UN official: Israel’s crimes are worse than in Apartheid S. Africa

UN official: Israel’s crimes are worse than in Apartheid S. Africa

by FalastinNews Staff

Former U.N. Special Rapporteur in Palestinian occupied territories John Dugard said in an interview with Democracy Now that "Israel’s crimes are infinitely worse than those committed by the apartheid regime of South Africa."

"I think the strategy of Israel and also of the United States is simply to allow talks to go on forever and ever, while Israel annexes more land and takes over Palestinian territory," he explained.

"The purpose of the International Criminal Court, as I see it, is to circumvent this strategy on the part of Israel and the United States and to make Israel and the United States see and face the issues very clearly—namely, that Israel has committed very, very serious international crimes," the ex-U.N. official added.

"I, like virtually every South African who visits the occupied territory, has a terrible sense of déjà vu. We’ve seen it all before, except that it is infinitely worse," he lamented.

Dugard said that what has happened in the West Bank is that "the creation of a settlement enterprise has resulted in a situation that closely resembles that of apartheid, in which the settlers are the equivalent of white South Africans."

"The whole international environment has changed since the end of apartheid, because the apartheid regime, fortunately for itself, did not have to face a legal action either before an international criminal court or before a national court, whereas Israel today does face action before an international court," he concluded.