21st Century Apartheid

The suffering of Palestinians in the West Bank is like the uncle the western powers have locked hidden in the attic and never speak of to the world.

PART TWO OF A THREE PART SERIES. If you want to read part one you can find it here

Israel has spent so long abusing the Palestinians, it’s become normalised. Despite attempts by the United Nations to shine a light on the abuse, The Israeli government has simply been allowed to continue to adopt an apartheid approach to what they call the ‘Palestinian problem’

Just for context, Israel has maintained military rule over much of the Palestinian population for all but six months of its 73-year history. This means that a large proportion of the Palestinian population are subject to separate laws. Something I’m pretty sure Donald Trump would introduce for blue states if he could.

In contrast, all Jewish citizens, including settlers in the OPT (Occupied Territories) are subject to its more rights-respecting civil law. Israel has spent almost it’s entire existence since 1948 bullying and abusing Palestinians, using the Holocaust as a free pass to mistreat a population they define as sub human. Segregation may well have gone from South Africa and the Southern states of America, but it’s alive and well in Gaza and the West Bank TODAY.

Amnesty International reports:

‘It’s impossible to talk about Israel’s judiciary without highlighting its ongoing role in enforcing and maintaining apartheid against Palestinians. Over the years, the Supreme Court has issued numerous rulings which paved the way for the Israeli government and military to commit human rights violations against Palestinians.

The court has greenlighted the demolition of thousands of Palestinian homes, and approved the destruction of entire villages. In 2018, for example, it ruled that the village of Khan al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank could be razed to make way for illegal settlements. In 2022, the court approved the demolition of nine villages in Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank and the forcible transfer of the 1,150 Palestinians who live there.’

There is little doubt in my mind that Apartheid is ever present in the occupied territories and anyone who suggests otherwise is either deliberately lying to you, or grossly misinformed. In April 2022, Amnesty International produced a 450 page report entitled ‘ISRAEL’S APARTHEID AGAINST PALESTINIANS’. The report clearly shows:

‘Israel imposes a system of oppression and domination against Palestinians across all areas under its control: in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in Israel and against Palestinian refugees to benefit Jewish Israelis. This amounts to apartheid as prohibited in international law. Laws, policies, and practices which are intended to maintain a cruel system of control over Palestinians have left them fragmented geographically and politically, frequently impoverished, and in a constant state of fear and insecurity.‘

So what exactly is Apartheid?

Apartheid is a violation of public international law, a grave violation of internationally protected human rights, and a crime against humanity under international criminal law. The term “apartheid” was originally used to refer to a political system in South Africa which explicitly enforced racial segregation, and the domination and oppression of one racial group by another. It has since been adopted by the international community to condemn and criminalise such systems and practices wherever they occur in the world.

If you would like a quick visual summary of the report, then I recommend this excellent clip from Mehdi Hassan

Needless to say, the Israeli government condemn the report as guess what ‘anti semitic’. This, despite two other international led reports including one from Human Rights Watch, which drew the exact same conclusions. I return to my old analogy, ‘If it waddles like a duck and it quacks, it’s probably a duck’. The approach is scarily reminiscent of the MAGA denialists who claim the 2021 insurrection was a tourist day out.

So why discuss all this? Because it goes to the very heart of the problem. It’s an age old approach that is destined to fail or worse still, deliver insurgent attacks on the perceived oppressor. I should know. As a Brit I have seen this all play out with the IRA in Northern Ireland. They almost blew up the entire UK Cabinet in October 1984, when a bomb was planted in the hotel where the cabinet were staying for the Conservative Party's conference in Brighton. Five people died and at least 30 were injured in the explosion at the Grand Hotel. This was one of a number of attacks on the UK mainland by the IRA, who by the way, many Americans regarded at the time as ‘freedom fighters’.

The British government’s response was not to turn Northern Ireland into a steaming pile of rubble, it was to try and try again to arrive at a peace settlement, which did finally happen on April 10, 1998, when a peace agreement was signed. This brought to an end the 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland, known as ‘the troubles’.

My problem here is, the IRA were considered ‘freedom fighters’ in Washington. Members of Sinn Féin (the political arm of the IRA) were no strangers to an invite from The White House. Can you imagine an invite being extended to HAMAS to discuss Gaza peace talks? AIPAC would detonate a bomb in the Capitol Building.

Let’s be clear, along the way, the British Army who were an occupying force in Northern Ireland, did not always cover themselves in glory on a number of occasions. The most infamous of these was ‘Bloody Sunday’, when in 1972, an event known as the Bogside Massacre, saw the killing in Derry of 14 unarmed civilians during a civil rights protest. The problem with oppression is, it breeds violent resistance and the same was true on October 7th 2023. Just as the IRA had carried out atrocities on the UK mainland during the troubles, HAMAS did the same. As I have said many times, the slaughter of innocent civilians in ANY conflict is abhorrent and unacceptable. Justice must be served for the victims, regardless of where terrorist attacks take place.

