Apartheid

As some of you may remember, I mentioned last week that Israeli Apartheid Week was held in New York. As we've all seen from the reaction to former President Carter's recent book, some people find the use of the word "apartheid" offensive, shocking, or far-fetched. Even within the Palestinian solidarity movement, there has been some discussion of the term's usefulness and drawbacks. But when looking at the Occupied Territories--where settlers and Palestinians live in different areas, drive on different roads, go through different checkpoings, and are definitely subject to different treatment--it's hard to argue that the term does not apply. And a South African law professor and UN human rights investigator agrees.