[News] UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia - Israeli Practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://www.unescwa.org/publications/israeli-practices-palestinian-people-apartheid-occupation

https://www.unescwa.org/sites/www.unescwa.org/files/uploads/israeli-practices-palestinian-people-apartheid-occupation-executive-summary-english.pdf


PalestineandtheIsraeliOccupation,IssueNo.1

IsraeliPracticestowardsthePalestinianPeople andthe QuestionofApartheid

ExecutiveSummary

ThisreportconcludesthatIsraelhasestablishedanapartheidregimethatdominates 
the Palestinianpeopleasawhole.Awareofthe seriousnessofthisallegation,the 
authors ofthereport conclude that available evidence establishesbeyonda 
reasonable doubtthatIsrael isguiltyof 
policiesandpracticesthatconstitutethe 
crimeofapartheidaslegallydefinedininstrumentsofinternationallaw.

Theanalysisinthisreportrestsonthe samebodyofinternationalhumanrightslaw 
andprinciplesthatrejectanti-Semitismandotherraciallydiscriminatoryideologies, 
including:the Charterof the UnitedNations(1945), the 
UniversalDeclarationof HumanRights(1948), andthe International 
Conventionon the Eliminationof All FormsofRacial 
Discrimination(1965).Thereportreliesforitsdefinitionofapartheid 
primarily onarticle II of theInternational Convention ontheSuppression 
and Punishmentofthe CrimeofApartheid(1973,hereinafter the Apartheid 
Convention):

Theterm 
"thecrimeofapartheid",whichshallincludesimilarpoliciesandpracticesofracial 
segregationanddiscriminationaspracticedinsouthernAfrica,shallapplyto…inhumanacts 
committedforthepurposeofestablishingandmaintainingdominationbyoneracialgroupof 
personsoveranyotherracialgroup ofpersonsandsystematicallyoppressingthem.

Althoughthe term“apartheid”wasoriginallyassociatedwith the 
specificinstance of SouthAfrica,it nowrepresents a species 
ofcrimeagainst humanity under customaryinternationallaw 
andtheRomeStatuteof theInternational Criminal Court,accordingtowhich:

“Thecrimeofapartheid”means inhumaneacts…committedinthecontextofan 
institutionalizedregimeofsystematicoppressionanddominationbyoneracialgroupover 
anyotherracialgrouporgroupsandcommittedwiththeintentionofmaintaining 
thatregime.

Against that background, this report reflectstheexpert consensus thatthe 
prohibitionofapartheidisuniversallyapplicableandwasnot renderedmootbythe 
collapseofapartheidinSouthAfricaandSouthWestAfrica(Namibia).


The legalapproachto the matterofapartheidadoptedby thisreportshouldnot 
be confusedwithusageofthe 
terminpopulardiscourseasanexpressionofopprobrium. Seeingapartheidas 
discreteactsandpractices(suchasthe “apartheidwall”),a 
phenomenongeneratedbyanonymousstructuralconditionslikecapitalism 
(“economicapartheid”),orprivatesocialbehaviouronthepartofcertainracialgroups 
towardsothers(social racism)mayhaveitsplaceincertaincontexts.However, 
this reportanchorsitsdefinitionof apartheid in internationallaw, 
whichcarrieswith it 
responsibilitiesforStates,asspecifiedininternationalinstruments.

ThechoiceofevidenceisguidedbytheApartheidConvention,whichsetsforththatthe 
crimeofapartheidconsistsofdiscreteinhuman acts,but 
thatsuchactsacquirethe statusofcrimesagainsthumanityonly 
iftheyintentionallyservethe corepurposeof racialdomination.The 
RomeStatute specifiesin itsdefinitionthe presenceof an 
“institutionalized regime”serving the“intention”ofracial 
domination.Since “purpose”and“intention” lie at the coreof 
bothdefinitions,thisreportexamines factorsostensiblyseparatefromthe 
Palestiniandimension—especially,the doctrine 
ofJewishstatehoodasexpressedinlawandthe 
designofIsraeliStateinstitutions— toestablish beyonddoubtthe 
presenceofsuchacorepurpose.

