mainstreaming of the apartheid framework in the global discourse on
Palestine. Notwithstanding various groundbreaking reports, such as
those from former Special Rapporteur John Dugard in 2007, former
Special Rapporteur Richard Falk in 2014, the UN Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in 2017, Special Rapporteur
Michael Lynk in 2022, and current Special Rapporteur Francesca
Albanese in 2022,8 it was only in the last few years that members of the
international community, including other Special Rapporteurs, Human
Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have adopted this terminology
in their assessments and condemnations of Israel.9
Still, Palestinians have long recognized that apartheid is but one pillar – albeit
a significant one – of the Israeli regime, and that the regime’s settler colonial
logics must also be acknowledged as an essential frame in which apartheid
has evolved. While the framework of settler colonialism shapes the analysis
of many Palestinian human rights organizations and academics, it remains
largely absent from the discourse of duty bearers and stakeholders in the
international community. In fact, the failure of international reports and
statements to (1) recognize Israel’s colonial nature and (2) illuminate the
8
John Dugard, ‘Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the
Palestinian territories occupied since 1967’ (29 January 2007) A/HRC/4/17 <https://
digitallibrary.un.org/record/593075?ln=en>; Richard Falk, ‘Report of the Special Rapporteur
on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967’ (13 January
2014) A/HRC/25/67 <https://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/25/67>;
See also the withdrawn report issued by UN Economic and Social Commission for Western
Asia (ESCWA), Israeli practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid
(15 March 2017 ) E/ESCWA/ECRI/2017/1 <https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wpcontent/uploads/downloads/201703_UN_ESCWA-israeli-practices-palestinian-peopleapartheid-occupation-english.pdf>; Michael Lynk, ‘Report of the Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967’ (12 August 2022) A/
HRC/49/87 <https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G22/448/72/PDF/
G2244872.pdf ?OpenElement>; Francesca Albanese, ‘Report of the Special Rapporteur on
the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967’ (21 September
2022) A/77/356 <https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N22/598/03/
PDF/N2259803.pdf ?OpenElement> accessed 5 April 2023.
9
Amnesty International, Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime
Against Humanity (Amnesty International 2022) <https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/
mde15/5141/2022/en/>; Human Rights Watch, A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the
Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution (Human Rights Watch 2021) <https://www.hrw.org/sites/
default/files/media_2021/04/israel_palestine0421_web_0.pdf> accessed 5 April 2023.
3
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents