What is apartheid and why do some accuse Israel of it? | Start Here
Summary
TLDRThis script discusses the term 'apartheid', historically associated with South Africa, and its contemporary application to describe Israel's treatment of Palestinians. It outlines South Africa's apartheid era, characterized by racial segregation and subjugation, and draws parallels with Israel's policies towards Palestinians. Key points include accusations by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of Israel's apartheid-like practices, the Israeli government's rejection of these claims, and the debate over whether these practices constitute a crime against humanity as defined by international law.
Takeaways
- ๐ The term 'apartheid', historically associated with South Africa, is increasingly used to describe Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
- ๐ Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused Israel of apartheid, citing international law and extensive reports documenting crimes against humanity.
- ๐ Apartheid in South Africa was a system of racial segregation and discrimination enforced by the National Party from the 1940s to 1994, leading to the marginalization and oppression of the black majority.
- ๐ The South African apartheid system was characterized by laws that classified individuals into racial groups, segregated communities, and restricted the movement and rights of non-whites.
- ๐ Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress played pivotal roles in the resistance against apartheid in South Africa, leading to its eventual dismantling and the advent of a democratic South Africa.
- ๐ The international community played a significant role in the fall of apartheid in South Africa through protests, economic sanctions, and diplomatic pressure.
- ๐ Human rights organizations argue that Israel maintains a system of domination and oppression in the Palestinian territories, with Israeli settlers enjoying superior legal status compared to Palestinians.
- ๐ฆ The Israeli government and its supporters refute the apartheid label, asserting that all citizens, including Palestinian citizens of Israel, have equal rights under the law.
- ๐ก Amnesty International contends that Palestinian citizens of Israel face rights violations, such as home demolitions and evictions, which contribute to a broader system of Palestinian oppression.
- ๐ The debate over whether Israel's policies constitute apartheid is gaining traction globally, with some drawing parallels to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and calling for similar international action.
Q & A
What does the term 'apartheid' originally refer to?
-The term 'apartheid' originally refers to the system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination that existed in South Africa, where a white minority ruled over and exploited the indigenous black population.
What does the word 'apartheid' mean in Afrikaans?
-The word 'apartheid' means 'separateness' in Afrikaans.
How did apartheid manifest in South Africa during the National Party's rule?
-Apartheid in South Africa under the National Party's rule manifested through laws that classified people into racial groups and segregated them in every aspect of life, including education, housing, and public spaces.
What was the role of the 'population registration Act' in apartheid South Africa?
-The 'population registration Act' was central to apartheid legislation as it provided a legal definition of race, which was used to enforce segregation and determine where people could live, be educated, and work.
How did the apartheid system in South Africa end?
-Apartheid in South Africa ended in 1994 after decades of internal resistance, international pressure, and sanctions, culminating in the release of Nelson Mandela and the country's first free elections.
What is the international legal definition of apartheid as a crime against humanity?
-Apartheid is defined as a crime against humanity under international law as inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group over any other racial group and systematically oppressing them.
Why are some human rights organizations accusing Israel of apartheid?
-Some human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, accuse Israel of apartheid due to what they perceive as a system of oppression and domination that prioritizes Israeli Jews over Palestinians.
How do the Israeli government and its supporters respond to the apartheid accusations?
-The Israeli government and its supporters reject the apartheid label, arguing that Israel is a democracy where all citizens, including Palestinian citizens, have equal rights and are subject to the same laws.
What are the key differences between the apartheid systems in South Africa and the situation in Israel and Palestine as described by human rights organizations?
-While South African apartheid was characterized by a comprehensive legal system enforcing racial segregation, the situation in Israel and Palestine involves a complex set of laws and policies that some human rights organizations argue amount to a system of domination and oppression, particularly in the occupied territories.
How do some rights groups argue that the situation in Israel and Palestine meets the criteria for apartheid under international law?
-Some rights groups argue that the situation meets the criteria for apartheid because they see a system of domination by one group over others being implemented through law, with elements of dehumanizing the oppressed groups, particularly in the occupied territories.
