Global Leaders and Policymakers Decry Antisemitic Slander of Israel as ‘Apartheid’ State

Leaders from around the world spoke out on Thursday against the use of the term “apartheid” to defame and isolate Israel by falsely portraying it as a racist entity.

At a conference co-hosted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), World Zionist Organization (WZO), and NGO Monitor titled “Trivializing History: How Anti-Israel Activists Have Hijacked the South African ‘Apartheid’ Label to Attack the Jewish State,” world leaders, diplomats, legislators, and policymakers discussed what must be done to restore the “apartheid” term to its proper historical South African context and delegitimize its use in discourse about a conflict to which it has no relevance.

A full recording of the conference can be viewed here:

“Categorizing Israel as an ‘apartheid’ state is just plain antisemitic,” said Vice President of the European Parliament and Special Envoy on Combating Religious Discrimination Including Antisemitism Nicola Beer. “In my opinion, such characterization counters progress made in the region concerning the peace process, instead it deepens the rifts and fuels antisemitism around the world.”

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jiří Kozák stated, “The suffering of South Africans under Apartheid was unique and attempts to apply the same label to Israel trivializes that history and is unacceptable. We consider this open antisemitism. By claiming that Israel is a racist endeavor is in violation of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. Claims of ‘apartheid’ is not about questioning a particular policy, but about challenging the nature of the Jewish state.”

“Whatever the world’s greatest and most unforgiveable crime is in any particular moment of history, the Jews will be accused of it,” said Member of the House of Lords Baroness Ruth Deech. “Those who accuse Israel of ‘apartheid’ are themselves racist in that their real mission is to deny the legitimacy of the only Jewish state in the world and if they got their way they would return Jews to dispersion, slaughter and discrimination.”

“Attempts to link South Africa’s past system of institutionalized racial segregation to the nuanced complexity of contemporary Israel-Palestinian relations debases history and trivializes the unique suffering of Apartheid victims,” U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar said. “We must acknowledge the dangerous effects of falsified name-calling.”

“A lot of political prisoners during the Apartheid era would have loved to live as a Palestinian in Israel,” said Member of the European Parliament and Vice Chair of the Budgetary Committee Niclas Herbst.

“Applying the ‘apartheid’ label serves no purpose other than to delegitimize the Israeli state, demonizing the Jewish people and ultimately bring about Israel’s destruction,” said Former Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence of the Republic of Ireland Alan Shatter.

Alongside the conference, CAM released a public petition urging people to sign a pledge to “urge decision-makers at the international, national, and local levels to vocally reject and condemn the ‘apartheid’ libel of Israel.”

NGO Monitor released a number of reports debunking claims made by Amnesty International and other NGOs. Examples of such reports can be found here and here.

Elan Carr — CAM Advisory Board Member and Former U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism — stated, “In light of Unilever’s praiseworthy decision to thwart the antisemitism of its Ben & Jerry’s subsidiary, we have shown that we can beat BDS. The next challenge is to combat the Apartheid calumny, and we will do that with a carefully orchestrated strategy and a dissemination of the truth and the facts, and that is what we are doing. The antisemitic ‘apartheid’ campaign will be defeated because it is built on lies and hate.”

NGO Monitor’s Vice President Olga Deutsch commented, “It is heartwarming to see how many officials rallied to denounce the ‘apartheid’ smear. Preserving the uniqueness of the apartheid narrative is central for the South African people, but in the context of today’s event is also crucial for the global Jewish community facing violent antisemitic attacks. Strong message from our elected officials is imperative in setting the tone for the rest of us.”