The Israel Conversation

The Israel Conversation


The Apartheid Accusation

August 25, 2023

Apartheid


Type the word “apartheid” into a google search bar and the second search that pops up is “apartheid Israel”. We’ve all heard the accusation. It is also a demonstrably false descriptor for the State of Israel. This ridiculous calumny may make a nasty sound-bite sized accusation. But for anyone genuinely trying to understand the conflict, it clearly fails to explain anything in an honest way. 


But this podcast has a debate format! So after explaining why the above paragraph is true, our team still finds something for Zionists to argue about. Is the term “apartheid” useful at all to describe life in the West Bank? After all, the approximately half a million Jews who live there as Israeli citizens under Israeli law, lead very different lives from the approximately two and half million Arabs who are citizens of nothing and live under the Palestinian Authority and Israeli military law. 


Liel hosts this debate between Calev who argues that in certain narrow contexts the term isn’t entirely unhelpful, and Mike who argues that the term is always useless at best. 


Let us know what you think about the issue, and who you agree with. Enjoy! Please let us know what you think! 


This episode was recorded and edited by the amazing Ben Wallick Studios. Ben is awesome!

Theme music by Akiva Y. Unterberg.

Masa Website

Please rate, review, share and recommend our podcast.


Definition: apartheid - noun

1: racial segregation

specifically : a former policy of segregation and political, social, and economic discrimination against the non-white majority in the Republic of South Africa


NOTE: The extreme racial segregation of apartheid lasted from 1948 to 1994 and included such restrictions as where people of certain races could live or own land, what jobs they could hold, and who could and couldn't participate in government.


2: SEPARATION, SEGREGATION

cultural apartheid

gender apartheid