‘False, Biased and Anti-Semitic’: Israel Blasts Amnesty Intl. Report’s Accusations of Apartheid

Summary

Amnesty International's report labels Israel as an apartheid state, accusing it of oppressing Palestinians. Israel vehemently denies these allegations, with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid asserting the report echoes terrorist lies and questions Israel's right to exist. Critics argue the report's definition of apartheid is misused and that it unfairly targets Israel, overlooking other regimes and the Palestinian Authority's own discriminatory practices.

Takeaways

• 📜 Amnesty International has released a report labeling Israel as an apartheid state that oppresses Palestinians.
• 🇮🇱 Israel is denouncing the report, claiming it contains false charges and questions the right of the Jewish state to exist.
• 🗣️ Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid accuses Amnesty of spreading lies propagated by terrorist organizations.
• 🤔 The Israeli government argues that a serious examination would show the report's claims are delusional and disconnected from reality.
• 📚 Amnesty's report is titled 'Israel's Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity'.
• 🏛️ The report alleges that Israel has established an institutionalized regime of oppression and domination of the Palestinian population since 1948.
• 📰 A Wall Street Journal editorial calls the report a libel that distorts history, noting Israel's founding as a refuge for Jewish people post-Holocaust.
• 🔍 Amnesty International claims to use the international definition of apartheid, which typically refers to racial separation in South Africa.
• 🏛️ Israeli attorney Ian Hertzberg suggests the report aims to question Israel's legitimacy by exploiting anti-Semitic tropes.
• 🆚 Israeli attorney David Benjamin, who grew up in South Africa, argues there is no comparison between Israeli policies and apartheid.
• 🤝 Benjamin points out the involvement of Arab Knesset members in the Israeli government, challenging the apartheid label.

Q & A

What is the main allegation made by Amnesty International against Israel in their report?

Amnesty International alleges that Israel is an apartheid state that oppresses Palestinians and has established an institutionalized regime of oppression and domination of the Palestinian population for the benefit of Jewish Israelis.

How does Israel respond to the report by Amnesty International?

Israel rejects the allegations, calling them false and delusional, and accuses Amnesty International of echoing the lies spread by terrorist organizations and propagating the same lies that seek to destroy the country.

What does Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid claim about Amnesty International's report?

Yair Lapid claims that Amnesty International doesn't call other corrupt and murderous regimes, such as Syria or Iran, apartheid states, and suggests that if Israel wasn't a Jewish state, Amnesty would not dare make such claims against it.

What is the title of the Amnesty International report on Israel?

The report is titled 'Israel's Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity'.

How does a Wall Street Journal editorial describe the Amnesty International report?

The Wall Street Journal editorial calls the report a libel that distorts history.

What does Israeli attorney Ian Hertzberg from the NGO Monitor argue about the report's intention?

Ian Hertzberg argues that the report is aimed at questioning the legitimacy of Israel's existence by using the charge of apartheid, which is an easy way to essentialize and exploit anti-Semitic tropes.

How does Israeli attorney David Benjamin, who grew up in South Africa, compare the situation in Israel to apartheid?

David Benjamin states that there is absolutely nothing in common between the system of apartheid that applied in South Africa and the current situation in Israel, emphasizing that it is easy to throw around labels but the reality is different.

What example does David Benjamin give to illustrate the difference between Israel and an apartheid state?

David Benjamin points out that Arab Knesset members are part of the government and even contributed to the change in the Prime Minister, which he argues would not be possible in an apartheid state.

What criticism does Benjamin have regarding the Palestinian Authority?

Benjamin criticizes the Palestinian Authority for being the worst enemy of the Palestinian people, alleging routine discrimination against Jews and the execution of Palestinians who sell land to Jews.

What is the criticism of Amnesty International for not addressing other issues in the region?

The criticism is that Amnesty International should be exploring issues such as the Palestinian Authority's actions, Hamas's misuse of international aid, and the lack of elections in the Palestinian territories, instead of focusing solely on Israel.

What is the stance of the international community regarding the libel against Israel mentioned in the script?

