The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) welcomes the release of the Amnesty International ground-breaking report on the human rights abuses and violations of international law that Israel has committed against the Palestinian people. The report calls Israel an apartheid state, echoing the realities on the ground and what many Palestinians, Palestinian activists, and allies have said for years. As expected, there has been pushback from many members of Congress at the beheast of pro-Israel groups. Despite the views of some elected officials, the report has been widely received as a thorough and concise compilation of incidents, policies, and aggressions against Palestinians living under occupation and apartheid. Some of the incidents and realities covered in the report include home demolitions, unjust imprisonment, detention of children, lack of water access, endless checkpoints, curfews, and many more human rights abuses.
In conjunction with the release of the report, Amnesty International has created a 90-minute self-paced, online course titled “Deconstructing Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians”. It helps break down the legal arguments Amnesty used to conclude that Israel is currently committing the crime against humanity of apartheid. It can be found here for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of how Amnesty came to their determination.
The plight of the Palestinian people is not new to us – ADC has been documenting this since our inception. What has changed over the years is the growing support for Palestinian human rights. Despite the views of some, there are members of Congress who have come out to support the report. Additionally, public opinion is starting to change as more people and communities pressure all members of Congress and demand that the US immediately stops aid to Israel. Billions of dollars in aid is given to Israel each year, which is paid for by our tax dollars. Israel then uses our tax dollars to further this apartheid. We need to speak up.
This report is a catalyst to jump start an ongoing international conversation about what needs to be done moving forward to guarantee the full liberation of the Palestinan people. The work started before- and will continue after- and ADC will be there along with our supporters and allies to implement change. Let’s not lose focus and work together to dismantle the apartheid, colonial-settler state that is Israel.