That the Israeliregimeisdesignedfor thiscorepurposewasfoundto be 
evidentin the bodyoflaws,only someofwhichare discussed inthe 
reportforreasonsofscope. One 
prominentexampleislandpolicy.TheIsraeliBasicLaw(Constitution)mandates 
thatlandheldbythe StateofIsrael,the IsraeliDevelopmentAuthorityorthe 
Jewish NationalFundshallnot be transferredinany manner,placing 
itsmanagement permanentlyundertheirauthority.The StatePropertyLaw of1951 
providesfor the reversion ofproperty(includingland)tothe Stateinany 
area“inwhichthe lawofthe StateofIsraelapplies”.The 
IsraelLandsAuthority(ILA)managesStateland,which accountsfor 93per 
centofthe landwithinthe internationallyrecognizedbordersof Israel 
andisby law closed to use,development or ownership by non-Jews. Those 
laws reflectthe conceptof“publicpurpose”asexpressedinthe 
BasicLaw.Suchlaws maybe changedby Knessetvote,but the 
BasicLaw:Knessetprohibitsany political partyfrom 
challengingthatpublicpurpose.Effectively,Israelilaw renders opposition 
toracialdominationillegal.

Demographic engineeringis another area ofpolicy servingthepurpose of 
maintainingIsraelasaJewishState.Mostwell knownisIsraelilaw conferringon 
Jewsworldwidethe 
righttoenterIsraelandobtainIsraelicitizenshipregardlessof 
theircountriesoforiginandwhetherornot theycan 
showlinkstoIsrael-Palestine, whilewithholding anycomparable 
rightfromPalestinians,includingthose with documentedancestral homesin 
the country.The WorldZionistOrganization and JewishAgencyare vestedwith 
legalauthorityasagenciesofthe StateofIsraelto 
facilitateJewishimmigrationandpreferentiallyservethe 
interestsofJewishcitizens inmattersrangingfromlandusetopublic 
developmentplanningandothermattersdeemedvital 
toJewishstatehood.Somelawsinvolvingdemographicengineering are 
expressedincodedlanguage,suchasthosethatallowJewishcouncilstoreject 
applicationsfor residence from Palestinian citizens.Israeli lawnormally 
allows spousesofIsraelicitizensto relocateto Israelbut 
uniquelyprohibitsthisoptionin the caseofPalestiniansfromthe 
occupiedterritoryorbeyond.Onafarlarger scale, itisamatterof Israeli 
policyto rejectthe returnof any Palestinianrefugees and 
exiles(totallingsomesixmillionpeople)toterritoryunderIsraelicontrol.

Two additionalattributes of a systematicregimeof racialdominationmust be 
presentto qualifythe regimeasan instanceofapartheid. The 
firstinvolvesthe identificationof the oppressed personsasbelongingto a 
specific“racialgroup”. Thisreportacceptsthe definitionofthe 
InternationalConventiononthe Elimination ofAllFormsofRacial 
Discriminationof“racialdiscrimination”as“anydistinction, 
exclusion,restrictionor preferencebasedon race,colour,descent,or 
nationalor ethnic origin which has thepurpose oreffect ofnullifying 
orimpairing the recognition, enjoymentorexercise,on an 
equalfooting,ofhumanrightsand fundamentalfreedomsinthe 
political,economic,social,culturalor any otherfield ofpubliclife”. On 
thatbasis, thisreportarguesthatinthe geopoliticalcontextof 
Palestine,JewsandPalestinianscan beconsidered 
“racialgroups”.Furthermore, the InternationalConventiononthe 
EliminationofAllFormsofRacialDiscrimination iscited expresslyinthe 
ApartheidConvention.

Thesecondattributeistheboundaryandcharacterofthegrouporgroupsinvolved. 
The statusofthe Palestinians asapeopleentitledtoexercisetherightofself- 
determinationhasbeenlegallysettled, mostauthoritativelyby 
theInternational Courtof Justice (ICJ) in its2004 advisoryopinionon 
Legal Consequences of the ConstructionofaWallinthe 
OccupiedPalestinianTerritory.Onthatbasis,the report examinesthe 
treatmentbyIsraelofthe Palestinianpeopleasawhole,considering thedistinct 
circumstances ofgeographic and juridical fragmentation ofthe 
PalestinianpeopleasaconditionimposedbyIsrael.(AnnexIIaddressesthe 
issueof a properidentificationof the “country”responsible for the 
denialof Palestinian rightsunderinternationallaw.)

Thisreportfindsthatthe strategicfragmentationof the 
Palestinianpeopleisthe 
principalmethodbywhichIsraelimposesanapartheidregime.Itfirstexamineshow 
thehistory of war,partition, dejureand defacto annexation andprolonged 
occupationinPalestinehasledtothePalestinianpeoplebeingdividedinto 
different geographic regionsadministeredbydistinct sets oflaw.This 
fragmentation 
operatestostabilizetheIsraeliregimeofracialdominationoverthe 
Palestiniansand to weakenthe willandcapacityof the Palestinianpeople 
tomounta unifiedand 
effectiveresistance.Differentmethodsaredeployeddependingon where 
Palestinianslive. Thisisthe 
coremeansbywhichIsraelenforcesapartheidandatthe sametimeimpedes 
internationalrecognitionof howthe systemworksasa complementarywhole 
tocompriseanapartheidregime.

