- Amnesty International have declared that Palestinians are treated as an inferior racial group.
- It is imperative to question the dominant narrative that portrays the Palestinian struggle as merely a “conflict rooted in religious differences,” as commonly depicted in mainstream media. In reality, the core issue in the Palestinian struggle revolves around the concept of Zionist supremacy.
In the annals of history, a captivating chapter unfolds, showcasing Jews, Christians, and Muslims living harmoniously in the holy land of Palestine. Admits bustling markets and neighbourhoods, where people from different faiths embraced a common existence, this narrative paints a vivid portrait of unity and cooperation in a land where cultural and religious diversity once thrived.
The colonisation of Palestine by Zionists introduced an overt shade of racism. It is therefore essential to challenge the prevailing narrative, as this is not a “conflict rooted in religious differences” as the mainstream media asserts. The struggle of Palestine concerns Zionist supremacy. Consequently, leading to discrimination against a broad spectrum of communities, including Palestinian Christians, Ethiopian Jews, and Ashkenazi Jews and Muslims.
Systematic Racism against Palestinians
Last year Amnesty International’s report strongly asserted that Israeli authorities must be held accountable for perpetrating the crime of apartheid against Palestinians. The investigation outlines how Israel enforces a system of oppression and dominance over the Palestinian population under its control, encompassing Palestinians residing in Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), and displaced refugees in other nations.
This system is characterised by significant land and property seizures, unlawful killings, forced displacement, severe movement restrictions, and the denial of nationality and citizenship to Palestinians. All these elements collectively amount to apartheid under international law.
Amnesty International has identified these violations as constituting apartheid as a crime against humanity, aligning with the definitions in the Rome Statute and Apartheid Convention.
Amnesty International urges the International Criminal Court (ICC) to incorporate the crime of apartheid into its ongoing investigation in the OPT. Furthermore, it calls upon all nations to invoke universal jurisdiction to hold those responsible for apartheid crimes accountable for their actions.
“Our report reveals the true extent of Israel’s apartheid regime. Whether they live in Gaza, East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, or Israel itself, Palestinians are treated as an inferior racial group and systematically deprived of their rights. We found that Israel’s cruel policies of segregation, dispossession and exclusion across all territories under its control clearly amount to apartheid. The international community has an obligation to act”
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General
Racism Endured by Christian Pilgrims and Palestinian Christians
This viral video shows Israelis spitting at Christian pilgrims.
Gvaryahu who works for ‘Tag Meir’, an anti-racism organization, documents hate crimes against Christians and Muslims and monitors the authorities’ responses to them. Prior to the recent escalation of affairs in the region, he asserts that there has been a disturbing rise in the number of violent attacks and incidents of vandalism targeting Christian clergy, pilgrims and institutions. Christians victims have been jostled and spat at, religious symbols and icons were defaced and inflammatory graffiti appeared near Christian institutions. Most of these attacks have taken place in Jerusalem’s Old City, near churches and monasteries
Moreover, on the night of October 19, St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox church in Gaza was bombed while offering shelter to approximately 500 Palestinians seeking refuge from Israeli airstrikes. Most of those who were killed were Christians. Established in 425 CE, this church is believed to be the third oldest in the world.
Racism endured by Ethiopian Jews
In 2013, an investigation was carried out after social workers noticed that the population of Ethiopians had halved over the course of a decade.
According to reports, it was later concluded that thousands of Ethiopian women were administered Depo-Provera injections at Israeli clinics every three months. This contraceptive method suppresses menstruation and has been associated with fertility issues and osteoporosis. In a startling revelation, many of the Ethiopian women who had visited the clinical practises were totally oblivious to the side effects of the injections.
One woman was under the impression that she had received a flu shot and was unaware of being administered Depo-Provera.
Another woman, in her thirties and already pregnant with her fifth child upon arriving at the transit camp, disclosed that camp officials had assembled all new mothers and informed them they would receive Depo-Provera, as childbirth in Israel was deemed too challenging for them.
“No, we didn’t want to take it, we refused. We said we didn’t want it,” the unnamed woman recalls in the film. She agreed to the injections only because she was told her immigration to Israel would be blocked and she would receive no further healthcare in the camps if she refused.
“No, we didn’t want to take it, we refused. We said we didn’t want it,” the unnamed woman recalls in the film. She agreed to the injections only because she was told her immigration to Israel would be blocked and she would receive no further healthcare in the camps if she refused.
“This happened to many, many other women,” the victim said.
Racism against Ashkenazi Jews
Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, a prominent figure, played a pivotal role in the establishment of the major Israeli Jewish organization known as Edah HaKhareidis, which continues to maintain a substantial membership base in Israel. This organization adheres to a strict ideology that rejects the Law of Return for Jews, discourages any form of engagement with the state of Israel, including refraining from voting or participating in financial transactions with Israeli institutions, and vehemently denounces Zionism as a heretical belief. In terms of size and influence, Edah HaKhareidis eclipses groups like Neturei Karta, often seen participating in pro-Palestine protests.
Edah HaKhareidis are Ashkenazi Jews. Ashkenazi Jews, primarily of Eastern European descent, often encountered discrimination from the dominant Western European Zionists. This was often rooted in differences of culture, language, and socioeconomic status, but moreover, their orthodox Jewish position of Anti-Zionism.
‘Collateral damage’, Barbarism and Oppression
The Health Ministry in the besieged Gaza Strip reported that the number of Palestinian casualties resulting from the current Israeli military onslaught has risen to 9,227
The victims include 3,826 children and 2,405 women, while 23,516 other people were injured,” Health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said.
He emphasised that 2,100 people are still trapped under the rubble in Gaza, including 1,200 children.
“The Israeli attacks left 136 medics dead and 25 ambulances destroyed,” al-Qudra said.
“Sixteen massacres have been documented within the past hours, taking 196 victims, raising the total number of massacres committed by the occupation to 997,” he added.
In addition, he highlighted how Israeli forces have targeted more than 102 health care facilities in Gaza since Oct. 7, even though under the rules of war, such facilities should be exempt from attacks.
“Some 16 hospitals and 32 primary care centres were forced out of service due to the Israeli assault and fuel shortage,” he stated.
This inhumane form of discrimination was starkly exemplified by the dire circumstances witnessed in the enclave of Gaza, where an entire demographic, distinguished by their racial and religious background, has been subjected to severe restrictions and a deliberate deprivation of basic necessities, including food and water.
Consequently, Zionism is intertwined with racism in its most pernicious form. The subjugation, exploitation, and disenfranchisement of indigenous Palestinians based on their racial, religious and ethnic identity in 2023 is harrowing, particularly when considering what has been written in history books.
The savagery and the utter absence of accountability and compassion for Palestinian suffering unequivocally constitutes an egregious manifestation of ethnic cleansing, underpinned by deeply rooted racism.
The Israeli colonisers assert their racial and cultural supremacy by invoking a purportedly providential mandate to occupy Palestine. Furthermore, they employ a strategy of deflecting culpability by citing the actions of specific groups as necessitating their defensive stance. This justification has facilitated their acquisition of economic, political, and territorial advantages. These tactics, founded on an inherent racial hierarchy, have given rise to a system of sustained oppression, violence, and a protracted endeavour to obliterate the indigenous Palestinian people, heritage and customs over the course of seven and a half decades….
SubhanAllah! Allah is the best of planners!
