Israel’s Practices Echo South African Apartheid, Even Worse
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – In 2002, ex-archbishop of Cape Town and prominent leader of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, Desmond Tutu, likened the treatment of Palestinians in the Holy Land to the racial oppression faced by Black South Africans.
The comparison between Israeli actions and South African apartheid has gained traction, endorsed by various human rights and legal organizations.
B’Tselem, the Israeli Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, labeled Israel an apartheid regime in 2021, citing policies solidifying control over Palestinians. Similarly, the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School and Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association accused Israel of violating international law through institutionalized subjugation.
Amnesty International's report outlined components of Israeli apartheid, emphasizing territorial fragmentation, discriminatory laws, and suppression of Palestinians' rights. While this meticulous documentation sheds light on injustice, it only scratches the surface.
Beyond apartheid, there are assertions that Israel pursues more nefarious goals. Some Israeli politicians advocate ethnic cleansing, aiming to force Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank. This agenda aligns with historical Israeli practices, not just discrimination, but possibly genocide.
Scholars have drawn parallels between South African apartheid and Israeli colonialism. In South Africa, racial oppression fueled capitalism's growth, benefiting from the super-exploitation of the black majority.
Conversely, Israel's project aimed for an ethnically exclusive state, preserving Jewish dominance economically and socially.
The Zionist vision necessitated land monopolization, resulting in the dispossession and expulsion of non-Jewish inhabitants. Israel’s relentless expansionist agenda through wars and settlement projects demonstrates an unceasing quest for more territory and control.
Despite the Nakba and ongoing oppression, Palestinians have persevered, forging a national identity tied to territorial reclamation. Their resilience contradicts Israel’s desires for dispersal or assimilation, sparking ongoing conflict and resistance.
In essence, while apartheid captures part of the situation, the larger reality in Israel may indeed be more disturbing—a relentless pursuit of dominance and dispossession, echoing the struggle against apartheid but potentially going further.