The script suggests that such libel against Israel should not be accepted by the international community, implying a need for a more balanced and accurate representation of the situation.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Amnesty International's Israel Report Controversy

Amnesty International has labeled Israel an apartheid state, accusing it of oppressing Palestinians and benefiting Jewish Israelis. Israel vehemently rejects these allegations, with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stating that Amnesty is echoing lies spread by terrorist organizations. The Israeli government argues that the report is disconnected from reality and is a libel that distorts history. Critics point out that Amnesty does not label other oppressive regimes as apartheid states and suggest that the report's aim is to question Israel's legitimacy. The report's executive summary claims Israel has established an oppressive regime against Palestinians since 1948, which Amnesty defines using the international definition of apartheid. However, Israeli attorneys and experts, including those who experienced apartheid in South Africa, argue that there is no comparison between the two situations and that the label is being used as a smear against Israel.

Keywords

💡Amnesty International

Amnesty International is a global human rights organization that advocates for justice, freedom, and equality. In the video, Amnesty International is criticized for labeling Israel as an apartheid state, which Israeli officials and some commentators argue is a false accusation that distorts reality.

💡Apartheid

Apartheid refers to a system of racial segregation and discrimination that was notably practiced in South Africa, where the white minority held power over the black majority. In the video, Amnesty International uses the term to describe Israel's treatment of Palestinians, a claim that is vehemently denied by Israeli officials and others who argue that the situation in Israel is not comparable to apartheid in South Africa.

💡Israel

Israel is a country in the Middle East, established in 1948 as a homeland for the Jewish people. The video focuses on the controversy surrounding Amnesty International's report, which accuses Israel of apartheid practices against Palestinians. Israeli officials argue that the report is an attack on Israel's legitimacy as a state.

💡Palestinians

Palestinians are an Arab ethnic group primarily residing in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Israel. The video discusses the treatment of Palestinians by Israel, with Amnesty International accusing Israel of imposing an apartheid system. Israeli officials and other critics argue that this accusation is misleading and politically motivated.

💡Yair Lapid

Yair Lapid is the Israeli Foreign Minister at the time of the report. He is featured in the video strongly rejecting Amnesty International's accusations, describing the report as delusional and disconnected from reality. He also suggests that the report is biased against Israel because it is a Jewish state.

💡Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal is a major American newspaper. In the video, it is mentioned for its editorial that criticizes Amnesty International's report, labeling it a 'libel' that distorts history and attacks the legitimacy of Israel as a refuge for the Jewish people.

💡Anti-Semitic tropes

Anti-Semitic tropes refer to stereotypes or ideas that promote hatred or discrimination against Jews. In the video, an Israeli attorney claims that Amnesty International's report exploits these tropes to transform the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into one framed by accusations of Jewish racism, rather than a dispute over land.

💡Knesset

The Knesset is Israel's national legislature. The video mentions that Arab members of the Knesset are part of the government coalition, challenging the notion that Israel operates an apartheid system, since Arabs are actively involved in the political process, including influencing the formation of the government.

💡Palestinian Authority

The Palestinian Authority is the governing body of the West Bank, responsible for administration and some aspects of security. In the video, the Palestinian Authority is criticized for practices such as sentencing Palestinians to death for selling land to Jews, which is presented as an example of discrimination and repression that Amnesty International allegedly overlooks.

💡Hamas

Hamas is an Islamist militant organization and political entity that governs the Gaza Strip. The video mentions Hamas in the context of diverting international aid to fund weapons and tunnels, rather than using it to improve living conditions in Gaza. The video criticizes Amnesty International for not addressing these issues in its report.

Highlights

Amnesty International labels Israel an apartheid state that oppresses Palestinians.

Israel denounces the report as false charges and claims it questions the right of the Jewish state to exist.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid accuses Amnesty of propagating lies spread by terrorist organizations.

Amnesty's report is titled 'Israel's Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity'.

The report alleges Israel has established an institutionalized regime of oppression and domination of the Palestinian population since 1948.

A Wall Street Journal editorial calls the report a libel that distorts history.

Amnesty International says it is using the international definition of apartheid, typically referring to racial separation in South Africa.

