Global Reaction, Call for Action on "Israel’s" Apartheid Against Palestinians

Amnesty International released a report on "Israel’s" Apartheid against Palestinians. The report delves into how "Israel" uses coercion and dominance to oppress Palestinians wherever it has control over their rights: Palestinians living in "Israel" and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), as well as displaced refugees in other countries. International law considers apartheid to be a crime against humanity. It is defined as "inhuman actions performed with the intent of establishing and maintaining dominance by one racial group over any other racial group and systematically oppressing them."
 
In response to this report, several Palestinian civil society organizations called on other countries to take strong responses to end "Israel's" illegal acquisition of Palestinian territory via force and its apartheid, as well as its rejection of Palestinian inherent right to self-determination.
 
Moreover, because of the growing recognition that "Israel" maintains an apartheid rule over Palestinians, regional and international civil society organizations have called on the United Nations General Assembly to take immediate and effective steps to address the root causes of Palestinian oppression, including ending "Israel's" occupation, inhibition of Gaza, forcible acquisition of territories, its apartheid regime over the Palestinian people as a whole, and the continued denial of the Palestinian people's inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination and the right to return to their homeland.
 
They further urged all UN General Assembly Member States to launch global investigations into "Israel's" apartheid against the Palestinians and eliminate apartheid in the twenty-first century, particularly by reinstituting the UN Special Committee against Apartheid and the UN Centre Against Apartheid. Arms sales and military-security cooperation with "Israel" must also be prohibited. Restrictions should be imposed on trade with illegal occupied territories, and companies should refrain from doing business with "Israel's" unlawful settlements.
 
Previously, civil society organizations urged the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council to take comprehensive measures to secure justice and accountability for widespread and systemic human rights violations, including potential international crimes perpetrated against Palestinian people (Al-Haq, 2022).
 
Most importantly, the Palestinian civil society has called for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS); a global citizen reaction to the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice, and equality. The BDS movement also stressed that "Israel's" policies of apartheid against Palestinians are only possible because of international support. Governments around the globe refuse to hold "Israel" accountable, while corporations’ profit from their role in Israeli settlements or "Israel's" militarized suppression of Palestinians because those in positions of authority refuse to take action to address this injustice,
 
In addition to this, the Palestinian activists in Australia have urged the Australian government not to overlook an Amnesty’s report accusing "Israel" of apartheid and stressed that Australia has a responsibility to report human rights violations wherever they occur. This report urges governments to employ political and diplomatic measures to stop this unjust situation, particularly those with close ties to "Israel".

Nasser Mashni, vice-president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, discussed that Australia’s government has a history of sheltering "Israel" from accountability. It is Australia's responsibility to denounce this in the strongest possible terms. Australia should follow the report's recommendations and impose an arms embargo on "Israel" right away.

Significantly, there is no viable justification for a system based on millions of people being subjected to institutionalized and long-term racist oppression. Apartheid has no place in the world, and countries that choose to make exceptions for "Israel" will be on the wrong side of history. Governments that continue to support "Israel" and shield it from international accountability at the UN are backing apartheid, undermining international law, and exacerbating Palestinian suffering. The international community must address "Israel's" apartheid reality and seek the many untapped paths to justice. (Amnesty International, 2022).
 
The international world must put pressure on "Israel" to remove this inhumane institution. All those who have jurisdiction over the crimes committed to keep the system running should look into them. Such acts are part of a systematic and widespread assault against the Palestinian people and constitute apartheid's crime against humanity. The international world must put pressure on "Israel" to remove this inhumane institution.

For more than two decades, Palestinians who have been subjected to "Israel's" repression have called for a recognition of "Israel's" rule as apartheid. Over time, a larger international acknowledgment of "Israel's" treatment of Palestinians as apartheid has emerged. Despite this, governments with the authority to intervene have hesitated to do anything to hold "Israel" accountable. Instead, they have been hiding behind a dormant peace process, putting human rights and responsibility on the back burner. This report sheds light on the Palestinian people's cause and the best ways to achieve peace. Therefore, "Israel" must end the fragmentation, segregation, discrimination, and deprivation imposed on the Palestinian people.