Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of employing systematic racial discrimination against Palestinians in occupied territory.
The international NGO published a 213-page report on Tuesday shedding light on crimes of “apartheid and persecution” committed against Palestinian people by the Israeli authorities.
The report cites an Israeli government policy aimed at maintaining the domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians and “grave abuses committed against Palestinians living in the occupied territory, including East Jerusalem.”
HRW said it had found that the elements of persecution and apartheid come together in the occupied territory under the aforementioned policy, which, the organizations added, is coupled with “systematic oppression” and inhumane acts against Palestinians living in these territories.
The report is backed by years of documentation, case studies, and a review of Israeli government planning documents, and other sources.
It compares the Israeli authorities’ policies toward Palestinian people in the occupied territory with those that involve Jewish Israelis living in the same areas, as well as the practices used with each population.
HRW called on the International Criminal Court prosecutor to “investigate and prosecute those credibly implicated,” calling for sanctions such as travel bans and asset freezes to be imposed on Israeli officials deemed responsible for these crimes.
Notably, this is the first time HRW accuses Israeli officials of crimes against humanity.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded to the report by accusing HRW of having a “longstanding anti-Israel agenda,” calling the report a “propaganda pamphlet” with “no connection to facts or reality on the ground.”