Israeli attorney Ian Hertzberg argues the report aims to question the legitimacy of Israel's existence.

Attorney David Benjamin, who grew up in South Africa, says there is no comparison between Israeli policies and apartheid.

Benjamin points out that Arab members of the Knesset are part of the ruling coalition, contradicting claims of discrimination.

Critics argue the Palestinian Authority discriminates against Jews and executes Palestinians who sell land to them.

The Palestinian Authority is accused of being an actual apartheid state with a president 18 years into a four-year term without elections.

Critiques suggest Amnesty International should focus on Hamas' misuse of international aid for weapons and tunnels instead of Israel.

The report is criticized for not being accepted by the international community due to its perceived bias and inaccuracies.

Amnesty's methodology and conclusions are challenged by experts and officials alike.

The debate over the report's findings reflects the ongoing and deeply contentious Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The report's impact on international perception of Israel and its policies is a point of contention.

Transcripts

a new report from amnesty international

labels israel an apartheid state that

oppresses palestinians israelis are

denouncing the false charges and

claiming the report questions the right

of the jewish state to exist israel's

foreign minister says amnesty is

propagating the same lies spread by

terrorist organizations seeking to

destroy that country chris mitchell has

the details

israel is rejecting what it calls false

allegations in the amnesty report

instead of seeking the truth

amnesty echoes the same lies shared by

terrorist organizations

five minutes of serious examination

would be enough to know that the

so-called facts in the report published

by amnesty this week are

delusional

and disconnected from reality

israeli foreign minister yair lapid

charging that amnesty doesn't call syria

iran or other corrupt and murderous

regimes apartheid states i hate to use

the argument that if israel wasn't a

jewish state no one at amnesty

would dare make such a claim against it

but in this case there's simply no other

explanation the report is entitled

israel's apartheid against palestinians

cruel system of domination and crime

against humanity

amnesty's executive summary says israel

has established and maintained an

institutionalized regime of oppression

and domination of the palestinian

population for the benefit of jewish

israelis wherever it has exercise

control over palestinian lives since

1948 a wall street journal editorial

calls that quote a libel that distorts

history israel was founded in the wake

of the holocaust with broad

international support the report is a

denunciation of the very existence of

israel as a refuge for the jewish people

amnesty international says it's using

the international definition of

apartheid but apartheid typically refers

to the system of racial separation that

gave white superiority over blacks in

south africa until the early 1990s

israeli attorney ian hertzberg from the

ngo monitor says the report is aimed at

questioning the legitimacy of israel's

existence the charge is powerful because

it is an easy way to essentialize and

exploit anti-semitic tropes to transform

the conflict into one of from one of

disputed land and arab rejection of

jewish presence in the middle east to

one of jewish racism israeli attorney

david benjamin grew up in south africa

he says there's no comparison i was

certainly a witness to the iniquities of

that terrible system

and uh let me be absolutely clear i've

been living in israel for the last 30

odd years

and there is absolutely nothing in

common between the system of apartheid

that applied in the old south africa and

the current situation in israel

it's quite easy to throw around labels

and you can use the label apartheid

as a smear against the modern state of

israel but here's the reality

get elected to the knesset the very

report we're talking about

talks about knesset members and how

somehow they're discriminated against by

the israeli government well they're part

of the government that same block of

arab knesset members is the reason

benjamin netanyahu is no longer prime

minister they joined the ruling

coalition so if that is somehow

apartheid you get to be part of the

ruling coalition i just don't get it if

you want to look at an apartheid state

look at the palestinian authority

they're the worst enemy of the

palestinian people and they routinely

discriminate against jews here's a prime

example if you're a palestinian and you

sell land to a jewish person

you are subject to execution this isn't

some vigilante thing you go to court and

they sentence you to death

that's the regime in the palestinian

authority with a president who is 18

years into his four-year term he has yet

to call elections why isn't amnesty

international pointing a light at that

or pointing a light at hamas and what

hamas does with international aid and

how it diverts it into weapons and

tunnels to the detriment of the people

living in gaza

these are the things that should be

explored this kind of libel against

israel should not ever be accepted by

the international community