With more than 65 laws on the books that discriminate against Palestinians, it is hardly controversial to say that Israel is a racist, apartheid state. This week, however, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution by a overwhelming vote of 412 to 9 declaring that Israel is “not a racist or apartheid state” and “affirming America’s alliance with Israel.”
The congressional vote was a response to Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s earlier remarks calling Israel a racist state. Jayapal made her remarks to support progressive groups calling out Israel’s illegal and inhumane treatment of Palestinians after its invasion of Jenin earlier this month.
Democrats in Congress immediately admonished Jayapal while Republican representatives hastily put out a resolution on the floor for a snap vote affirming Israel is not a racist state. Progressive Democrats like Rep. Ilhan Omar said this resolution was an attempt to “target and shame” Jayapal for speaking out against Israel. Jayapal has since walked back her comments and voted for the resolution after facing such united and intense pressure from both sides of the House aisle. But the truth of the matter remains: Israel was and continues to be a racist state.
The day after the vote, Congress received Israeli President Isaac Herzog, a leader of the most right-wing and racist government in Israel’s history. Only a handful of progressive Democrats like Rep. Rashida Tlaib boycotted Herzog’s address. Herzog’s address received multiple standing ovations in Congress, where he stated that Israel and the United States “have always stood for the same values.” The congressional vote shows that this is certainly the case. After embracing Herzog, President Biden has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the White House. More than any other Israeli official, Netanyahu represents Israel’s criminal policies towards Palestinians.
The House vote stands in stark contrast to humanitarian groups’ consensus about Israel’s role as an apartheid state. For example, former African National Congress Chairperson Baleka Mbete said after visiting Palestine that the “Israeli regime is not only comparable, but far worse than Apartheid South Africa.”
Amnesty International states that the “discrimination, dispossession, the repression of dissent, the killings and injuries — all are part of a system which is designed to privilege Jewish Israelis at the expense of Palestinians. This is apartheid [and] … prohibited in international law.” In 2021, a survey of American Jewish voters also found that a quarter of people surveyed agree that Israel is an apartheid state.
Given the shifting discourse and widespread international condemnation, even from United Nations committees, the passage of the House resolution is obscene as it denies reality about the ongoing oppression of Palestinians and maintains the myth that Israel is a “democracy.”
Washington’s double standard is there for all to see. Citing morality and human rights, the self-appointed policeman of the world has applied sanctions on 40 countries, affecting a third of humanity. Yet, Washington continues ongoing economic and military support of Israel, one of the most repressive regimes in the world, ignoring a global call to boycott it.
While some see the congressional vote as a reflection of the considerable influence of Israeli lobby groups like AIPAC, it would be remiss to describe Israel as anything other than the junior partner and an outpost for U.S. imperialism in the Middle East. Israel could not be carrying out its heinous expansionist agenda in the Middle East without support from the United States.
Israel is the U.S. watchdog in the region, repressing Palestinians and threatening and attacking countries like Iran and Syria, which resist U.S. imperialism. The United States is Israel’s chief benefactor and plays a significant role in advancing Israeli policies on the ground, and thus is directly complicit in Israel’s racist apartheid system.
The bipartisan support for Israel reminds us that the Democrats are enthusiastically in the imperialist camp and cannot be relied on by progressives for support. It is a militant grassroots movement and ongoing solidarity efforts, like the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) campaign, that will bring about the downfall of Israeli apartheid, much as it brought down South African apartheid.