Since1967, Palestiniansasapeoplehavelived inwhatthereportreferstoasfour 
“domains”, in whichthefragments of thePalestinianpopulationareostensibly 
treateddifferentlybut shareincommonthe 
racialoppressionthatresultsfromthe apartheidregime.Thosedomainsare:

1.Civillaw, with specialrestrictions,governingPalestinianswho 
liveascitizensofIsrael;

2.PermanentresidencylawgoverningPalestiniansliving inthe cityofJerusalem;

3.Militarylaw governingPalestinians,includingthoseinrefugee camps,living 
since1967underconditionsofbelligerentoccupationinthe WestBankandGaza Strip;

4.Policy toprecludethe returnofPalestinians,whetherrefugeesor 
exiles,living outsideterritoryunderIsrael’scontrol.

Domain 1embracesabout1.7millionPalestinianswhoare 
citizensofIsrael.Forthe first20yearsofthecountry’sexistence,they lived 
undermartiallawandtothisday aresubjected to oppression onthebasis of 
notbeing Jewish. Thatpolicy of 
dominationmanifestsitselfininferiorservices,restrictivezoninglawsandlimited 
budgetallocationsmadeto Palestiniancommunities;in restrictionson jobsand 
professionalopportunities;andinthe 
mostlysegregatedlandscapeinwhichJewish 
andPalestiniancitizensofIsraellive. Palestinianpoliticalpartiescan 
campaignfor minorreformsandbetterbudgets,but arelegallyprohibitedbythe 
BasicLawfrom challenginglegislationmaintainingthe 
racialregime.Thepolicyisreinforcedbythe implicationsof the 
distinctionmadein Israel between“citizenship”(ezrahut) and 
“nationality”(le’um): allIsraeli citizensenjoythe former,but only 
Jewsenjoythe latter.“National”rightsinIsraelilaw 
signifyJewish-nationalrights.The struggleof 
PalestiniancitizensofIsraelfor equalityandcivilreformsunderIsraelilaw 
isthus isolatedbythe regimefromthatofPalestinianselsewhere.

Domain2coversthe approximately300,000PalestinianswholiveinEastJerusalem, 
whoexperiencediscriminationin accessto education,health care,employment, 
residency and building rights. Theyalsosuffer from expulsions and home 
demolitions,whichservethe Israeli policyof“demographicbalance” 
infavourof Jewishresidents.EastJerusalemPalestiniansare 
classifiedaspermanentresidents, whichplaces 
theminaseparatecategorydesigned to preventtheirdemographic 
and,importantly,electoralweightbeingaddedto thatof Palestinians 
citizensin Israel.Aspermanentresidents,they 
havenolegalstandingtochallengeIsraelilaw. Moreover,openlyidentifyingwith 
Palestiniansinthe occupiedPalestinianterritory politicallycarriesthe 
risk ofexpulsiontothe WestBankandlossofthe rightevento 
visitJerusalem.Thus,the 
urbanepicentreofPalestinianpoliticallifeiscaughtinsidealegalbubblethatcurtailsitsinhabitants’capacitytoopposethe 
apartheidregime lawfully.

Domain 3isthe system ofmilitarylawimposedonapproximately6.6million 
Palestinianswholiveinthe 
occupiedPalestinianterritory,4.7millionoftheminthe 
WestBankand1.9millionintheGazaStrip.Theterritoryisadministeredinamanner 
thatfullymeetsthe definitionofapartheidunderthe 
ApartheidConvention:except fortheprovision ongenocide, every 
illustrative “inhumanact”listed inthe Convention 
isroutinelyandsystematicallypracticedbyIsraelinthe WestBank. 
Palestiniansare governedbymilitarylaw, whilethe approximately 
350,000Jewish settlersare governedby Israeli civil law. The 
racialcharacterofthissituationis 
furtherconfirmedbythefactthatallWestBankJewish settlersenjoythe 
protections ofIsraelicivillaw on the basisofbeingJewish,whethertheyare 
Israelicitizensor not. 
Thisduallegalsystem,problematicinitself,isindicativeofanapartheid regime 
whencoupledwiththeracially discriminatorymanagementoflandand 
developmentadministeredbyJewish-nationalinstitutions,whichare 
chargedwith administering“Stateland”intheinterest ofthe Jewish 
population.In supportofthe overallfindingsof thisreport,annexI setsoutin 
moredetailthepoliciesand practicesofIsrael inthe 
occupiedPalestinianterritorythatconstitute violationsof articleIIofthe 
ApartheidConvention.

