July 2018

Mirror from  http://www.answercoalition.org/an_apartheid_state_israel_makes_it_official?utm_campaign=ANSWER%20Coalition&utm_campaign=news_07_20_2018&utm_medium=shared_article&utm_medium=email&utm_source=facebook&utm_source=answercoalition An apartheid state: Israel makes it official posted by Answer Coalition  July 20, 2018 By Richard Becker, West Coast Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition On July 19, 2018, the Israeli parliament ratified into law an apartheid system that has long been a reality. “Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People” is the newly approved Basic Law in a country where such laws take the place of the constitution Israel has never had. The “Nation-State” law had been under consideration for many years, but even many ardent Zionists had been opposed, not because they disagreed with its provisions but because it would remove all doubt worldwide about the apartheid character of the regime. For the same reason, many pro-Israel organizations and leaders in the United States spoke out against the law. Apartheid is a crime against humanity under the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. Total support from the Trump administration, including moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, was the green light for many members of the parliament (Knesset) to vote for the bill now. At the same time, the massive military and economic support, and diplomatic protection extended by Washington have made Israeli leaders increasingly dismissive of criticism from other governments. The vote for the law was 62-55, with most of the opposition – excepting 13 Palestinian Arab members – still motivated by fears of international reaction to openly proclaiming Israel to be a racist state. Ahmed Tibi, one of the…