Israel Just Passed The Death Penalty Only For Palestinians — But It's Not Apartheid

New column by Lee Camp

By Lee Camp

Definition of apartheid (əˈpɑːrt(h)aɪt): the state policy of segregation and political, social, and economic discrimination against a group.

Anyone wondering whether Palestinians in Israel face apartheid, well now you have the clearest example yet (of countless examples). Israel just passed a law allowing the death penalty — but only for Palestinians. The new policy, which does not apply to Jewish citizens, was celebrated with champagne by bloodthirsty war criminals and psychotic slime molds such as Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

This move is all the more shocking when you realize Israel has barely ever used capital punishment in its history. The only person executed by the Israeli state (outside of when they’re committing genocide or assassinating scientists or blowing up children or bombing doctors or murdering journalists, etc.) was Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann in 1962.

On top of that, the military court — which will be deciding these punishments — has a conviction rate of roughly 99.7%. Although most of the trials are secretive, some reporting has shown that the defendants barely have any representation and are often only seen by the Israeli judges for 60 seconds or less. It’s not a “trial” in the internationally recognized sense. It’s just a firing squad.

Israel continues to set exciting, new records in moral bankruptcy and depravity.

This move by the Knesset comes not that long after many of them defended the Israeli military’s right to rape prisoners. (No, I never thought I’d write a sentence that disgusting either.)

After video leaked of guards raping a Palestinian prisoner, ten soldiers were arrested for the horror show. But they were then released due to the backlash by average citizens as well as supporters in Israel’s government.

Is there honestly anyone out there still arguing Israel is not a two-tiered (apartheid) system? …Oh my god, yes there are.

Hilariously, one of the long-time talking points of Zionists was that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, and therefore we must defend it. Of course, apartheid and occupation can never count as democracy. Prior to October 7, 2023 there were 5.5 million Palestinians in the occupied areas of Gaza and the West Bank. None of those people get to vote in Israeli elections. There are also hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in Israel (mainly East Jerusalem) who are not citizens and cannot vote. So Israel is only a “democracy” for a certain type of person living in Israel.

Democracy only for certain people is not democracy.

The death penalty only for certain people is racist.

Freedom only for certain people is apartheid.

Every day Israel finds new ways to demonstrate to the world that it is soulless. There is no bottom to the depths of their moral depravity. There is no limit to their violations of human rights. And of course none of this behavior would be possible or accepted without the approval of their great benefactor — the US empire.