In South Africa's case, white rulers oppressed the black populace, a shameful practice. This regime began in the 1950s and was applied strictly until the 1990s. Its origins date back to the establishment of colonial rulers by the Dutch and British in South Africa. It was an assault on human dignity as the bosses of this regime discriminated against people according to the color of their skin, although their ontological essences are equal before God.Discriminatory practices still exist, though this time on the global level. As inequality among regions, classes and countries increases, those who cause this inequality implicitly rely on racism to bring legitimacy to the systems they established.
The extent to which Greek philosophy was inspired by Judaism remains unknown. Similarly unknown is to what degree this brand of racism prevalent in the West was inspired by Jewish theological sources. Nevertheless, there is one obvious truth: There is a certain overlap of Western racism and Israel's underlying beliefs. It is perhaps for this reason that the West does not view, on a subconscious level, the discrimination implemented by Israel vis-à-vis the Palestinians as unacceptable. New reports are published every day and new information is disclosed about this issue but the West refrains from imposing concrete sanctions against Israel.
On last Sabbath (Friday night), Israel launched an attack regarded the heaviest of the last 20 years on Gaza, treated by Israelis as a concentration camp. About 300 people were killed -- a number which may rise to 1,000, according to Arab papers -- and there are hundreds of wounded people. The European countries issued their standard replies while the US put the blame on Hamas for the attacks. According to the US, Israel used its "right to defend itself." It is suggested that Hamas, which kept true to a six-month cease-fire, launched a missile attack that wounded two Israelis and that this justifies enough massacring hundreds of innocent people.
Gaza is controlled by Hamas and one can understand why it is being targeted by Israel. But, what about the West Bank, dominated by Fatah, which accuses Hamas of terror and harsh policies? A report issued by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), a leading Israeli civil society organization, contains interesting information about how Israel treated Palestinians and Jewish settlers in the West Bank differently.
The report stressed that discrimination against Palestinians has been institutionalized, noting that "services, budgets and the access to natural resources are granted along discriminatory and separatist lines according to ethnic-national criteria … a blatant violation of the principle of equality and … in many ways reminiscent of the apartheid regime in South Africa." The report asserts that "in South Africa it was a case of a racist separation criterion as against the ethnic-national one applied in the Occupied Territories." Military rules are applied to Palestinians while Jews benefit from civil law.
In the report, issued on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is emphasized that about 2.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank live under military rule while 250,000 Jewish settlers can enjoy civil law. The situation in Gaza is worse. United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Karen Koning AbuZayd said: "Gaza is not under occupation, but it is under a heavy siege." You can call this a Nazi-type "concentration camp." Israel intends to tame 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza with hunger. The people in Gaza have committed a grave offense: They continue to resist and they never think of surrendering.
This report points out a single truth: There is no difference between Fatah and Hamas for Israel. It is Israel that believes it is walking alongside God and implementing a divine plan according God's desires.
