jlk – Apartheid is a term that may not be unfamiliar to us. This word originates from Afrikaans, meaning “separation,” and refers to the racial discrimination system implemented by the white government in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.
In this system, black and colored populations were treated as second-class citizens with unequal political, social, economic, and cultural rights compared to white populations.
They were forced to live in separate areas, called “bantustans,” which were poor and underdeveloped. They also faced various forms of violence, oppression, and human rights violations committed by the apartheid regime.
However, did you know that there is a country that implements a worse system than apartheid? That country is Israel, which has occupied Palestinian territories, namely the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, since 1967.
Israel not only militarily controls these territories but also politically, economically, and in terms of identity. Israel builds illegal settlements in the occupied territories, inhabited by over 600,000 Israeli citizens.
Israel also constructs a separation wall that cuts off Palestinians’ access to land, water, resources, and basic services.
Israel also enforces discriminatory policies that differentiate treatment between Israeli citizens and Palestinians, both in the occupied territories and within Israel itself.
Comparing apartheid in South Africa and Israel’s occupation of Palestine is not new. Many academics, activists, and international organizations have highlighted the similarities and differences between the two systems.
One of the most vocal is South Africa itself, which experienced the bitterness of living under apartheid.
In February 2024, South Africa’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, Vusimuzi Madonsela, stated before the International Court of Justice that “Israel’s apartheid in Palestine is worse than what we experienced.”