Israeli human rights group B’Tselem’ reported on Tuesday that the state of Israel is pursuing a nondemocratic “apartheid regime” and “Jewish supremacy” in both Palestinian and Israeli territories. The group has documented abuses against Palestinians since 1989 and continues to challenge the myth that Palestine and Israel exist side-by-side as separate autonomous regions. B’Tselem’ has called attention to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, citing abuses by the Israeli government against Palestinians under the guise of national security protocols.
The group’s report asserts that the Israeli regime seeks to govern “all the territory between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea” to “cement Jewish supremacy” throughout the entire area. The report further reveals that the state of Israel achieves this purpose by: (1) affording Jewish people throughout the world the right to secure Israeli citizenship while denying this right to Palestinians; (2) establishing mass Jewish-only settlements on Palestinian land driving Palestinian residents out; (3) restricting Palestinians’ freedom of movement and political participation; and (4) holding Palestinians hostage under an illegal military occupation. According to B’Tselem’, Israel’s systematic oppression of Palestinians has unfolded over many years as the result of various laws aimed at promoting Jewish supremacy.
“One organizing principle lies at the base of a wide array of Israeli policies: advancing and perpetuating the supremacy of one group—Jews—over another—Palestinians,” B’Tselem’ said in its Tuesday statement.
Jewish B’Tselem’ director Hagai El-Ad hopes the report will aid the incoming Biden administration in crafting a US foreign policy that will advance the Palestinian cause. “I expect this will be part of a new chapter for fighting for justice in this place,” El-Ad said. He continued, “Israel is not a democracy that has a temporary occupation attached to it: it is one regime between the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, and we must look at the full picture and see it for what it is: apartheid.”
The Israeli government has not yet issued a response.
