Amnesty slams Israel's systematic abuse of Palestinians as 'crime of apartheid'
Amnesty slams Israel's systematic abuse of Palestinians as 'crime of apartheid'
In a 280-page report, Amnesty International has slammed Israel for enforcing a system of 'apartheid' on Palestinians and has called on the UK as well as other nations to readdress their relationship with Israel.
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Amnesty said western states had 'refused to take any meaningful action against Israel' [Getty]
has slammed Israel’s "institutionalised and systematic"Ìýabuse of Palestinians, saying that it amounts to the "
In a report published on Tuesday,Ìýthe organisation concluded that Israel treats "Palestinians as an inferior non-Jewish racial group"Ìýby enforcing a "".
The 280-page document, entitledÌýIsrael's Apartheid Against Palestinians,ÌýoutlinedÌýhow the Israeli state segregates and controls Palestinians in order to maintain Jewish hegemony.
It said that IsraelÌýusedÌýunlawful killings, , forced transfer, restrictions on movement, and denial of nationality and citizenship in order to achieve this.
"Our report reveals the true extent of Israel’s apartheid regime. Whether they live in Gaza, East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, or Israel itself, Palestinians are treated as an inferior racial group and systematically deprived of their rights,"ÌýAmnesty International’s Secretary-GeneralÌýAgnes Callamard said.
By referring to a number of specific examples, such as attempts to expel Palestinians in or segregationistÌýland policies in , the rights group explainedÌýhow systematic oppression was experienced differently in different areas.
Yet ultimately, the group concluded that the fundamental aim of these policies was to prevent Palestinians from "claiming and enjoying equal rights".Ìý
The international community "has an obligation to act"Ìýgiven the extent and scale of the oppression,ÌýCallamard said.
Amnesty’s report specifically calledÌýon the , as well as the US and EU,Ìýto recognise this "crime of apartheid"Ìýand readdress their relationship with
"Apartheid has no place in our world, and states which choose to make allowances for Israel will find themselves on the wrong side of history," Callamard added.
The Israeli government attempted a pre-emptive strikeÌýon Monday ahead of the report’s release by labelling the document as "anti-Semitic".
Israeli officials claim they were "not informed" or approached by Amnesty, according to The Times.Ìý
However, Amnesty made clear in its report that it had contacted the last year detailing the accusations.Ìý
The human rights group’s report was based on research and analysis carried out by the organisation between July 2017 to November 2021.
This involved "extensively"Ìýanalysing Israeli legislation and policy as well as speaking to Palestinians, Israelis and a number of NGOs.
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