ISRAEL AS A QUASI-APARTHEID STATE: A STUDY ON THE WEST BANK WALL AND SETTLEMENTS VIS-À-VIS SOUTH AFRICAN APARTHEID POLICIES

Abstract

This thesis serves as a response to the persistence of human rights violations in Israel/Palestine. In reference to the treatment of Arab Palestinians in both Modern Israel and the oPt, this thesis argues that the terms "occupation" and "conflict" is no longer sufficient in portraying the extent of the segregation and disempowerment of Palestinians, especially in observing the circumstances of Palestinians in the West Bank. The erection of the West Bank wall, the enforcement of Palestinian-specific static and arbitrary checkpoints, the encroachment of Palestinian land for the purpose of Israeli use, the disenfranchisement of Palestinians in the oPt, and the enforcement of permits to travel, receive basic healthcare and living conditions all collectively point towards a form of quasi-apartheid. Arguing for the Israeli case to be labelled an apartheid does not mean that the Israeli apartheid is the same with the South African apartheid, however, there are unignorable similarities in the two cases which will be explored in this thesis.