Statement2012

Desmond Tutu: Israeli Apartheid is Worse Than South Africa's

Desmond Tutu, Archbishop and anti-apartheid activist

I have witnessed the systemic humiliation of Palestinian men, women and children by members of the Israeli security forces.

South AfricaapartheidsolidarityTutuhuman rights

Desmond Tutu, the South African archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was an outspoken critic of Israeli policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In a 2012 op-ed, he wrote that the humiliation he witnessed in the West Bank and Gaza reminded him of what Black South Africans endured under apartheid — and, in some respects, was worse.

Tutu supported boycotts and divestment as nonviolent tools of pressure and repeatedly called for equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis. His position was rooted in a theological commitment to justice and reconciliation, not in hostility to any people.

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haaretz.com — 0000017f e7c0 d856 a37f effc028b0000(opens in a new tab)https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2012-08-14/ty-article/just-the-facts-madam/0000017f-e7c0-d856-a37f-effc028b0000