Israel and the apartheid analogy compares Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to South Africa’s treatment of non-whites during its apartheid era within the context of the anti-humanitarian crime of apartheid,
The analogy has been used by some scholars, United Nations investigators, and human rights groups critical of Israeli policy.
Opponents of the analogy claim that the comparison is factually, morally, and historically inaccurate and intended to delegitimize Israel.
With regard to the situation within Israel itself, critics of the analogy argue that Israel cannot be called an apartheid state because unlike South Africa which enshrined its racial segregation policies in law, Israeli law is the same for Jewish citizens and other Israeli citizens, with no explicit distinction between race, creed or sex.
« Back to Glossary Index