1Palestine

Is Israel an apartheid state 1 ?

While South Africa was a prominent example of an Apartheid state, it is not the only form it can take. According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the crime of Apartheid is defined as

“inhumane acts of a character similar to those referred to in paragraph 1, 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;”

There are many inhumane acts listed under paragraph 1, but the most relevant to the Palestinian context are:

Murder, deportation or forcible transfer of population, imprisonment and severe deprivation of liberty, torture, Persecution based on ethnic, religious or national origins, other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.

It is indisputable that Israel practices these acts against Palestinians, inside and outside of the green line. It is also indisputable that as a state built on a colonial ideology that privileges one ethnic group over the rest, its actions are ultimately committed to maintain this system of supremacy. B’Tselem, Israel’s largest human rights organization, has officially designated Israel as an Apartheid state.