The largest civilian loss in an IRA bomb attack during the 30 years of conflict, was the Omagh bombing in 1998, when 29 civilians were killed. Imagine if following that attack on British citizens, the UK army had gone into Northern Ireland looking for the bombers and killed 38,000 women and children? It is simply inconceivable. The British Prime Minister Tony Blair would have been prosecuted for war crimes and the US would have supported it. Yet this is exactly what happened after the October 7th attack. In stark contrast, the US has issued sanctions on the International Criminal Court for trying to hold Benjamin Netanyahu to account for the criminal actions of his Army. I think it’s an absolute textbook example of hypocrisy.

The reason Western governments have been silent on the matter is for one reason alone, Palestinians are primarily Muslims. Western leaders will dance on the head of a pin and tell you that’s nonsense, but they are lying. A Muslim life has less value than a white christian life, it’s part of Western culture DNA. Did you know that In the US, Jewish households and Muslim Americans donate the most to charity? Jewish households give the highest dollar amount per household, while Muslim Americans give a higher percentage of their wealth/income to charity. Both of these groups give significantly more than both Catholics and Protestants. Just another example of how the white Christians narrative ignores the truth. Just as Trump does when pinning his lies to the flagpole flying the American flag.

Shifting back to Gaza and the West Bank, you have to understand just what segregation means. It means that if you are Palestinian there are roads and footpaths you can’t use and much more. Palestinians are subject to military law and the chances of any legal redress against a Jewish citizen is virtually ZERO, regardless of the facts or the evidence. Evictions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem in 2024 is just one example of where Israeli settlers simply decided they wanted to live in homes occupied by Palestinian families. They were then aided and abetted by the courts who issue eviction orders. In this instance, The UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory issued a statement to say:

Israel must immediately end practices of forced eviction that threaten to displace more than eighty Palestinian families from their homes in Batn al-Hawa, Silwan, East Jerusalem – OHCHR

Imagine you’re a Mexican American living in Texas and your family immigrated legally to the US two generations ago. A white guy knocks on your door and says, ‘I’m moving in here, you have 30 days to remove your belongings. Aside from the fact you might shoot him on the spot, you would look to the courts to stop it from happening. Now imagine the courts were on his side. Although simplified, this is how it works if you’re a Palestinian living in the occupied territories.

Palestinians are quite literally surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements under international law. Settler groups are armed and often supported by the IDF as they intimidate Palestinians in attempts to force them from their land. Since the war began in 2023 Over 120,000 firearms have been distributed among Israeli settlers on instructions from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. This has just led to more violence and intimidation.

In short, the Palestinians in both Gaza and the occupied territories are treated much like the Jews were in the Warsaw ghetto. They are humiliated, harassed and subject to administrative detention. For clarification, Administrative detention is :

A practice where individuals, particularly Palestinians, are held without charge or trial based on security concerns, often for extended periods. The state is not required to disclose its evidence to the detainees or their lawyers, and while there's a hearing before a military judge, it's not a trial.

As a point of reference before the Gaza war, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reported Israel killed five times as many Palestinians in 2022 than it killed in the same period in 2021

Infographic from the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories

Save the Children reported, 2022 became the deadliest year for Palestinian children in 15 years. Jason Lee, Country Director for Save the Children in the occupied Palestinian territory, stated:

“It is unacceptable that there is continued use of lethal force against children. So far, 34 Palestinian children in the West Bank have lost their lives in 2022, in what has become the deadliest year for children in more than 15 years. One Israeli child was reportedly also killed in an attack just yesterday morning. Once again, children are paying the heaviest price for a conflict they have no control over.

The escalating violence witnessed in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel is deeply alarming as it threatens children’s lives and wellbeing. A culture of impunity will only serve to continue cycles of violence. This has to stop. Without steps being taken to de-escalate the situation, children will continue to pay the price.

Under international law, children have special protection and must be protected from violence at all times. Every action necessary must be taken to keep children safe.”

The point I’m making here is that October 7th 2023 was not when the violence and intimidation began. This is a longstanding and ongoing systematic persecution of the Palestinian population in defiance of International law and countless ignored UN resolutions. The Israeli government sees itself as above the law. This belief is simply reinforced by the unconditional support of the US and $3 billion of military aid delivered annually. It just serves to enable their abhorrent behaviour without fear of consequence.

The final part of this series will deal with the actual Gaza war and will be delivered on Monday accompanied by a short film to bring all three pieces together. I realise that speaking about Gaza has become uncomfortable for some given the acts of retribution than can result from speaking out, but the truth IS often uncomfortable, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the good conscience to face it head on.