Israeli Apartheid in the Spotlight

The struggle against discrimination continues, just changing venue as time passes.

Desmond Tutu has equated Israeli discrimination against Palestinians to apartheid:

A quarter-century ago I barnstormed around the United States encouraging Americans, particularly students, to press for divestment from South Africa. Today, regrettably, the time has come for similar action to force an end to Israel's long-standing occupation of Palestinian territory and refusal to extend equal rights to Palestinian citizens who suffer from some 35 discriminatory laws.

Meanwhile, the Methodist Church in the U.S. denounced the Israeli occupation of Palestine and called on “all nations to prohibit the import of products made by companies in Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.” [The New York Times 5/2/12.]

The anti-discrimination struggle has to be fought over and over. A century after the U.S. Civil War, the struggle was still raging in the U.S. Tutu’s own struggle in South Africa was long and slow, as well. Now the focus is turning to Israel.