Israel is More in Danger of Resembling Turkey Than Apartheid Era South Africa

Over the years, Israel has been consistently yet falsely compared to Apartheid era South Africa. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights have made this declaration in recent years. 

Such comparison is irresponsible and intended to incite and inflame hatred against not only the State of Israel, but the Jewish people at large. It is therefore disturbing to learn that South African born Israeli author Benjamin Pogrund, who has long rejected the Apartheid label, has declared that Israel is heading in that direction in an op-ed for The Guardian:

I did not want to write this article. It was torn out of me, addressed to Israelis because the rightwing government is taking the country into institutionalised discrimination and racism. This is apartheid. South Africa under apartheid was straightforward: white v black. Israel is complex. The 21% Arab minority has the vote. Everyone pays the same national insurance and enjoys the same benefits – medical and social welfare. In hospital, I, a Jew, share a room with Arabs and we are cared for by the same Jewish and Arab doctors and nurses. Everything is open: beaches, park benches, movies, theatres, restaurants. The apartheid label is correct, but caution and thought are needed about comparisons.

I disagree. The Apartheid label is incorrect. In Apartheid era South Africa, blacks had no right to vote nor right to participate in South African society. Pogrund cedes Arabs have the vote in Israel. Indeed, Arabs serve in the Knesset and Mansour Abbas of the Arab List held the balance of power in the coalition government of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid of 2021-2022. Abbas himself explicitly rejected the argument that Israel is an Apartheid state.  Moreover, there is an Arab jurist Khaled Kabub who serves on Israel's Supreme Court. People like Mansour Abbas and Khaled Kabub would have simply not existed in Apartheid era South Africa. 

There is something happening in Israel, but it isn't Apartheid. If we want to make comparisons, then we need to look closer in the region. If we examine Israel's controversial judicial overhaul legislation and forthcoming legislation curtailing press freedom, then we ought to look at Turkey. During President Erdogan's 20 years in power, he curtailed the independence of the Turkish judiciary and freedom of the press. And yet Erdogan seldom faces criticism from the West as he is regarded a power broker between Washington and Moscow. If Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to model himself after anyone it is Erdogan, not a political system which was dismantled 30 years ago.

Of course, Netanyahu has certain obstacles which Erdogan doesn't. For starters, although Netanyahu is Israel's longest serving Prime Minister, he is 73 and had a health scare last month. The likes of Yariv Levin (the architect of Israel's judicial overhaul), Yoav Gallant, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are waiting not so patiently in the wings. 

There is also the strength of Israeli civil society which has vociferously protested the judicial overhaul and will soon likely turn its attention to press freedoms. Let us also keep in mind, there is no guarantee the government won't collapse forcing yet new elections which could result in a non-Likudnik like Benny Gantz becoming Israel's next Prime Minister. Of course, even if this did come to pass, it would be interesting to see if Gantz would have the necessary support to reverse the judicial and media overhauls. 

But assuming Netanyahu remains in power for the foreseeable future, he will be on a much shorter leash than Erdogan no matter how many of his political opponents and dissidents he might jail. After all, this is Israel we are talking about. 

Nevertheless, one cannot underestimate Netanyahu's desire to remain in power especially with bribery and corruption charges which remain hanging over his head. Yet if we are to legitimately criticize Netanyahu and the current political climate in Israel, then it is incumbent upon us not to recklessly invoke terms like Apartheid. Someone like Benjamin Pogrund ought to know better because most who do invoke such charges do so in bad faith and with the objective of destroying Israel. 

If one wants to genuinely understand where Israel might be heading or, at the very least, understand Netanyahu's state of mind and motivations, then we must look to Ankara instead of Apartheid.