Beyond Apartheid: Settler Colonialism in Palestine

Although described as such for decades by Palestinians and their allies, it is only since 2020 that the term “apartheid” has started surfacing in mainstream media discourse around the Palestinian question and in describing the so-called State of Israel. However, what does apartheid mean in this context and what is its utility in the liberation process for Palestine?

We will discuss some of the aspects of the current use and rhetoric around the apartheid framework, including:

• a contextualization of the debate around apartheid within the human rights and UN world and of the Global North/South dynamics that play into it;
• the meaning and role of settler colonialism vis-à-vis apartheid;
• the potential limitations of the apartheid framework within the struggle for the liberation of Palestine.

The discussion will be hosted by the Palestine Liberation reading group but EVERYONE is welcome to join and contribute their perspective and ideas! As suggested reading, we recommend the overview (pages 1-29) of this report by Al Haq, "Israeli Apartheid: Tool of Zionist Settler Colonialism". Attendees may also find interesting this supplemental reading by Lana Tatour, "Why calling Israel an apartheid state is not enough". All reading material is optional and you are welcome to attend even if you have not had a chance to read the material.