intro to israeli apartheid

8/10/2019 Intro to Israeli Apartheid

1/24

Intro to Israeli ApartheidMcMaster University

Waleed Ahmed

February 28th2014


2/24


3/24

History

Pre-1917: Historic Palestine under Ottoman Rule 1880s onwards:Jewish immigration begins to historic Palestine

1917:Balfour declaration for creation of national home for Jewish people

in Palestine. Ottomans defeated in WWI

1920-1947:Palestine administered by British under Mandate of Palestine

1947: UN Partition Plan to divide Palestine into Arab and Jewish state

1948:Israel declares statehood; Arab-Israel war breaks out. Jordan

annexes West Bank, East Jerusalem; Egypt controls Gaza strip

1967:Six-day war breaks out between Israel and Arab neighbors. Israel

occupies East Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza strip (OPT)

1967present: Israel maintains illegal military occupation of the OPT;

continues expansion of Jewish colonies in it


4/24


5/24

Whats apartheid? Historically, referred to the racist regime implemented in South Africa from

1948 to 1994.Today, its defined as a crime against humanity underinternational law - not a mere analogy

Rome Statuteand UNs Apartheid Convention define it as

inhumane acts which are committed by an institutionalized regime tosystematically oppress and maintain domination of one racial group over

another

Involves: murder, arbitrary arrest, bodily or mental harm, restriction ofmovement, division along racial lines, restriction of peaceful assembly

Three pillars:

1) Demarcating population along racial lines

2) Geographically separating them based on race

3) Draconian laws to ensure domination of one race over the other

Apartheid implemented by Israel in the Palestinian territories is designed to

oppress Palestinian Arabsand give preferential treatment to Israeli Jews


6/24

Bantustans of South Africa


7/24

The Apartheid Policies


8/24

Citizenship and Immigration

Law of Return: Allows any Jew with no prior ties to Israel to immigrate to

Israel and the OPT

Palestinians who were outside Israel before in 1948 or refugees from

1948/1967 are not allowed to return to their homes in Israel or the OPTdespite being indigenous people of the land

Any Jewish person can get Israel citizenship and reside in Israel or OPT

In West Bank and Gaza: Palestinians have no rights to citizenship.In East Jerusalem: Palestinians have to prove their center of life is

Jerusalem to be residents

In Israel: Palestinians have to prove they lived there between 1948-1952


9/24

Land Ownership: Palestinian

Enclaves and Jewish Colonies


10/24

West Bank split up into 131 disconnected Palestinian Bantustans and over

300 Jewish colonies (settlements + outposts)

Residence in each ethnic enclave is determined by ones racial identity -

Jews in one area, Palestinians in the other

Settlements are for exclusive Jewish useschools, hospitals, roads

everything. 43% of West Bank taken up by settlements

In Israel, 13% of land is owned by JNF who leases to Jews only. 80% isstate-owned and Arabs face numerous obstacles to access it; essentially

barred from use

Land Ownership: Palestinian

Enclaves and Jewish Colonies


11/24

Dual Legal Systems

Israel has two legal systems in OPT: Civilian law for Jewish colonists;

Military law for Palestinians

Jewish settlers get democratic protections and reduced penalties compared

to Palestinians for the same crime

No equality before the law. Israeli military brutally abuses Palestinians;

detains activists for extensive periods without trail


12/24

Restriction on Movement Segregated Apartheid Roads: Connecting

Jewish colonies to Israellargely off limits to

Palestinians. Alternative system of dirtstreets and inferior roads for them. Further

fragmentation of OPT

Separation Wall: 85% percent build in West

Bank. Cuts off Palestinians from each otherand from the Jews. 85% of Jews live on

Western side of wall

Check points: 85 manned checkpoints, over

100 flying checkpoints. Severely restricts

movementlong delays to school/work, over39 deaths in ambulances. Jewish settlers

arent subject to them

Complex permit system applied to

Palestinians only; Jewish colonizers notsubject to it


13/24

Separation Wall


14/24

Impact of Apartheid roads


15/24

Check Points


16/24

Siege of Gaza


17/24

Siege of Gaza

Israel evacuated settlements and moved military to borders in 2005

Severe economic siege implemented since 2007 since Hamas election; Egyptcomplicit in siege and blocks southern border.

