“Israel is an apartheid state”

Pair Elias Feroz

For more than 30 years, B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights organization, has documented the abuses committed by Israel’s military occupation and apartheid regime.

Shai Parnes is the spokesperson for the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem. Since its founding in 1989, the organization has been dedicated to researching and documenting Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories and associated human rights violations.

Through testimonies, photographs, reports and videos, B’Tselem plays a crucial role in detailing the daily impact and abuses of the occupation, in place since 1967, on the daily lives of Palestinians.

The New Arab: For decades, B’Tselem has brought together Israeli and Palestinian human rights defenders. Has the October 7 Hamas attack affected relations between the organization’s Israeli and Palestinian staff?

Shai Parnes : We were all shocked by the attack, the atrocities and the images of the morning of October 7. It was truly horrific, and there were feelings of horror, shock and fear throughout Israel.

Within our team, we have had difficult conversations and moments. But I believe we came out stronger as an organization. We continued to do what we have always done: value and protect all human life in the region, whatever it may be.

Shortly after the Israeli assault on Gaza, we once again concluded that there is no future or hope for this region unless we treat all people equally – Israelis, Palestinians and everyone else.

Building trust within Palestinian communities is crucial to B’Tselem’s work on the ground. How does B’Tselem build relationships with Palestinians who may be skeptical of foreigners or organizations that document human rights abuses?

Half of our staff and department heads are Palestinians. We work closely together and this is also how we present ourselves externally. Another important point is that our researchers on the ground in the West Bank and Jerusalem are Palestinians. They are part of (local) communities, which makes it easier to make connections. Obtaining information in Gaza is indeed difficult due to the extreme conditions the population faces.

But we do our best to find out what is really happening on the ground. We have contact in Gaza, as well as with people who have managed to flee the region but still have friends and family there. We are committed to being sincere and reliable.

This is why B’Tselem enjoys respect both internationally and within Palestinian society and communities.

B’Tselem’s recent report highlighted the torture and mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, describing Israeli prisons as a “network of torture camps.” Can you explain to us the methodology used by your team to collect testimonies for this report?

When we heard the first testimonies, we said to ourselves that these were perhaps isolated cases. We interviewed the prisoners, verified their stories and published these first testimonies. But in February and March, as many more Palestinian detainees were released from administrative detention in Israeli facilities, we continued to hear the same reports: beatings, humiliation, deprivation of food, sleep and medical care, etc.

That’s when we recognized a modus operandi and decided to treat it as an official project.

In total, we collected 55 testimonies from people across the region – residents of the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza, and even Palestinian citizens of Israel.

These people, detained in 16 different establishments, were men and women, of different age groups and of diverse origins. They didn’t know each other, but their stories had striking similarities.

Given that these treatments were systematically reported in 16 detention centers – some run by the military and most by the Israeli prison system – we had to conclude that these abuses were systematic. This is why we call Israeli prisons a “torture camp network.”

Even Palestinians of Israeli nationality have reported being tortured?

Yes, there were four Palestinians with Israeli nationality who we also mentioned in the report. They were arrested due to messages posted on social media. One of them was arrested during a demonstration. I should also mention that most of the people who gave their testimony were released without any charges being brought against them.

In the West, we often have the impression that Palestinians with Israeli citizenship enjoy the same rights as Jewish Israelis…

In an apartheid regime, people are treated differently based on their ethnicity. Under this regime, not everyone receives the same treatment before the law. There is one set of laws and rules for residents of Gaza, another for Palestinians in the West Bank, yet another for Palestinians who live in East Jerusalem, and another set of laws for Palestinians who have Israeli citizenship .

It is true that Palestinians of Israeli nationality have more rights than Palestinians who live in the West Bank or Gaza, since they benefit from certain civil rights. But the Israeli system still has many rules that discriminate even against Palestinians of Israeli nationality.

Meanwhile, throughout the region, from the Jordan River to the sea, every Jewish person enjoys all privileges and rights, regardless of where they live.

Settler violence is an ongoing problem in the West Bank. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced plans to annex the West Bank in 2025. What would be the impact of such an annexation?

Israel is an apartheid state. The policy of expansion, the construction of settlements, the confiscation of land in the West Bank and the displacement of Palestinians are nothing new. We have been observing and reporting on it for decades. The difference today is that the Israeli government is talking about it more openly.

The entire region is controlled by the Israeli government, and the current situation reflects this, with a policy of expanding settlements, seizing land and displacing Palestinians.

Since October 7, settler violence has increased. Settler violence is an unofficial weapon of Israeli state power. If the Israeli authorities wanted to put an end to it, they could.

We have seen many cases where these settler attacks have been accompanied or even supported by Israeli forces. It is therefore not surprising that high-ranking politicians like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are calling for ethnic cleansing. This is exactly what is currently happening in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military recently declared that residents of the northern Gaza Strip were not allowed to return to their homes.

At the end of October, we issued a press release titled “The world must end the ethnic cleansing of northern Gaza.” In fact, the international community does not need our press release to understand what is happening in Gaza. Just read the statements of Ben Gvir and Smotrich, who are senior ministers in the Israeli government and who speak openly about it. They are among the most influential figures in Israel.

There is no need to interpret them: they openly said that this is what they were going to do: expel the Palestinians and recolonize Gaza.

B’Tselem, along with 14 other human rights and civil society organizations, have expressed serious concerns about the German Bundestag’s resolution on “protecting Jewish life.” The main concern is that this resolution could restrict freedom of expression, particularly for those defending Palestinian rights.

A significant number of people mistreated in Germany and around the world for their stance against human rights violations are in fact Jewish. However, the statement’s wording does not focus on the mistreatment of Jews, but aims to silence those who criticize Israeli government policies. There are Jews all over the world who have different opinions on various issues.

It is important not to confuse the Israeli government or the Israeli state with Jews around the world.

Like any other ethnic group, Jews are not homogeneous. Some criticize the actions of the Israeli government, while others support them. If we want to protect Jews or any other group, we must give everyone the freedom to express their point of view, not just those whose opinion we share.

Since October 7, your organization has faced increasing attacks from the far-right Israeli government. What impact has this had on your work?

We have received some attacks on our published reports, but I can say that this has not affected our work. From time to time we have been verbally attacked and targeted on social media. We have had to deal with false claims and accusations.

However, the real danger concerns our Palestinian personnel. Many of them come from the West Bank and are in constant danger, because, as we have said, they have no political rights under occupation.

What role do you think international bodies should play in resolving the legality and human rights issues posed by the current war?

The international community must pressure the Israeli government to end ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza, accept a swap deal, end the war and stop the violence in the occupied territories. Every day the war continues, people pay with their lives.

January 1, 2025 – The New Arab – Translation: Chronicle of Palestine – Éléa Asselineau