The Codification of an Apartheid Israel
If we listened to the voices of Palestinians for the last 70 years, we would not have been surprised by Israel’s Nation State law. We would have realized that Israel has been a malignant, apartheid entity since its formation in the 20thcentury.
A natural by-product of over 70 years of systemic and persistent dominance characterized by land theft (i.e. the Nakba) and the asymmetrical slaughter of innocents (i.e. Great March of Return), Israel codified a history of inequality into its nation-state law. Such a measure, backed by white supremacists like Richard Spencer, declares that the right of self-determination belongs solely to Jews(re: white Jews) and cements Israel as an ethno-nationalist entity. Anyone living on occupied lands not fortunate enough to be born white and Jewish will legally be considered second-class citizens. This is a continuation of apartheid policies — such as a lack of police accountability, a broken justice system, and checkpoints to and from Palestinian neighborhoods — that target non-Jews. Israelis can legally use the dog whistle of “Jewish character” to quash Palestinian hopes and dreams of self-determination. The settlements built on Palestinian lands after Israel’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank, considered illegal by the rest of the world, are portrayed as a national value and are linked to the enforcement of a violently overgrown carceral entity fixated on racial purity. At first glance, this fascist measure seems out of place in a nation commonly touted by supporters as the only true democracy in the Middle East. This law perhaps is more suitable for a Jim Crow America, apartheid South Africa, or in fantasies of fascist activists– yet, here we are.
As radical as this law is, in many ways, it does not represent a major deviation from the entity that was both created from violence and dependent on de-facto segregation. Illegal settlements, a carceral state that targets Palestinians, a unequal treatmentunder the law, and violence to enforce these inequalities were all characteristics of the Israeli state before and after this nation state law. Also, one must simply listen to the past and present rhetoric and actions of its leaders to recognize the history of present-day conditions from a society that views themselves superior to their dispossessed neighbors. Ministers extol the virtues of “conquering Gaza and destroying it once and for all,” evoking imagery reminiscent of the brutal Crusades that occurred on these same lands 900 years ago. Other Israeli officials espoused openly genocidal beliefs, framing a slaughter of Palestinians for 70 years as “a war between two people.” Without empathy they declare the “entire Palestinian people [as] the enemy” and collective punishment as just — even the mothers “deserve” to join their sons in death.
It is no surprise that Israelis follow their leaders in racist vitriol ranging from revenge raids against Palestinian families to mobs of “proud boys” singing for Palestinians to be “wiped out”. When is enough, enough? When is it clear that racism is fundamental to the DNA of Israel? When does it become self-evident that an anti-Zionist ideology, which advocates for Palestinian liberation, is not anti-Semitic? The truth is that Israel is, in both actions and codified law, an apartheid state and has been for years. It is apparent to the rest of the world that Israel’s policies are abhorrent. Even South Africa, a country with a history of apartheid policies, declared that Israel was the world’s only apartheid country.
Fanatical leaders who advocate for the destruction of Palestine turn a blind eye to, or actively aid, right-wing militias around the world. In Ukraine, Israeli-made weapons end up in the hands of far-right groups. The Azov brigade, a well-known fascist group, fights to “restore the honor of the white race” against the “Semite-led untermenschen” with members who not only praise Adolf Hitler, but also tattoo themselves with Nazi swastikas and the SS skull symbol received Israeli arms. The current leader of the Azov division, Arsen Avakov, met with the Israeli interior minister, Aryeh Deri, to discuss areas of “fruitful cooperation”. What strange bedfellows for a state claiming to be a bulwark against anti-Semitism!
Unfortunately, Israel has a history of supporting fascist movements in countries like Guatemala and Argentina during the 1970s and 1980s as these dictators enacted mass torture, rape, and murder. Now, Israel maintains cozy relationships with far-right political parties in Europe and India, as well as bipartisan support from America’s conservative parties — the Republicans and Democrats (albeit support from the latter is somewhat weakening).
Far-right ideologies commonly reinforce each other, and the same goes for various fascist entities. The Nazis patterned their society after ideals originating in the Jim Crow South. Now, Israeli and American security forces routinely train together. Israel receives aid from the United States while, in return, Israel must spend a majority of aid on US-made weapons. Israel tests and uses US-made weapons in the West Bank and Gaza on innocent Palestinians while touting their “success” as a selling point. Even in the height of the Ferguson uprising, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department stockpiled a malodorant weapon called “skunk” that could be released via water cannons. This crowd-controlling weapon emits a foul smelling liquid that clings to people for weeks at a time, save for the removal by a special soap. Police departments across the United States train with IDF soldiers, and then use those brutal tactics to target and undermine movements in the US like Black Lives Matter. It is no wonder that black people often refer to the police as an occupying force when the police are trained to use the same tactics as an occupying force (the IDF).
The same systemic oppression we see in the United States towards black people is reflected, oftentimes more explicitly, in Israel against Palestinians. Palestinians suffer from policies of collective punishment, an unjust court system, and police brutality in a reality that is disturbingly similar to the black experience in the United States. In addition, Palestinians face checkpoints, raids by IDF soldiers, and attacks by settlers illegally occupying Palestinian land. If we believe black lives matter in the United States, and we wish to dismantle that system, how can we not seek to end Israeli apartheid? As a result, supporting the cause of liberation for marginalized groups in the United States and supporting Israel are mutually exclusive affairs. Those claiming to do both should be distrusted and viewed with suspicion. The fight for liberation is intersectional and requires solidarity and support on an international stage for both the rights of Palestinians and Black people. The condemnation of both Israel and the US is necessary for their roles in supporting a state that is attempting to wipe out the national identity of Palestinians.
