SA BDS Coalition welcomes Human Rights Watch report - A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution
27 April 2021
The SA BDS Coalition welcomes the report released today by Human Rights Watch (HRW) which “demonstrates that Israel is carrying out apartheid” through detailing specific actions that constitute persecution and apartheid – crimes against humanity considered among the most odious in international law.
The UN Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid defines this crime against humanity as “inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them.” The HRW report examines concretely how Israel fits this definition.
We are also heartened by the fact that the South African Cabinet has finally signed off on our accession to the UN Apartheid Convention and we are confident it will soon be adopted in parliament.
Our government should acknowledge the role the international community played in taking action against apartheid South Africa by using our accession to the Convention to call out Israeli apartheid and play a decisive role within the UN system to end Israel’s impunity.