Addameer
- Apartheid in the Occupied West Bank: A Legal Analysis of Israel’s Actions
- Report - http://hrp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IHRC-Addameer-Submission-to-HRC-COI-Apartheid-in-WB.pdf
2022 - Amnesty International
- Announcement - Israel’s Apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel system of domination and crime against humanity apartheid/www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2022/02/israels-system-of-apartheid/
- Report - "Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians - Cruel System of Domination And Crime Against Humanity"
- Questions and Answers - Q&A's
2021 - B'Tselem
- Report - A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is Apartheid
2021 - Human Rights watch
- Announcement - Abusive Israeli Policies Constitute Crimes of Apartheid, Persecution
- Report - A Threshold Crossed - Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution
2020 - Yesh Din
2019 - Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Report - Summary record of the 2788th meeting
2017 - UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
2017 - Human Rights Council
2012 - Russell Tribunal on Palestine
2009 - Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa
- Occupation, colonialism, Apartheid?: a re-assessment of Israel's practices in the occupied Palestinian territories under international law
- http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/research-data/view/4634
2006 - President Carter - Book
- Peace not Apartheid
- https://www.amazon.com/Palestine-Peace-Apartheid-Jimmy-Carter/dp/0743285026
2002 - UNGA 4th Committee
- Israeli practices in occupied Palestinian territories, form of Apartheid fourth committee told
- https://www.un.org/press/en/2002/GASPD254.doc.htm
2002 – Anglican Communion News Service
- Apartheid in the Holy Land
- https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2002/05/apartheid-in-the-holy-land.aspx
And many, many more going back to 1967 and then 1948.
But this debate has been going on for Decades and Governments around the world have Chosen to "Look The Other Way" On Israeli Apartheid (defined as a Crime Against Humanity in the Rome Statute - Article 7 - Crimes against Humanity, item 1 - j).
The debate started as far back as 2002 with the United Nations General Asembly debate - "Israeli Practices in Occupied Palestinian Territories - Form of Apartheid"
So for more than 20 years, Governments have Chosen to ignore Crimes against Humanity and tried to hide behind the excuse - "It's Complicated"!
It is Not Complicated.
Either:
1) You Actively Support International Law, UN and Human Rights Conventions
or
2) You are on the side of the Oppressor
It is Not Complicated!
As Desmond Tutu has stated - “If you are Neutral in situations of Injustice, you have Chosen the side of the Oppressor".
"Human Rights Support is Not a pick 'n' choose activity"!
You can't support the Uyghurs, people in Hong Kong and Myanmar but reject supporting Palestinians Human Rights.
That is Racist in itself!
That is Racist in itself!
Here is a list of links to articles discussing Israeli Apartheid
1976
1998
2021
2020
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2007
2006
2005
2002
1998
2021
- A regime of Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is apartheid
- Israeli apartheid factsheet
- Limitations and Possibilities of the Apartheid Framework with Lana Tatour
- Israel’s vaccine apartheid is killing Palestinians
- Israel's apartheid pandemic
- Coronavirus outbreak in the time of apartheid
- Israel committing crimes of apartheid and persecution - HRW
- HRW Report - A Threshold Crossed - Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution
- HRW - Abusive Israeli Policies Constitute Crimes of Apartheid, Persecution - Crimes Against Humanity Should Trigger Action to End Repression of Palestinians
- HRW video overview of report
- Israel committing crimes of apartheid and persecution - HRW
- IJV Commends Pivotal Human Right Watch Report on Israeli Crimes of Apartheid, Persecution
- A Threshold Crossed
2020
2018
- Only International Pressure Will End Israeli Apartheid:
- Call Apartheid in Israel by Its Name
- Apartheid: How Useful is the Framework for the Palestinian Struggle?
- Is Israel an Apartheid State?
2017
- In Last Monologue, Israeli Comedy Show Host Implores Israelis to Wake Up and Smell the Apartheid
- ESCWA Launches Report on Israeli Practices Towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid
- Apartheid references in Israel
- Rethinking Our Definition of Apartheid: Not Just a Political Regime
- Apartheid from Within? The Palestinian Citizens of Israel
2016
- The Work of Comparison: Israel/Palestine and Apartheid:https://www.jstor.org/stable/43955521?seq=1
- Only International Pressure Will End Israeli Apartheid:https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-only-international-pressure-will-end-israeli-apartheid-1.5394041
- Fear at the Top in Israel:https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/fear-at-the-top-in-israel-1.5455096
2015
- It's Time to Admit It. Israeli Policy Is What It Is: Apartheid:https://www.haaretz.com/it-s-time-to-admit-it-israeli-policy-is-what-it-is-apartheid-1.5387843
2014
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Richard Falk:https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session25/Documents/A-HRC-25-67_en.doc
- U.N. rights envoy points to apartheid in Palestinian areas:https://www.reuters.com/article/palestinians-israel-un-falk/u-n-rights-envoy-points-to-apartheid-in-palestinian-areas-idUSL6N0LT2J620140224
- Desmond Tutu: Israel guilty of apartheid in treatment of Palestinians:https://www.jpost.com/diplomacy-and-politics/desmond-tutu-israel-guilty-of-apartheid-in-treatment-of-palestinians-344874
2013
- ‘Joint Israel-West Bank’ reality is an apartheid state:https://www.timesofisrael.com/joint-israel-west-bank-reality-is-an-apartheid-state/
- Beyond South Africa: Understanding Israeli Apartheid:https://al-shabaka.org/briefs/beyond-south-africa-understanding-israeli-aparthei/
- If this isn’t apartheid, then what is it?:https://www.972mag.com/if-this-isnt-apartheid-then-what-is-it/
- Apartheid, International Law, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory:https://academic.oup.com/ejil/article/24/3/867/481600
- What can we learn from the Israel apartheid analogy?:https://www.972mag.com/what-can-we-learn-from-the-israel-apartheid-analogy/
2012
- Refugees: Israeli Apartheid’s Unseen Dimension:https://al-shabaka.org/commentaries/refugees-israeli-apartheids-unseen-dimension/
2011
- The crime of apartheid:https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2011/9/7/the-crime-of-apartheid
2010
- Chomsky joins Israel 'apartheid' debate:https://dailyfreepress.com/2010/03/02/chomsky-joins-israel-apartheid-debate/
2009
- Occupation, colonialism, apartheid?: a re-assessment of Israel's practices in the occupied Palestinian territories under international law:http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en/research-data/view/4634
- Israeli Apartheid: A beginner’s Guide:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Israeli-Apartheid-Beginners-Ben-White/dp/0745328881
2007
- Shulamit Aloni: There Is Apartheid In Israel:https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0701/S00070/shulamit-aloni-there-is-apartheid-in-israel.htm
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967:
2006
- Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine:_Peace_Not_Apartheid
2005
- Israel Apartheid week:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_Apartheid_Week
2002