The question is not "Is Israel the same as South Africa?"
It is "do Israel's actions meet the international definition of what apartheid is?"

The crime of apartheid is defined by the 2002 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as inhumane acts of a character similar to other crimes against humanity "committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime."

Israel’s Apartheid Laws more

Goldstone Report and Israeli Apartheid more

Articles about Israeli Apartheid more

Recommended reading: "Israeli Apartheid - A Beginner's Guide" more

Not an Analogy: Israel and the Crime of Apartheid more

Applicability of the Crime of Apartheid to Israel more

Apartheid Powerpoint Presentation view


A brief overview of apartheid in the only democracy in the Middle East:
For references, click here

Right of return for Jews only
Palestinians are denied the right to return to homes and lands that have been taken from them in Israel, while a person with one Jewish grandparent anywhere in the world can settle on that same land.
For a fascinating bit of mental gymnastics justifying the Law of Return click here

Limits on Palestinian growth
Since 1948, scores of new communities have been founded for Jews, but very few for Palestinians, causing severe residential overcrowding.

Unequal funding for Palestinian towns
Palestinian towns and villages in Israel do not receive the same funding as Jewish towns, even though taxation rates are equal for Palestinians and Jews.

Limits on land leased to Palestinians
Until recently, Palestinians were not permitted to lease land from the Israeli Land Administration, which controls 93% of the land in Israel.

Unrecognized Palestinian villages denied basic services
Many Palestinian villages, some predating the State of Israel, are unrecognized by the government, and thus receive no running water, electricity, or access roads.

Destruction of unrecognized Palestinian villages
The Bedouin citizens residing in the unrecognized villages of the Negev have for many years suffered from severe discrimination and marginalization.

Unequal application of the law to Jews and non-Jews
A dual system of law discriminates between Jewish Israelis and indigenous Palestinians based on a constructed status of "Jewish nationality."

No constitutional protection for minorities
Israel openly declares itself "a state of the Jewish people" yet has no constitution to protect the rights of the 24.5% of its citizens who are non-Jewish.

Unequal funding for Palestinian education
There are separate and inferior school systems for Palestinians inside Israel.

Restricted access to good jobs for Palestinians
Service in the Israeli army is a prerequisite for the best private and public sector jobs.

Confiscation of Palestinian land for Jewish use
Land is confiscated from Palestinian villages and made available for Jewish use.

Poisoning, uprooting of Bedouin Israeli citizens’ crops
The government of Israel has sent planes to spread poison on Bedouin crops.

Plans to "Judaize" the Palestinian areas of the Galilee
The area of the Galilee in northern Israel is where many Israeli
Palestinians live. Some are descended from the earliest Christians, while others are Muslim.

Discrimination in public places
Palestinian citizens of Israel are often discriminated against through denial of access to recreation spaces.

Israeli anthem discriminates
Israelis who are Muslim or Christian must extol the Jewish spirit when singing Israel’s national anthem.

Israeli flag discriminates
The flag of Israel displays the religious symbol of Judaism, though nearly one-quarter of its citizens are Christian or Muslim.

House demolitions
In 2007, 759 Palestinian homes were destroyed inside Israel.

Denial of family unification for Arabs
In 2003, the Israeli Knesset enacted legislation that denies any possibility of residency status for Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza who are married to Israeli citizens.

Failure to protect Palestinian citizens during wartime
Almost all Palestinian towns and villages in northern Israel lack public bomb shelters.

Unequal compensation for Palestinian citizens for war damages
After the Lebanon war, Palestinian villages were denied compensation for damages.

Discrimination at airports and train stations
Palestinians are frequently taken aside at Israel’s airports and train stations and searched, often invasively.

Government leaders talk openly of expelling Arabs from Israel
Christians have lived in the land that became Israel for 2000 years, Muslims for more than 1300 years. Now these citizens are referred to as a demographic threat, or "the Arab Problem."

Palestinian history and Israel’s borders removed from textbooks
Teachers are not allowed to teach students in public schools about Palestinian history.