IAW Training

McMaster University
Waleed Ahmed
February 28
th
2014
Agenda
Historical Overview
Occupation in OPT;1967- Present
Whats apartheid?
Apartheid Policies
Debunking Propaganda
BDS

History
Pre-1917: Historic Palestine under Ottoman Rule
1880s onwards: Jewish immigration begins to historic Palestine
1917: Balfour declaration for creation of national home for Jewish people
in Palestine. Ottomans defeated in WWI
1920-1947: Palestine administered by British under Mandate of Palestine
1947: UN Partition Plan to divide Palestine into Arab and Jewish state
1948: Israel declares statehood; Arab-Israel war breaks out. Jordan
annexes West Bank, East Jerusalem; Egypt controls Gaza strip
1967: Six-day war breaks out between Israel and Arab neighbors. Israel
occupies East Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza strip (OPT)
1967 present: Israel maintains illegal military occupation of the OPT;
continues expansion of Jewish colonies in it

Whats apartheid?
Historically, referred to the racist regime implemented in South Africa from
1948 to 1994.Today, its defined as a crime against humanity under
international law - not a mere analogy

Rome Statute and UNs Apartheid Convention define it as
inhumane acts which are committed by an institutionalized regime to
systematically oppress and maintain domination of one racial group over
another

Involves: murder, arbitrary arrest, bodily or mental harm, restriction of
movement, division along racial lines, restriction of peaceful assembly

Three pillars:
1) Demarcating population along racial lines
2) Geographically separating them based on race
3) Draconian laws to ensure domination of one race over the other

Apartheid implemented by Israel in the Palestinian territories is designed to
oppress Palestinian Arabs and give preferential treatment to Israeli Jews
Bantustans of South Africa
The Apartheid Policies
Citizenship and Immigration

Law of Return: Allows any Jew with no prior ties to Israel to immigrate to
Israel and the OPT

Palestinians who were outside Israel before in 1948 or refugees from
1948/1967 are not allowed to return to their homes in Israel or the OPT
despite being indigenous people of the land

Any Jewish person can get Israel citizenship and reside in Israel or OPT

In West Bank and Gaza: Palestinians have no rights to citizenship.
In East Jerusalem: Palestinians have to prove their center of life is
Jerusalem to be residents
In Israel: Palestinians have to prove they lived there between 1948-1952
Land Ownership: Palestinian
Enclaves and Jewish Colonies
West Bank split up into 131 disconnected Palestinian Bantustans and over
300 Jewish colonies (settlements + outposts)

Residence in each ethnic enclave is determined by ones racial identity -
Jews in one area, Palestinians in the other

Settlements are for exclusive Jewish use schools, hospitals, roads
everything. 43% of West Bank taken up by settlements

In Israel, 13% of land is owned by JNF who leases to Jews only. 80% is
state-owned and Arabs face numerous obstacles to access it; essentially
barred from use
Land Ownership: Palestinian
Enclaves and Jewish Colonies
Dual Legal Systems
Israel has two legal systems in OPT: Civilian law for Jewish colonists;
Military law for Palestinians

Jewish settlers get democratic protections and reduced penalties compared
to Palestinians for the same crime

No equality before the law. Israeli military brutally abuses Palestinians;
detains activists for extensive periods without trail
Restriction on Movement
Segregated Apartheid Roads: Connecting
Jewish colonies to Israel largely off limits to
Palestinians. Alternative system of dirt
streets and inferior roads for them. Further
fragmentation of OPT

Separation Wall: 85% percent build in West
Bank. Cuts off Palestinians from each other
and from the Jews. 85% of Jews live on
Western side of wall

Check points: 85 manned checkpoints, over
100 flying checkpoints. Severely restricts
movement long delays to school/work, over
39 deaths in ambulances. Jewish settlers
arent subject to them

Complex permit system applied to
Palestinians only; Jewish colonizers not
subject to it
Separation Wall
Impact of Apartheid roads
Check Points
Siege of Gaza
Siege of Gaza
Israel evacuated settlements and moved military to borders in 2005

Severe economic siege implemented since 2007 since Hamas election; Egypt
complicit in siege and blocks southern border.

Air: constant military patrol by drones and jets - psychological torture

Land: Buffer-zone extends up to 1,500 meters into the strip. Arabs shot at for trying
use their own land; 17 children shot since 2010. 35% of agricultural land in
accessible. Regular leveling operations by IDF to destroy produce.

Water: Fisherman can use only 3 nautical miles from shore. Restricted from use of
85% of maritime area entitled under Oslo

Power plants shut down due to fuel shortages. Sewage treatment severely broken.
90% of water is unfit for drinking. Water aquifer will be unusable by 2016.

Gaza will be unlivable by 2020 according to UN. Collective punishment of 1.7 million
Gazans.
Farming and Water Use
Israel only allocates 20% of water for
Palestinians. Palestinian consumption is 70
liters/day (below WHOs 100 litre/day rule).
Jewish settlers using 4 times.


Palestinians farmers in West Bank need permits
to access their farms in the lush seam-zone.
Only 40% of families could access their
farmland by 06.

Jordan Valley declared closed military zone. In
Gaza, 35% of agricultural is inaccessible

Jewish settlers face no restrictions of farming or
agriculture



Demographic Engineering
Drobles Plan, 1981

The civilian presence of Jewish communities is vital for the security of the
stateThere must not be the slightest doubt regarding our intention to hold
the areas of Judea and Samaria [i.e. West Bank] foreverState and
uncultivated land should be seized immediately for the purpose of
settlement in the areas located among and around the population centres
with the aim of preventing as much as possible the establishment of
another Arab state in these territories. It will be difficult for the [Arab]
minority to form a regional connection and political unity when split by
J ewish colonies

Jerusalem municipal plan 2000: stated goal of maintaining a
demographic balance of 70 percent Jews to 30 percent Arabs in the
city

Propaganda Quiz
Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East! Arabs even serve in the Israeli
cabinet and have rights to vote just like Jews! Hows this apartheid?

In South Africa there were white-only beaches and numerous other facilities
reserved for whites only. You dont see any such signage or rules in the case of
Israeli apartheid.

Palestinians live under such deplorable conditions because they are ruled by the
Palestinian Authority and Hamas. The PA is corrupt.







Theres is no such thing as Palestine state








Responding to Propaganda
Responding to Propaganda
Palestinians needs to recognize Israels right to exist before the peace process
can move forward.

Gaza is ruled by Hamas which has been declared to be a terrorist organization.
It is always launching rockets at Israel and Israel thus it has the right to defend
itself.

Why do you keep calling Gaza as Occupied Territory? Israel evacuated the strip
in 2007 and its under Hamas control. Israel bears no responsibility


BDS Boycotts, Divestments,
Sanctions
BDS call made by 170 community groups against Israel until it complies with
international law

Three demands:
1) End Israeli occupation of Arab lands occupied in June 1967
2) Recognize equal rights for Palestinians with Israeli citizenship
3) Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugee to
return to their homes as stipulated in UN Resolution 194

BDS is non-violent. Goal is to economically and socially isolate Israel into
compliance.

Boycotts: Involves Consumer, Academic and Cultural boycotts
Divestments: Institutions taking investments out of Israel
Sanctions: Sovereign states/national bodies cut ties with Israel until it complies




Dos and Donts of BDS
Focus boycotts on corporations complicit in supporting occupation and
settlements in OPT.

Identify high offenders; blanket boycotts are ineffective

Do your research. Theres a lot of misinformation out there get to the
source.

Let the corporation know you are boycotting them

CJPME is a great resource. Work with them on their campaigns.

Boycott, Dont hate