South African, Israeli apartheid: big difference

While both South African apartheid against blacks and Israeli apartheid against Palestinians go back to 1948, the trajectories have been quite different.

Virtually the entire civilized world and the UN came together to embargo weapons and impose economic sanctions on the white South African government. The U.S. under President Reagan was slow to join in but finally did in his fifth year in office.

The effort prodded the new white government of F.W. de Clerk to begin dismantling apartheid in 1991, even working with black African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, freed in 1990 after 27 years imprisonment for opposing apartheid.

Together they drafted a new Constitution for South Africa, ending apartheid. For their efforts Mandela and de Clerk received a joint Nobel Peace Prize.

Sadly, Israeli apartheid against 6.8 million stateless Palestinians under their control endures into its 73rd year. While most nations of the world seek its end, the powerful western nations of the U.S., France, Germany and the UK don’t even recognize its existence, much less seek its abolishment.

Even when Israeli violence and land seizures proceed to the point of provoking violent resistance, these nations block any efforts to address Israel’s disproportionate response of devastating bombings destroying already collapsing Gazan infrastructure and killing hundreds of civilians.

Instead of condemnation, weapons embargoes and sanctions, these nations provide moral support and increased military aid which buttress not only apartheid, but the murderous response to any resistance whatsoever.

What these countries are doing in underpinning Israeli apartheid of Palestinians is as reprehensible and indefensible as if they had told South Africa ‘You have the right of self-defense against any resistance to apartheid by blacks…and by the way, here’s the weaponry to do just that.’