It’s Undeniable: Israel Is an Apartheid State
A new Amnesty International report terms Israel an apartheid state. Israel’s defenders have replied by smearing the authors — but there’s no denying that this is a state built on the systematic brutalization of Palestinians.
Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian during a protest against the prevention of Palestinian farmers from ploughing their lands seized by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. (AAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images)
Last week, British education secretary Nadhim Zahawi declared the popular chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” antisemitic. He further implied that chanting it should be considered a criminal offense.
The chant, far from being racist, articulates an aspiration of complete Palestinian liberation. Criminalizing such an aspiration is not only draconian but fundamentally anti-Palestinian.
But Zahawi’s comments are not surprising — they were made in a climate of increasing crackdown from the British government on activism supporting Palestinian fundamental rights and liberation, including increased efforts to criminalize the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Zahawi’s comments and the latest maneuvers by the British government come at a time when the human rights community is ramping up its support for the Palestinian struggle.
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