Air: constant military patrol by drones and jets - psychological torture

Land: Buffer -zone extends up to 1,500 meters into the strip. Arabs shot at for tryinguse their own land; 17 children shot since 2010. 35% of agricultural land inaccessible. Regular leveling operations by IDF to destroy produce.

Water: Fisherman can use only 3 nautical miles from shore. Restricted from use of85% of maritime area entitled under Oslo

Power plants shut down due to fuel shortages. Sewage treatment severely broken.90% of water is unfit for drinking. Water aquifer will be unusable by 2016.

Gaza will be unlivable by 2020 according to UN. Collective punishment of 1.7 millionGazans.


18/24

Farming and Water Use

Israel only allocates 20% of water for

Palestinians. Palestinian consumption is 70

liters/day (below WHOs 100 litre/day rule).

Jewish settlers using 4 times.

Palestinians farmers in West Bank need permits

to access their farms in the lush seam-zone.

Only 40% of families could access their

farmland by 06.

Jordan Valley declared closed military zone. In

Gaza, 35% of agricultural is inaccessible

Jewish settlers face no restrictions of farming or

agriculture


19/24

Demographic Engineering

Drobles Plan, 1981

The civilian presence of Jewish communities is vital for the security of thestateThere mustnot be the slightest doubt regarding our intention to holdthe areas of Judea and Samaria [i.e. West Bank] foreverState anduncultivated land should be seized immediately for the purpose ofsettlement in the areas located among and around the population centreswith the aim of prevent ing as much as po ss ib le the establ ishment ofanoth er Arab state in these terr i tor ies. It w i l l be dif f icu l t for th e [Arab]

m inor i ty to form a regional conn ection and pol i t ical uni ty wh en spl i t by

Jewish colon ies

Jerusalem municipal plan 2000: stated goal of maintaining ademographic balance of 70 percent Jews to 30 percent Arabs in thecity


20/24

Propaganda Quiz


21/24

Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East! Arabs even serve in the Israeli

cabinet and have rights to vote just like Jews! Hows this apartheid?

In South Africa there were white-only beaches and numerous other facilities

reserved for whites only. You dont see any such signage or rules in the case of

Israeli apartheid.

Palestinians live under such deplorable conditions because they are ruled by the

Palestinian Authority and Hamas. The PA is corrupt.

Theres is no such thing as Palestine state

Responding to Propaganda


22/24

Responding to Propaganda

Palestinians needs to recognize Israels right to exist before the peace process

can move forward.

Gaza is ruled by Hamas which has been declared to be a terrorist organization.

It is always launching rockets at Israel and Israel thus it has the right to defend

itself.

Why do you keep calling Gaza as Occupied Territory? Israel evacuated the strip

in 2007 and its under Hamas control. Israel bears no responsibility


23/24

BDSBoycotts, Divestments,

Sanctions BDS call made by 170 community groups against Israel until it complies with

international law

Three demands:

1) End Israeli occupation of Arab lands occupied in June 1967

2) Recognize equal rights for Palestinians with Israeli citizenship3) Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugee toreturn to their homes as stipulated in UN Resolution 194

BDS is non-violent. Goal is to economically and socially isolate Israel intocompliance.

Boycotts: Involves Consumer, Academic and Cultural boycotts

Divestments: Institutions taking investments out of Israel

Sanctions: Sovereign states/national bodies cut ties with Israel until it complies


24/24

Dos and Donts of BDS

Focus boycotts on corporations complicit in supporting occupation and

settlements in OPT.

Identify high offenders; blanket boycotts are ineffective

Do your research. Theres a lot of misinformation out there get to the

source.

Let the corporation know you are boycotting them

CJPME is a great resource. Work with them on their campaigns.

Boycott, Dont hate

intro to israeli apartheid

Documents