Outlines
๐ The Evolution of the Term 'Apartheid'
This paragraph discusses the historical and contemporary usage of the term 'apartheid,' traditionally associated with South Africa's racial segregation policies. It notes the increasing application of the term to describe Israel's treatment of Palestinians. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused Israel of apartheid, citing international law and alleging crimes against humanity. The Israeli government, however, denies these accusations. The paragraph sets the stage for a deeper exploration of apartheid's meaning, its historical context in South Africa, and its contemporary relevance in discussions about Israel and Palestine.
๐ The History and Impact of Apartheid in South Africa
This paragraph delves into the history of apartheid in South Africa, detailing the policies that enforced racial segregation and subjugation of the black majority by the white minority. It outlines the legislative framework that classified people into racial groups and the consequences of these classifications, such as forced relocation to bantustans, pass laws, and segregated public facilities. The paragraph also discusses the resistance and international pressure that eventually led to the end of apartheid in 1994, with Nelson Mandela's release from prison and subsequent election as president marking a significant turning point.
๐๏ธ The Legal Definition and Contemporary Application of Apartheid
The final paragraph explores the legal definition of apartheid as a crime against humanity, established under international law. It discusses the criteria for determining apartheid, including systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over another. The paragraph then applies this definition to the situation in Israel and Palestine, examining the arguments made by human rights organizations that Israel's treatment of Palestinians constitutes apartheid. It contrasts the experiences of Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, highlighting disparities in legal status, movement, and resource allocation. The paragraph concludes by acknowledging the debate over whether Israel's policies meet the criteria for apartheid, a question that remains subject to legal and political debate.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กApartheid
๐กAmnesty International
๐กHuman Rights Watch
๐กInternational Law
๐กSettlements
๐กDomination
๐กTerritorial Fragmentation
๐กBantustans
๐กInternational Criminal Court (ICC)
๐กTwo-State Solution
Highlights
Amnesty International accuses Israel of being in an apartheid state.
The term apartheid is increasingly used to describe Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
Apartheid in South Africa was characterized by laws that segregated and subjugated the black majority.
The apartheid policy in South Africa was aimed at maintaining white minority rule.
International law now defines apartheid as a crime against humanity.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have published extensive reports accusing Israel of apartheid.
The Israeli government rejects the apartheid label and asserts that Israel is a democracy with equal rights for all citizens.
Rights groups argue that Israeli settlers in the West Bank have superior legal status compared to Palestinians.
There are separate justice systems for Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the occupied territories.
Palestinians face restrictions on movement and access to resources, unlike Israeli settlers.
The concept of apartheid has evolved beyond its South African origins to describe systemic discrimination.
Some groups argue that apartheid is not only happening in the occupied territories but also within Israel.
The Israeli government and its supporters claim that all citizens, including Palestinian Israelis, have equal rights.
Amnesty International contends that Palestinian citizens of Israel face rights violations within a broader system of oppression.
The debate over Israel and apartheid is gaining attention in international diplomacy and public opinion.
The South African government has drawn parallels between its own apartheid past and Israel's policies.
The question of whether Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid is ultimately a matter for international courts to decide.
