No more sugar-coating. Israel is an apartheid state.
In 1973, the UN General Assembly defined apartheid as "inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them," a crime against humanity. The word "apartheid" (an Afrikaans word meaning “apartness”) is not exclusive to South Africa.
(The full definition from the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid can be found here. For more, read this and this.)
The word “apartheid” is divisive, to say the least. It can shut down dialogue and cause Israel partisans to make accusations of antisemitism. Would it be better to avoid the term altogether, just to keep those folks engaged?
I believe we need the word. Israel and its supporters do not need to be pampered. Euphemisms like “human rights offenses” and “discrimination” merely indulge the oppressor and minimize the suffering of the oppressed.
The apartheid reports from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israeli org B'Tselem are not for the consumption of Israel’s die-hard supporters. We can safely assume their minds won’t be changed. It’s the rational, clear-headed folks who need to know about the apartheid designation. They need to be engaged and persuaded. When they hear the word, they will pay attention.
Nothing would be more effective in breaking the Israel spell over politicians than an informed and motivated electorate. Those are the people we need to reach.
From the beginning (and even before that), Israel was openly built on racist, “apartness” policies. Amnesty’s report articulated this:
Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, successive governments have created and maintained a system of laws, policies, and practices designed to oppress and dominate Palestinians.
That’s apartheid. We are talking about apartheid here. We mustn’t ignore or downplay the fact that on our watch (and with our money), a state is practicing apartheid.
An Israeli Basic Law that was passed in 2018, says
The right to exercise national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people.
In 2019, then-Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu posted online,
Israel is not a state of all its citizens… [but rather] the nation-state of the Jewish people and only them
Israel is definitely not being moderate or subtle in its language – or in its treatment of Palestinians. Think assassination, torture, home demolition, children in prison. Think answering homemade rockets with one-ton bombs, killing 100 Palestinians for every 1 Israeli who dies.
Our Palestinian brothers and sisters have lived under this regime for decades - many for their whole lives. When we use strong language like "apartheid" and "crime against humanity" we’re acknowledging the gravity of the Palestinian struggle. When we shy away from the language, we’re deferring to the oppressor and diminishing Palestinian suffering.
Israel is in need of a wake-up call. Palestinians are in need of an Israeli wake-up call. Let’s call Israel what it is: a brutal apartheid regime that needs to be stopped.