Is Israel an apartheid state?

Westend Verlag has published a book by international law expert Kai Ambos just in time for the ongoing Gaza war. The author sees the aim of his study as being to subject Israel’s behaviour towards the Palestinian population in the territories occupied by Israel to “an unbiased and thorough legal examination” (p. 121).
  The author deals with the topic from three points of view:
  1. Apartheid as a legal concept – he analyses this in the first part of his work and comes to the conclusion that apartheid as a legal concept actually exists (pp. 17-20).
  2. He contextualises the legal concept of apartheid. Here he refers to the history of the apartheid regime in South Africa (pp. 20-24). In the third part of his text, the author thematises apartheid as a crime under international law (pp. 24-26). Here he again refers to the precedent of South Africa, but emphasises that this does not mean that there can be no apartheid regime apart from South Africa (pp. 24-26). He currently sees Israel as the “main candidate” (p. 122) for such a regime, with its “policies and practices in the occupied territories, especially in the West Bank” (ibid.).
  On the basis of his investigation, Kai Ambos concludes “that an institutionalised (apartheid) regime exists in the occupied territories, whose main driving force is the Israeli settlement project that has been ongoing since 1967, including all its side effects” (p. 123). In addition, the author points to the “racial” domination of the Palestinian population in the territories annexed and occupied by Israel, especially in the West Bank (ibid.).
  The book is written in a strictly scientific and fact-based manner. This is shown, among other things, by the 42 pages of references and 91 pages of notes. It is an expert opinion on international law and is certainly challenging for lay readers. Nevertheless, for anyone interested in the topic of apartheid in the past and present, it is well worth taking the time to study this treasure trove.  •