The term “Apartheid” is an Afrikaans word meaning “apartness” and specifically applies to the system of racial segregation in place in South Africa between 1948 and 1994. This was a clear, institutional, and legal separation between white, black, and mix-raced peoples. There were different benches, beaches, stores, bathrooms, water fountains, schools, etc. It was also an effort by a minority white population to control a majority black population. This system was codified in over 150 laws that explicitly discriminated based on race, including the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, the Immorality Act, the Population Registration Act, and the Group Areas Act, all designed to enforce racial segregation and white supremacy.

In contrast, the attempt to smear Israel as an Apartheid state is clearly a lie. The population of Israel is approximately 9 million, with about 2 million of its citizens being Arab-Israelis. They are not Jewish and have all the same rights as their Jewish counterparts. They have full civil rights, can run in and vote in elections, receive social assistance, and serve in the army if they choose. There is no institutional racism, no institutional segregation, and nothing that keeps Arabs from participating in Israeli civil society. In fact, Israel’s Basic Laws guarantee equal rights for all citizens regardless of religion, race, or gender. Israeli Arabs attend the same universities, receive care in the same hospitals, eat in the same restaurants, shop in the same stores, and use the same public facilities as Jewish Israelis, all situations that would have been illegal under South African apartheid.

There are Arab parties in the Knesset, Arab judges, including those on the Supreme Court, and Arabs who hold positions in high esteem throughout Israel. When asked in polls where they would prefer to live, Arab Israelis always make it clear that they would prefer to live in Israel as their lives in Israel are markedly better than they would be in any other neighbouring Arab state. In fact, a poll conducted in 2021 by the “Palestine News Network” found that 93% of the Palestinians in East Jerusalem prefer to live under an Israeli government rather than a Palestinian one. Recent appointments include Arab Israelis serving as Supreme Court justices, ambassadors, generals in the Israel Defense Forces, government ministers, and hospital directors. Arab Israelis comprise approximately 20% of Israel’s doctors, 25% of its nurses, and 35% of its pharmacists.

This doesn’t mean that life is perfect for Israel’s Arabs, but it is not Apartheid. Like many diverse democracies, Israel struggles with socioeconomic gaps and societal prejudices, but these challenges are addressed through democratic processes, civil society activism, and legal remedies, not entrenched through systematic laws as under apartheid.

The current situation in the West Bank is complex, as it is the outcome of wars and subsequent peace agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. Most Palestinian-Arabs in the West Bank live in an area under the control of the Palestinian government, called the Palestinian Authority. Jews do not have anything resembling equal rights under the Palestinian Authority. For example, selling land to Jews is illegal under Palestinian law. This Palestinian law carries the death penalty for Arabs who sell land to Jews, a genuine example of institutional discrimination based solely on ethnicity.

There are a significant number of Jews in the West Bank, and Israel continues to exercise control over the areas where they live (which are largely, but not entirely, near the Israeli border). This is a controversial situation, including among Jews in Israel. The West Bank’s status remains disputed territory under international law, not part of sovereign Israel, and is subject to ongoing negotiations based on UN resolutions 242 and 338. The security measures in place result from decades of terrorism and violence, not racial ideology.

It’s true that Palestinian Arabs cannot go to Israel from the West Bank without permission. Much like with other international borders, Israel controls who comes into the country. Every sovereign nation maintains border controls, the United States, Canada, European Union countries, and Arab nations all restrict entry across their borders. These security measures became necessary after waves of suicide bombings and terror attacks originating from the West Bank claimed hundreds of Israeli lives.

Those who misapply the apartheid label to Israel often do so to delegitimize the Jewish state rather than to accurately describe the situation. This misuse both trivializes the real suffering under South African apartheid and distorts understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. South African anti-apartheid leaders who actually experienced apartheid, including Mangosuthu Buthelezi and numerous members of the South African parliament, have explicitly rejected comparisons between Israel and apartheid South Africa, recognizing the fundamental differences between the two situations.

Sources

[1] South African Historical Archives, “Apartheid Legislation.”

[2] Israel Ministry of Justice, “Basic Laws Compilation,” 2024.

[3] Israel Medical Association, “Healthcare Demographics,” 2024.

[4] Palestinian Authority Ministry of Justice, “Land Sale Prohibitions.”

[5] United Nations, “Resolutions 242 and 338.”

[6] South African Parliamentary Record, “Delegation to Israel,” 2023.