On Tuesday, by reporting that Israel is an 'apartheid' state within all its borders and is committing crimes against humanity, Amnesty International declared war on the fundamental principle of Zionism. Throughout the entirety of its document – which was hailed by Hamas and other terrorist groups – Amnesty International explicitly negates Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, while employing phrases that echo antisemitic language – such as "Jewish control" and "Jewish supremacy."
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Among other things, it was claimed that the goal of Israel's establishment was to impose Jewish control over the area, and that "apartheid began in 1948." At the last moment and only after a draft of the report was leaked and condemned across the globe, Amnesty removed the above statement from its final report.
The report is significant for several reasons; most importantly being the fact that it exposes and very accurately characterizes the objectives of the movement to de-legitimize Israel, spearheaded by "human rights" organizations. The purpose of the report's publication is singular: To make plain that the establishment of the Jewish state was a crime and that only by dismantling it can justice be done. In the eyes of its authors and their allies, the Jewish people must be denied their right to self-determination in a sovereign country.
Similar to previous publications by B'Tselem and Human Rights Watch, this report outlines rules that define Israel's unique role as the national state of the Jewish people as serious crimes. For instance, the Law of Return, which allows Jews in the Diaspora to receive Israeli citizenship faster than non-Jews, similar to laws that exist in other democratic countries – is labeled a racist law.
This is not surprising when it comes from an organization such as Amnesty International, whose senior officials have been involved in antisemitic incidents in the past, including antisemitic remarks against British lawmakers, a 2015 decision not to investigate antisemitism, and a 2019 report claiming that tourists who visit Jerusalem's Old City and Western Wall contribute to war crimes.
The organization also works with the International Criminal Court at The Hague, encouraging it to investigate senior Israeli officials; it runs the Palestinian Nakba website "70+ Years of Suffocation;" and sponsors countless BDS campaigns that promote an embargo of Israel and target Israeli tourism companies.
The timing of the Amnesty report also indicates the launch of a broader campaign – incorporating over a dozen non-governmental organizations – to convince the world that Israel is an illegitimate country. The string of publications labeling Israel an "apartheid" – predicated on distortions of international law, as well as Israel's laws and policies – paves the path for several United Nations' bodies currently drafting reports that will likely attribute this term to Israel as well.
The campaign is also aimed at swaying the ICC's chief prosecutor to indict senior Israelis for committing "apartheid" crimes. Many of the organizations claiming Israel is an "apartheid" state – among them Israeli, Palestinian, and international NGOs – met with the ICC's previous chief prosecutor and supply the ICC with reports and publications.
European governments, meanwhile, play a key role in funding the groups leading this campaign. Over the past decade, Europe has transferred tens of millions of dollars to these organizations.
Recently, Israeli watchdog organizations NGO Monitor published a report that thoroughly examined the definition of the term apartheid, according to international law. Its analysis demonstrated that the definition used by NGOs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B'Tselem, and others, both lacks legal grounds and is tailor-made to apply it to Israel.
Despite hiding behind legal terms and quotes from international charters, Amnesty's campaign is motivated by hatred of the idea of a Jewish state and the right of the Jewish people to self-determination. The international community must condemn this antisemitic attack in no uncertain terms and denounce those who lead and fund it.
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