1. United States
2. Letter

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the United States’ ongoing support for Israel’s system of apartheid against the Palestinian people. This is not the first time our government has been on the wrong side of history. During apartheid in South Africa, a network of conservative U.S. politicians and groups actively supported the brutal regime, despite overwhelming evidence of human rights abuses and international condemnation. As detailed in The Nation, figures like Ronald Reagan and various members of Congress argued that South Africa was a valuable ally in the fight against communism, using this as a rationale for providing political and economic support to a regime built on racial segregation and systemic oppression. Today, we are seeing a similar scenario unfold with U.S. support for Israel. Israel’s policies toward Palestinians bear many of the same hallmarks of apartheid—systemic discrimination, unequal laws, and restrictions on movement, land, and access to essential services. Elements of Israeli apartheid include the Law of Return, the 2003 Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, the 2018 Nation-State Law, and many laws regarding security, freedom of movement, land and planning, citizenship, political representation in the Knesset (legislature), education, and culture. These legal structures institutionalize unequal treatment, ensuring that Palestinians remain second-class citizens or, in many cases, are denied rights altogether. The international community, including human rights organizations, has widely recognized these abuses, yet so many U.S. politicians continue to support Israel with billions of dollars in military aid each year, much like how officials in the past stood by the apartheid regime in South Africa. End your complicity in the legacy of the U.S. supporting oppressive regimes. We cannot continue to claim to be a beacon of freedom and democracy while providing unconditional support to systems of apartheid. Just as history judged those who stood by South Africa’s apartheid government, it will judge those who continue to support Israel’s oppressive policies today. I urge you to take a stand for human rights and justice by calling for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel and supporting initiatives that hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law. It is time for you to be a true leader in the fight against apartheid, rather than a complicit supporter. * * *