Domain4referstothemillionsofPalestinianrefugeesandinvoluntaryexiles,most 
ofwhomliveinneighbouringcountries.They are 
prohibitedfromreturningtotheir homesinIsraelandthe 
occupiedPalestinianterritory.Israeldefendsitsrejectionof 
thePalestinians’returnin franklyracistlanguage:it 
isallegedthatPalestinians constitutea“demographicthreat”and 
thattheirreturn wouldalterthedemographic characterofIsraeltothe 
pointofeliminatingitasaJewishState.The refusalofthe rightofreturnplaysan 
essentialroleintheapartheidregimeby ensuringthatthe 
Palestinianpopulationin MandatePalestinedoesnot growto a pointthatwould 
threatenIsraeli militarycontrol of 
theterritoryand/orprovidethedemographic leveragefor 
Palestiniancitizensof Israel to demand(andobtain)full democratic 
rights,therebyeliminatingtheJewish characterof theStateof Israel. 
Although domain4isconfined 
topoliciesdenyingPalestinianstheirrightofrepatriationunder 
internationallaw, itistreatedinthisreportasintegraltothe 
systemofoppression anddominationofthe 
Palestinianpeopleasawhole,givenitscrucial role in 
demographictermsinmaintainingthe apartheidregime.

This reportfindsthat,takentogether,thefourdomainsconstituteone 
comprehensiveregime developedforthepurpose ofensuringtheenduring 
dominationovernon-JewsinalllandexclusivelyunderIsraelicontrolinwhatever 
category.Tosomedegree,the differencesin treatmentaccordedto Palestinians 
havebeenprovisionallytreatedasvalid bythe UnitedNations,inthe 
absenceofan assessmentof whethertheyconstitute a formof apartheid. In 
thelightof 
thisreport’sfindings,thislong-standingfragmentedinternationalapproachmayrequire 
review.

Inthe interests offairness andcompleteness, the reportexamines several 
counter- argumentsadvancedbyIsraeland supportersofitspoliciesdenyingthe 
applicability ofthe ApartheidConventiontothe 
caseofIsrael-Palestine.Theyincludeclaimsthat: 
thedeterminationofIsraeltoremainaJewishStateisconsistentwithpracticesofother 
States,suchasFrance;Israeldoesnot 
owePalestiniannon-citizensequaltreatment withJews preciselybecause they 
arenotcitizens;and Israeli treatment of the Palestiniansreflectsno 
“purpose”or“intent”todominate,but ratheris atemporary stateof 
affairsimposed on Israelbythe realitiesof ongoing conflictandsecurity 
requirements.The reportshowsthatnoneofthosearguments standsup to 
examination.Afurtherclaim thatIsraelcannotbe 
consideredculpableforcrimesof 
apartheidbecausePalestiniancitizensofIsraelhavevotingrightsrests ontwo 
errors 
oflegalinterpretation:anoverlyliteralcomparisonwithSouthAfricanapartheidpolicy 
anddetachmentofthe question 
ofvotingrightsfromotherlaws,especiallyprovisions ofthe Basic 
Lawthatprohibit politicalpartiesfromchallengingthe Jewish,andhence 
racial,characterofthe State.

The reportconcludesthatthe weightofthe evidencesupportsbeyonda 
reasonable doubtthe propositionthat Israelisguiltyofimposingan 
apartheidregimeonthe Palestinian people,whichamounts 
tothecommissionofacrimeagainsthumanity,the prohibitionofwhichis 
consideredjuscogensininternationalcustomarylaw. The 
internationalcommunity,especiallythe 
UnitedNationsanditsagencies,andMember 
States,havealegalobligationtoactwithinthe limitsoftheir 
capabilitiestopreventand punishinstancesofapartheidthat 
areresponsiblybroughttotheirattention.More 
specifically,Stateshaveacollectiveduty:(a)not torecognizean 
apartheidregimeas lawful;(b)not to aid or assist aStateinmaintainingan 
apartheid regime;and(c)to cooperatewith the 
UnitedNationsandotherStatesinbringingapartheidregimestoan 
end.Civilsocietyinstitutionsandindividualsalsohaveamoralandpoliticaldutytouse 
the 
instrumentsattheirdisposaltoraiseawarenessofthisongoingcriminalenterprise, 
andtoexertpressureonIsraelinordertopersuadeittodismantleapartheidstructures 
incompliancewithinternationallaw. The report endswith generalandspecific 
recommendationsto the 
UnitedNations,nationalGovernments,andcivilsocietyand privateactorson 
actionstheyshouldtake inview ofthe findingthatIsraelmaintainsa 
regimeofapartheidinitsexerciseofcontroloverthePalestinianpeople.

-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
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