Transcripts
let's talk about
[Applause]
apartheid for a long time the word was
only associated with South
Africa but more and more people are
using it to describe Israel's treatment
of Palestinians let's talk about the a
word Amnesty International has accused
Israel of being in apartheid state we
call it apartheid because it is apar
under international law Human Rights
Watch has released a report that says
isra authorities are committing crimes
against humanity of apte but the Israeli
government completely rejects the
label so what does apartheid actually
mean what did it look like in South
Africa and why is the word being brought
up in the context of
Israel let's start with South Africa's
story since the 60 00s the territory
that's now South Africa was under Dutch
and then British colonial rule for
centuries you had a white minority
ruling over and exploiting the
indigenous black population who were the
majority from the early 1900s there were
laws that essentially forced the black
population to live in impoverished areas
known as reserves but in 1948 a new
government led by the National Party
came to power they took segregation even
further under a policy they called
aparte the word means separateness in
Africans how they've um promoted a um
aparted to the South African population
was that unless um the white Community
was solid on every single aspect of
segregation there would eventually be a
situation where they would be
overwhelmed by the black majority over
the following decades under the
apartheid policy the National Party
introduced a bunch of laws they covered
every aspect of life but were all
essentially aimed at the same thing
keeping the white minority in power and
the black population subjugated one of
the main laws classified people into
four racial groups native that was the
term for black people colored for those
of mixed race Asian that was applied to
people of Indian Heritage or white the
population registration Act was uh
Central to the legislation because that
would allow you to have a clear legal
definition of who belonged to what race
and therefore you could begin to say who
should be schooled where who should live
where who can marry whom and rules about
who could live where were a big part of
how apartheid operated black South
Africans were forced to live in rural
areas called bantustans or homelands
these made up 133% of the total land
even though black South Africans were at
least 75% of the population there were
other laws
too black South Africans had to carry a
special pass if they wanted to travel
outside side of the bantos to go to work
for example and were fined or arrested
if they didn't have the right
paperwork public communities were also
segregated non-whites were banned from
certain Parks beaches and
transport the education systems were
different too you had your Bunch
education and basically this would be a
form of Education where they teach you
how to do gardening how to do um cooking
they weren't allowed to say study maths
and signs there's a very rich literature
um on the black um South African
experience under aart and the
overwhelming
Central aspect of that is the experience
of being made a stranger or an alien in
the land of your birth by a immigrant
settler Community apartheid finally
ended in 1994 but it took
decades there was opposition from the
start with mass protests and Civil
Disobedience campaigns led by black
activists and the African National
Congress orc that's the party of Nelson
Mandela which has dominated South
African politics in the post-apartheid
era as the resistance movement grew
through the 60s and 70s the South
African government responded with
[Music]
violence we had young people coming
together um standing in Union against
what was happening and so on and during
that time you had people just murdered
being shot at and so on over time the
anti-ar movement also gained support
internationally there were student
protests in lots of countries South
African sports teams came under pressure
when they played abroad feelings about
recent tragedies in South Africa are
naturally running very strong just now
the country was banned for major
sporting events including the Olympics
it was all part of a bigger campaign to
isolate South Africa politically and
economically there was a un arms embargo
boycots and sanctions by the late 80s
major Western governments like the US
and UK had joined in too and those are
just some examples among a whole web of
internal and external factors that
eventually pushed South Africa's
government to change course whilst none
of them by in and off themselves were
able to overthrow the government
they were able to create a situation of
indemic Crisis which the aparted
government realized it could not get out
of at some point it became too costly to
continue this racial segregation and
that and other factors didn't contribute
to towards this move towards democracy
that happened in the 1990s and this was
a huge
moment when Nelson Mandela was released
from prison he was one of the main
anti-apartheid leaders and had been
locked up for 27 years for his
opposition to the government when South
Africa's first free elections were held
in 1994 he became president another huge
moment the people of South Africa have
spoken in this election they want
change and change is what they will
get so that was the story of a partid in
South Africa the short version anyway
the South African experience explains
the root of the word but the concept of
apartheid has evolved for many people
aparti uh means similarity to South
Africa that is no longer the case today
apartheid is a clearly defined legal
term that's because apartheid has been
established as a crime against humanity
under international law in 1973 the
United Nations adopted what's known as
the apartheid convention it defines
apartheid as inhuman acts committed for
the purpose of establishing and
maintaining Domination by one racial
group over any other racial group and
systematically oppressing them and in
1998 apartheid was included in the Rome
statute the treaty that underpins the
international criminal court and it uses
similar language is there a system of
