In any bipartisan issue there is always one single overriding dynamic at play: reality versus narrative.
Observers who examine the narrative critically to see if it fits the claimed facts, equip themselves with the means to determine what the actual truth is.
The first step is to identify the narrative being promoted as well as the facts being claimed. After which one can place the narrative next to the facts and see if the two coalesce, or diverge.
In the case of Israel and the Palestinians
Focusing solely on the current military assault by Israel on Gaza following the Hamas attacks of October 7 2023, we can carry out the following analysis:
The Narrative
Israel is a democracy exercising a legitimate right to self-defense against Hamas.
The Facts Being Claimed
The facts being claimed, and which form the basis of an accusation against Israel, are that Israel is an apartheid state accused of committing genocide in Gaza.
Analysis
The first point to note is that the narrative is being promoted by the party accused of the claimed facts of apartheid and genocide: Israel.
The second point to note is that the facts being claimed – that Israel is an apartheid state committing genocide – can actually be verified according to internationally accepted legal standards.
Verification of Reliability of the Facts
International bodies and scholars, as well as many Jewish observers and organisations, have conducted studies that apply rigorous, internationally recognized legal definitions of what constitutes apartheid and genocide, and have concluded that Israel is guilty of these crimes.
Among the international bodies and organisations declaring Israel an apartheid state and its actions in Gaza a genocide we find, among others: Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International; renowned scholars and journalists Raz Segal, Ilan Pappe, and Gideon Levy; and many anti-Zionist Jewish organisations such as Jewish Voice for Peace, B’Tsalem, If Not Now, Not In Our Name, and Jews for Palestine.
A more comprehensive though by no means exhaustive list can be found below.
The established and credible nature of these organisations and individuals provide a strong basis for considering the facts being claimed as reliable.
Arriving at a Conclusion
Placing the narrative next to the facts, and recalling who is maintaining the narrative (Israel, the accused) and who is claiming the facts (international bodies and scholars, many Jewish), does the narrative naturally align with the facts?
Clearly not. The concept of a democratic state engaged in legitimate self-defense (the Israeli Narrative) is incongruous and antithetical to the concept of an apartheid state committing genocide (the factual findings of international bodies and scholars). Literally, the two are like left and right. One does not fit the other.
Therefore, given the internationally recognised facts, the Israeli narrative is false.
The facts simply do not fit the narrative. Israel is not a democratic state exercising a legitimate right to self-defense. It is an apartheid state committing genocide.
Further sources that support the claim that Israel is an oppressive apartheid state committing genocide in Gaza:
- Human Rights Watch (HRW): In their report “A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution,” HRW outlines how Israeli policies and practices constitute apartheid and systematic oppression against Palestinians. They describe the intent to maintain Jewish Israeli domination across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and detail various policies aimed at ensuring this domination, including severe restrictions on movement and discriminatory laws (Human Rights Watch).
- International Criminal Court (ICC): The ICC has been involved in investigations into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the OPT, with particular focus on Israeli military operations in Gaza. The ICC’s involvement signifies a serious consideration of the allegations against Israel on an international legal platform (The Times of Israel).
- International Court of Justice (ICJ): South Africa has brought a case against Israel to the ICJ, alleging violations of the Genocide Convention. The case includes charges that Israeli actions in Gaza constitute genocidal acts, supported by inflammatory statements from Israeli politicians and military leaders (International Law Observer).
- Amnesty International: Amnesty has been a prominent voice in highlighting the severe human rights violations committed by Israel against Palestinians, including the characterization of Israel’s actions as apartheid and raising concerns about genocidal intent.
In its 2022 report, Amnesty International concluded that Israel’s policies and practices amount to apartheid. This conclusion is based on systematic oppression and domination of Palestinians, including territorial fragmentation, segregation, dispossession of land and property, and denial of basic rights (Amnesty 1).
Furthermore, Amnesty International has supported findings by UN experts, such as Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, who reported to the UN Human Rights Council that there are “reasonable grounds to believe the threshold indicating Israel’s commission of genocide is met.” Amnesty International emphasized the importance of international action to prevent further atrocities and ensure accountability (Amnesty 2). - International Court of Justice (ICJ): South Africa brought a case alleging violations of the Genocide Convention by Israel, focusing on actions in Gaza (International Law Observer).
- B’Tselem: The Israeli human rights organization published a report in 2021 describing Israel as an apartheid state. This is Apartheid: A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea
- Desmond Tutu: South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate compared
Apartheid in the Holy Land
Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to apartheid in South Africa. - Richard Falk: The former UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights has described Israeli policies as apartheid. Richard Falk article (Word Doc)
- Raz Segal: An Israeli historian who has described Israeli actions as having genocidal elements. “A Textbook Case of Genocide”: Israeli Holocaust Scholar Raz Segal Decries Israel’s Assault on Gaza
- Ilan Pappé: An Israeli historian who has written extensively on Israel’s ethnic cleansing and apartheid policies. Ilan Pappé: Can Settler Colonialism Be Liberal and Apartheid Be Progressive?
- Omer Bartov, Israeli Holocaust Scholar: Bartov has expressed concerns about the genocidal intent behind certain Israeli actions and rhetoric. He points to statements from Israeli leaders advocating for the destruction or displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, arguing that these statements indicate a clear intent that aligns with the definition of genocide under international law (Democracy Now!).
- Andrew Feinstein: ‘Israeli apartheid far more brutal than anything we saw in South Africa,’ says former politician
These authoritative sources support the claims of apartheid and genocidal actions, providing a strong basis for the arguments made in pro-Palestinian advocacy, reinforcing the credibility of such claims with well-documented evidence from respected international organizations.