Global Academics and Public Figures Launch Petition on the Israeli Apartheid System
Global academics and public figures have launched a petition addressing the Israeli apartheid system, which has been caused by the long-term illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
The petition, titled 'The Elephant in the Room,' has been signed by 1,220 academics (as of the publication date) from Israel, the United States, and other countries. Signatories include academics from institutions such as Yale, Harvard, Chicago, Michigan, Washington, and Princeton universities, as well as professors from universities in the UK and Germany. Israeli academics from Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University, Haifa University, and Ben-Gurion University are also signatories.
The academics stated that the Palestinian people lack basic rights and face continuous violence. In this year alone, Israeli forces have killed over 190 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, demolished over 590 buildings, and settlers have carried out arson, looting, and killings with impunity.
They added that there cannot be democracy for Jews in Israel as long as Palestinians live under the apartheid system. The ultimate goal of judicial reform is to further restrict Gaza, deprive Palestinians of equal rights both within and beyond the Green Line, annex more land, and racially cleanse Palestinians from all territories under Israeli rule.
The petition highlighted that American Jews have been at the forefront of social justice issues, from racial equality to abortion rights, but they have not paid enough attention to the 'elephant in the room': the long-standing Israeli occupation that has resulted in an apartheid system.
The petition called on North American Jewish leaders, institutions, scholars, rabbis, and educators to support the Israeli protest movement and advocate for equality for Jews and Palestinians within the Green Line and in the occupied Palestinian territories.
It also expressed support for human rights organizations defending Palestinians and providing real-time information about the reality of occupation and apartheid, and urged commitment to reforming standards and curricula for Jewish children and youth to provide a more truthful assessment of Israel's past and present.
Furthermore, the petition called on elected officials in the United States to help end the Israeli occupation, restrict the use of U.S. military aid in the occupied Palestinian territories, and hold Israel accountable in the United Nations and other international organizations.