Domination by one group over others is
law being used to Implement that system
are there elements of dehumanizing the
oppressed groups and if all the elements
exist then the crime exists and in
recent years that conclusion that the
crime of AP partite exists is one that
many human rights organizations have
come to in relation to Israel's
treatment of Palestinians they include
Palestinian groups Israeli groups and
two big International ones Human Rights
Watch and Amnesty International who've
both published investig that are
hundreds of pages long the core
accusation is that the Israeli
government maintains a system of
Oppression and domination that
prioritizes Israeli Jews over
Palestinians now all of them have
reached their conclusion in slightly
different ways and they differ over
exactly where they think AP parte is
happening let's look at the map you've
got Israel here and then the Palestinian
territories which are under Israeli
military occupation meaning Israel has
ultimate authority over this whole area
now some groups including amnesty argue
that AP partite is happening in Israel
itself as well as the occupied
territories we'll get back to that other
groups like Human Rights Watch say the
term apartheid only applies in the
occupied territories here are some of
the things they point
to there are 700,000 Israeli settlers
living in the West Bank in East
Jerusalem and the Israeli government has
granted them a superior status under the
law as compared to Palestinians living
in the same territory that's how Human
Rights Watch puts it it's things like
separate Justice systems settlers are
subject to Israeli civil law
Palestinians are typically subject to
Israeli military law the Israeli
military writes the regulations and the
rules which determine how and where you
build how and where you
travel uh how and where you conduct your
normal business your economy how much
water uh you are allowed it's two
different worlds the Arabs live under
military occupation while the
Israelis
are
enjoying the Palestinian land which they
live on but at the same time they
enjoying all the Privileges that you can
get by being an Israeli citizen
Palestinians can't move around in the
way Israelis can in the West Bank they
have to pass through military
checkpoints they often need special
permits and are banned from using
certain roads we have a Palestinian
dedicated app that shows the route that
Palestinians can take when they want to
go from one place to another they also
can't travel freely between the West
Bank and Gaza even before the recent War
Israel had a total blockade on the Gaza
Strip and this is all part of what the
rights groups call territorial
fragmentation because while Israeli
territory is contiguous I IE it's one
chunk of land Palestinians have been
pushed into a patchwork of territory the
Israeli organization B selum says this
separates the Palestinians into distinct
groups which helps Israel promote Jewish
Supremacy and thwarts criticism and
resistance so there is quite a lot of
agreement among rights groups that
Israel is practicing a partide here less
so on whether the criteria for a partide
is met in Israel itself the Israeli
government and others say that all
Israel citizens have equal rights
including Palestinian citizens of Israel
who make up about 20% of the
population there is forly a democracy
Democratic regime Jews and Arabs have
the same rights they can be elected
there is even an Arab judge in the
Supreme Court so actually there is some
discrimination of course between Arabs
and Jews inside Israel but
basically uh according to the Israeli
law there should be no discrimination on
the basis of race religion gender so
forth others say that in practice it's
not so clear-cut amnesty for example
argues that Palestinians citizens of
Israel do face considerable rights
violations including things like home
demolitions and forced evictions and
they say because those violations are
happening in the context of the wider
system of domination and oppression of
Palestinians the apartheid criteria are
met people began to say
well this system of apartheid doesn't
only exist in the West Bank for settlers
versus Arabs but it's really part and
parcel of the entire enire system of
Israel in all the areas under its
control even though it is uh applied in
different ways now the Israeli
government has called groups like
amnesty delusional for making the
accusation of apartheid and say they're
fueling anti-Semitism Israel isn't
perfect but we are a democracy committed
to international law open to criticism I
hate to use the argument that if Israel
was 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 criticizing
the government
for uh practicing apart hiide is
becoming not politically correct in
Israel you will not find it in the
mainstream media even in the Academia
professors are very careful about using
a
part but asking the question is Israel a
paride is more legitimate yes outside of
Israel especially in the context of
what's happening in Gaza that question
is getting more and more attention for
example some people are drawing
parallels between the pro Palestine
movement and the campaigns to isolate
South Africa during its apartheid era
South Africa's government itself is
making a link it referred to apartheid
at the un's highest court where it's ing
a case against Israel for another
International crime genocide which
Israel also denies we as South Africans
sense see hear and feel to our core the
in inhumane discriminatory policies and
practices of the Israeli regime as an
even more extreme form of the appetite
that was institutionalized against black
people in my country so the label of a
partide is being attached to Israel and
in the court of public opinion and
international diplomacy labels can be
powerful ultimately though the legal
question of whether Israel's guilty of
the crime of apartheid is one for an
international Court to
decide check out our episode on the
two-state solution between Israel and
Palestine our full playlist of episodes
is here and if there is a topic that you
want us to explain let us know in the
comments
[Music]
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