Israel called to account

A new report by Human Rights Watch slams Israel as an apartheid state. What now?

By Sam Bahour | Le Monde diplomatique | Apr 27, 2021

‘The finding is based on an overarching Israeli government policy to maintain the domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians and grave abuses committed against Palestinians living in the occupied territory, including East Jerusalem.’
— Human Rights Watch report

One of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights, Human Rights Watch (HRW), today issued a 213-page report entitled ‘A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution’. The report examines Israel’s treatment of all Palestinians, regardless of where they may reside between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and beyond.

For such a mainstream organization, it minces no words. The report starts by noting that ‘Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution.’ In a press release announcing the report, HRW said, ‘The finding is based on an overarching Israeli government policy to maintain the domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians and grave abuses committed against Palestinians living in the occupied territory, including East Jerusalem.’

This latest report digging into Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights comes after decades of the powers-that-be documenting the situation at length, but doing little more than issuing statements of condemnation. Examples of this failure to hold Israel accountable are noted throughout the report.

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