From Johannesburg to Jerusalem: Is Modern-Day Apartheid Manifesting in Israel and Palestine?

De Johannesburg à Jérusalem : L'apartheid moderne se manifeste-t-il en Israël et en Palestine?

Abstract

This study critically examines the Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territories to determine whether they constitute a system of apartheid similar to that of South Africa. Through a comparative analysis, the research investigates historical, legal, and geopolitical factors that sustain systemic segregation and oppression. Central to this inquiry is the question: To what extent do Israeli policies towards Palestinians align with the internationally recognized definition of apartheid? To address this question, the study establishes a theoretical framework based upon international legal frameworks, particularly the 1973 International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. The research also incorporates comparative historical analyses of South African apartheid, which provide valuable insight into the mechanisms and institutional structures that sustain racial segregation and oppression. By examining mechanisms such as land expropriation, settlement expansion, restrictions on movement, and economic marginalization, the study identifies key elements that reinforce the comparison between the Israeli occupation and apartheid. Moreover, the study contextualizes these practices within the ideological and historical foundations of both Zionism and apartheid, illustrating how each system has historically legitimized racial or ethnic supremacy through legal and institutional structures. The Israeli legal framework provides differential rights and privileges based on ethnic and religious identity, reinforcing systemic segregation and exclusion. The study's core offers a detailed examination of laws and policies that perpetuate this segregation. It examines measures such as the construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier, the imposition of restricted movement zones, the widespread use of administrative detention, and the stark legal disparities between Jewish settlers and Palestinian residents. Furthermore, the research explores the geopolitical dynamics that have contributed to the slow international response to the Palestinian issue, contrasting this inertia with the more rapid global opposition to apartheid in South Africa. The study argues that entrenched economic and political interests have obstructed meaningful international intervention, particularly among influential Western states. The findings reveal striking parallels between the structures of apartheid in South Africa and the systematic segregation imposed on Palestinians. The study concludes that dismantling apartheid-like conditions requires sustained international efforts, including economic sanctions, judicial accountability, and grassroots advocacy. In doing so, the study underscores the importance of international legal mechanisms in protecting human rights and preventing the recurrence of systemic violations in conflict-affected regions.