APARTHEID: THE ISRAELIS TAKE WHAT SOUTH AFRICA HAS ABOLISHED [1]
Of John Dugard , IMEU , 29 November 2006
The new book of former President Jimmy Carter, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," has ignited a controversy for its allegation that Israel practices a form of apartheid.
As a South African - and former activist against apartheid - who regularly visits the Palestinian territories to assess the situation of human rights on behalf of the UN Human Rights Council [Council for Human Rights United Nations] [2] , the comparison with apartheid South Africa is of particular interest to me
At first glance, the two regimes are very different. Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial discrimination of which the white minority of South Africa uses to maintain power over the black majority. It consisted in the denial of political rights of blacks, the fragmentation of the country in white areas and black areas (called Bantustans) e nell’imposizione di misure restrittive contro i neri volte a conseguire la superiorità e la sicurezza dei bianchi e la separazione razziale.
Il “sistema delle leggi del passaggio”, che cercava di impedire il libero movimento dei neri e di ridurre il loro ingresso nelle città, veniva applicato in modo rigoroso. I neri vennero forzatamente “trasferiti”, e venne loro negato l’accesso alla maggior parte dei locali pubblici e a molti tipi di lavoro. Il sistema venne applicato con un brutale apparato di sicurezza in cui la tortura aveva un ruolo significativo.
I territori palestinesi – Gerusalemme Est, la Cisgiordania and Gaza - have been under Israeli military occupation since 1967. As the military occupation is tolerated and regulated by international law, is considered an undesirable regime to put an end as soon as possible. For nearly 40 years, the United Nations condemning the military occupation by Israel, along with colonialism and apartheid, as contrary to international audiences.
In principle, the purpose of military occupation is different from that of apartheid. It is not intended as a long-term oppressive regime but as an interim measure that maintains law and order in a territory after a conflict armed and waiting for a peace agreement. But this is not the nature of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Since 1967, Israel has imposed its control over Palestinian territories, in the guise of employment as a colonizing power. Seized permanently more attractive parts of the territory - the holy places in East Jerusalem, Hebron and Bethlehem and the fertile agricultural lands along the western border and in the Jordan Valley - and planted their "colonists" throughout the Jewish territory.
The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories has many features of colonization. At the same time, it has many of the worst features of apartheid. The West Bank has been fragmented into three areas - north (Jenin and Nablus), center (Ramallah) and south (Hebron) - which increasingly resemble the Bantustans in South Africa.
Restrictions on freedom of movement - imposed by a rigid permit system applied by some 520 checkpoints and roadblocks - they look like, but in their hardness go far beyond the "system of pass laws" of apartheid. And the security apparatus reminiscent of apartheid, with more than 10,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, and the frequent allegations of torture of cruel.
Many aspects of Israel's occupation surpass those of the apartheid regime. The large-scale destruction, by Israel of Palestinian homes, leveling of agricultural lands, military incursions and targeted assassinations of Palestinians far exceed any similar practices in apartheid South Africa. No wall was ever built to separate blacks and whites.
After the international movement against apartheid, it was hoped a similar international effort, concerted and united, against the inhuman treatment of Palestinians by Israel. Instead, here we are an international community divided between the West and the rest of the world. The Security Council is unable to take action due to the veto of the abstention of the United States and the European Union. And the United States and the European Union, acting in collusion with the United Nations and the Russian Federation , actually have imposed economic sanctions on the Palestinian people for having democratically elected a government deemed unacceptable to Israel and the West. The commitment to end the occupation, colonization and apartheid has been forgotten.
In light of this, the U.S. should not be surprised if the rest of the world begins not to believe in their commitment per i diritti umani. Alcuni americani – giustamente – si lamentano che altri paesi siano indifferenti alla regione sudanese, lacerata dalla violenza, del Darfur e a situazioni analoghe nel mondo. Ma se gli Stati Uniti mantengono un doppio metro di giudizio rispetto alla Palestina, non possono aspettarsi cooperazione da altri nella lotta per i diritti umani.
[1] Traduzione di Andrea Carancini. Il testo originale è disponibile all’indirizzo: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6137.shtml
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