Amnesty International cite Israel’s ‘system of apartheid’ in terror attack response
New campaign, launched days after Jerusalem synagogue attack, suggests 'Israeli authorities must dismantle the system of apartheid which is causing so much suffering and bloodshed'
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Amnesty International have cited Israel’s “system of apartheid” for the recent “series of deadly terror attacks” including the murder of seven outside a Jerusalem synagogue.
A new press release from the organisation states:”Israeli authorities must dismantle the system of apartheid which is causing so much suffering and bloodshed.”
Stepping up their controversial campaign against “Israel’s apartheid system”, launched one year ago, Amnesty now add:”
“Israeli forces have killed almost 220 Palestinians including 35 in January 2023 alone.
“Unlawful killings help maintain Israel’s apartheid system and constitute crimes against humanity, as do other serious and ongoing violations by Israeli authorities such as administrative detention and forcible transfer.
“Over the past few days, a series of deadly attacks has underscored the urgent need for accountability.
“On 26 January, Israeli forces carried out a raid on Jenin refugee camp and killed 10 Palestinians, including a 61-year-old woman.
“On 27 January, seven Israeli civilians including a child were killed when a Palestinian gunman opened fire in Neve Ya’akov, an Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. In response to this attack, Israeli authorities have stepped up collective punishment against Palestinians, carrying out sweeping mass arrests and threatening punitive home demolitions.”
Amnesty’s International Secretary General added:“The devastating events of the past week have exposed yet again the deadly cost of the system of apartheid.
“The international community’s failure to hold Israeli authorities to account for apartheid and other crimes has given them free rein to segregate, control and oppress Palestinians on a daily basis, and helps perpetuate deadly violence. Apartheid is a crime against humanity, and it is frankly chilling to see the perpetrators evade justice year after year.
“Israel has long attempted to silence findings of apartheid with targeted smear campaigns, and the international community allows itself to be cowed by these tactics. Until apartheid is dismantled there is no hope of protecting civilian lives, and no hope of justice for grieving families in Palestine and Israel.”
Amnesty claim that under apartheid, “Israeli authorities control virtually every aspect of Palestinians’ lives and subject them to daily oppression and discrimination through territorial fragmentation and legal segregation.”
They added:” Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) are segregated into separate enclaves, with those living in the Gaza Strip isolated from the rest of the world through Israel’s illegal blockade, which has caused a humanitarian crisis and is a form of collective punishment.”
An earlier February 2022 report entitled Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians was widely condemned by communal organisations in this country, including the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council.
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