Understand the Israeli-Palestinian Apartheid in images

Below are 11 infographics that explain the Israeli-Palestinian Apartheid. The graphics provide facts about the forced exile of Palestinian people, how the occupation has been maintained, the ongoing displacement of families and destruction of homes, the pattern of violence, illegal detentions, segregation of necessary resources like water and olive trees, segregation on travel and the wall. Just as was done during South African Apartheid, there is a campaign to put economic pressure on Israel using boycotts, divestment and sanctions.

All the graphics are from the site Visualizing Palestine, a site dedicated to creating informative and impactful graphics about the troubled region. Check out many more of these images on their site.

1. The Forced Exile of The Palestinian People

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[May 2013] 15 May, 2013, marked the 65th anniversary of the Nakba – when 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from the territory that became Israel. In 1948, more than 50% of the entire Palestinian population was ethnically cleansed. In commemoration of the Nakba, and the displacement that continues today, VP released ‘An Ongoing Displacement’. The graphic references the iconic ‘Disappearing Palestine’ image, adding a layer of detail that quantitatively catalogues the multiple dimensions of Palestinian displacement and loss of land.

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2. Maintenance of the Occupation

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[December 2013] Twenty years ago, the PLO Central Council approved the Oslo Accord with the Israeli government. Israeli-Palestinian talks were slated to conclude within 5 years, yet two decades on Israel’s occupation continues, and the situation on the ground has only moved backwards for Palestinians. This graphic, a collaboration between VP and AIDA (the Association for International Development Agencies), highlights the ever-increasing Israeli settler population, continuing dispossession of Palestinians, and comprehensive system of segregation that define the landscape. In spite of the Palestinian Authority’s ‘statehood’ project, the feasibility of a ‘two-state solution’ is now widely questioned, while Palestinian self-determination and the return of refugees are barely discussed.

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3. Continued Displacement and Destruction

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[September 2012] ‘Policy of Displacement’ focuses on the Israeli government’s widespread practice of demolishing Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Gaza since 1967. The data for the graphic draws primarily on research by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). The graphic was first published by Al Jazeera English on 28 August, two days after the verdict on Rachel Corrie’s case. It served as a reminder of the outrage home demolitions spur, both within Palestinians and among the international community. This was our first release by a major media outlet.

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4. A Pattern of Violence and Aggression

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[November 2012] ‘Timeline of Violence’ reflects on the death toll and cycles of killing in the Israeli-Palestinian issue, drawing on detailed data gathered by B’Tselem since the outbreak of the Second Intifada in September 2000. The graphic was released in November 2012 by Al Jazeera, amidst Operation Pillar of Cloud, the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. News coverage consistently described the bombardment as defensive, a response to a protracted barrage of Hamas rockets. The graphic called this coverage into question by displaying the stark disparity between Palestinians and Israelis killed since 2000.

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5. Illegal Detention

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[October 2013] In May 2012, over 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees went on hunger strike to challenge the conditions they face in the Israeli prison system. Not least, they called for an end to the practice of administrative detention, where Palestinians are held without charge or trial for months or even years. Despite drawing worldwide attention to the issue, administrative detention continues today. The infographic ‘A Guide to Administrative Detention’ takes the perspective of an administrative detainee as they face daily stresses, uncertainties and indignities.

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6. Segregation of Resources – Gaza Water: Confined & Contaminated

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[September 2012] ‘Gaza Water’ gives insight on the dire water situation in the Gaza Strip. As much as 95% of Gaza’s water from its only accessible water source–the Coastal Aquifer–is now contaminated and unfit for human consumption. Overpopulation leads to over-pumping, and the Israeli government draws an inequitable amount of water from the aquifer, both of which accelerate contamination. This leads to alarmingly high levels of water-related illness among Gazans.

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7. Segregation of Resources – West Bank Water

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[March 2013] In partnership with EWASH (a coalition working in the water and sanitation sector in Palestine), VP produced ‘West Bank Water’, which describes the ways in which the Palestinian water supply in the West Bank is appropriated by the Israeli government before it reaches Palestinian homes. Despite the fact that Ramallah receives more rainfall than London (one of the world’s most renowned rainy cities), the average West Bank Palestinian can access only one quarter of the water available to the average Israeli each day, and 30 liters less than the World Health Organization’s minimum recommendation.

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8. Segregation of Resources – Uprooted: Olive Harvest

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[October 2013] October marks the start of the annual Palestinian olive harvest, an ancient tradition on which 80,000 families still rely for their livelihoods. Yet these families face growing economic hardship due to Israeli land confiscations, access restrictions, settler attacks, and not least the widespread uprooting, destruction and theft of the trees themselves. The infographic ‘Uprooted’ focuses on the staggering fact that Israeli authorities have uprooted over 800,000 Palestinian olive trees since 1967, the equivalent to razing all of the 24,000 trees in New York’s central park 33 times.

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9. Segregation of Travel – Segregated Roads

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[May 2012] Cars with Palestinian license plates are not allowed on Israeli roads, regardless of the identification held by the driver. Even on Palestinian roads, cars with Palestinian plates have restricted access, face endless delays at checkpoints and are subject to regular road blocks. Cars with Israeli plates experience none of these difficulties. The infographic ‘Segregated Roads’ invites the viewer to imagine a road system in which the color of your license plate determines your mobility.

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10. Segregation of Travel – Bus Segregation

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[March 2013] Bus segregation addressed the Israeli Transportation Ministry’s decision to open two bus lines accessible only to West Bank Palestinians. The Israeli government’s stated reasons were “to help make life easier for Palestinians permitted to work in Israel” and to assuage Israeli “passengers on the buses complain[ing] about unpleasant experiences, nuisances and fear”. Behind the pretense ease and comfort are countless instances of Palestinians being beaten and forced off buses by Israeli passengers, just as black Americans reported in the 1950s and 1960s.

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11. The Wall

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[July 2014] In June 2002, the Israeli cabinet approved the construction of a “continuous fence” in the West Bank. In July 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared this barrier illegal, choosing to refer to it as a “wall”. The infographic ‘Where Law Stands on the Wall’ describes the detail of ICJ’s decision. Today, 9 years on, and despite wide condemnation, little has been done by the international community to hold the Israeli government accountable for its ongoing disregard of international law.

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