Apartheid in the Palestinian Heartland: Discrimination Against Palestinian Citizens of Israel

The apartheid system in Israel has divided Palestinians into four distinct groups, each subjected to varying levels of domination and oppression. This article focuses on the plight of Palestinian citizens of Israel, who resisted or avoided ethnic cleansing during the Nakba and remained within the borders of what became Israel in 1948.

Though these Palestinians hold Israeli citizenship and can vote, their rights and privileges remain far inferior to those of Jewish Israelis, making them the highest tier within the apartheid hierarchy for Palestinians but still victims of systemic racism. Organizations like the Adalah Legal Center have documented at least 66 racist Israeli laws that entrench this discrimination.

Historical Context

In 1948, the newly established Israeli state imposed military rule on Palestinian citizens, treating them as internal enemies. Through a combination of oppressive policies, Israel sought to control them and seize their land. Measures included:

  • Restricting movement with a permit system.
  • Enforcing curfews under penalty of death.
  • Arbitrary detention without trial.
  • Designating Palestinian areas as “closed zones” off-limits to residents.
  • Monitoring Palestinian communities via intelligence agencies.

While Jewish Israelis enjoyed civilian governance, Palestinians lived under strict military rule, which was only formally lifted in 1966. Nevertheless, racist policies targeting land ownership, segregation, and political disenfranchisement have persisted.

Racial Classification and Citizenship

Israeli apartheid relies heavily on a legal distinction between “citizenship” (ezrahut) and “nationality” (le’om). Unlike in most nations, these terms are not interchangeable in Israel. Israeli courts have explicitly rejected the notion of an “Israeli nationality,” maintaining separate “Jewish” and “Arab” nationalities based on ethnic and religious backgrounds.

This distinction enables Israel to privilege Jews globally. Under the 1950 Law of Return, any Jew worldwide is granted the right to immigrate to Israel and even settle in the occupied West Bank, bypassing the rights of Palestinian citizens who have lived in the land for generations.

The 2018 Nation-State Law further entrenched inequality, stating that the right to self-determination in Israel is exclusive to the Jewish people, essentially relegating Palestinian citizens to second-class status.

Land Ownership and Exclusion

Land policies reflect the stark discrimination faced by Palestinian citizens. The Jewish National Fund (JNF), a state-embedded institution, explicitly serves Jewish interests and restricts Palestinians from accessing 13% of state land under its control. The Israel Land Authority (ILA), which manages 93% of state-owned land, operates under discriminatory laws that ensure most of this land is inaccessible to Palestinians.

Nearly 70% of Israel’s towns operate “selection committees” that determine who can reside in certain areas. These committees routinely exclude Palestinians under the guise of maintaining the “social and cultural fabric” of Jewish-majority towns. As a result, Palestinians are effectively barred from living on approximately 80% of the land.

Economic Disparities and Resource Allocation

Discrimination extends to resource distribution. Palestinian municipalities, which make up 21% of Israel’s population, receive less than 0.5% of government properties. No governmental hospitals, universities, or administrative centers are located in Palestinian-majority areas.

The education system is similarly segregated, with Palestinian schools severely underfunded compared to Jewish ones. In 2013, government spending per Jewish student was 4.5 times higher than per Palestinian student. Unsurprisingly, 45% of Palestinians in Israel live below the poverty line, compared to just 13% of Jewish Israelis.

Judaization Policies

Israel has pursued aggressive “Judaization” of areas with significant Palestinian populations. Through laws like the Absentee Property Law, the state confiscates Palestinian land to expand Jewish settlements while restricting the growth of Palestinian towns.

In the Galilee and Negev (Naqab) regions, these policies are most apparent. For instance, land from Palestinian Nazareth has been confiscated to create Upper Nazareth, a Jewish-only settlement that continues to expand, while Nazareth itself is denied any opportunity to grow despite its tripled population since 1948.

Unrecognized Villages

The Negev is home to numerous Palestinian Bedouin communities that Israel refuses to recognize, labeling their villages as illegal under the Planning and Building Law of 1965. This designation disconnects these communities from essential infrastructure like water and electricity.

Between 2013 and 2019, over 10,000 Bedouin structures were demolished, with entire villages destroyed to make way for Jewish settlements. Bedouins are pressured into government-approved “shanty towns,” losing ancestral lands in the process.

Conclusion

The systemic discrimination faced by Palestinian citizens of Israel highlights the apartheid reality they endure. Though they have citizenship, their rights are far from equal, and the state continues to prioritize Jewish privilege at their expense. By understanding these dynamics, it becomes clear that the struggle for justice and equality extends to every corner of the Palestinian heartland.

Source: Human Rights Watch