The world has witnessed many examples of discrimination, persecution, and genocide throughout history. These various practices have occurred due to differences in race, culture and religion. One way a society discriminates against a particular group of people is through laws. In ancient times, the Roman Empire used laws to discriminate against Christians, and since then, we have seen many other examples of a state using laws to negatively control a group of people. One current example of Israel and its laws that discriminate against the Palestinian people. This is a brief look at some of the ways the state of Israel uses laws to discriminate against its Palestinian population and how this persecution compares to the persecution of the Christians by the Roman Empire.
Since its inception, Israel has enacted laws that favor the Jewish population over its Arab, or Palestinian population. Israel considers nationality and citizenship to be two different things, and they are the only country in the world to do so . Under the Basic Laws of Israel, only Jews can claim Israeli nationality and enjoy full rights. The non-Jewish population of Israel can claim citizenship, but not be considered nationals. There are many laws in Israel that give privileges to Jewish nationals that do not apply to citizens such as property rights or even employment opportunities.
One example of a law that specifically targets Palestinians is the Ban on Family Unification. Under the Ban on Family Unification an Israeli citizen who is married to a person living in the occupied territories cannot live with their spouse in Israel (Ban on Family Unification). This ban includes citizens who marry people from other Arab countries as well, but excludes Jewish settlers living in the occupied territories.
Although the Palestinian citizens of Israel face daily discrimination, the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories face even stronger discrimination and persecution, and, in the eyes of many, genocide. The Palestinians in the Occupied Territories have no rights to free speech, assembly, or movement. They can be arrested and detained without charges. They are subjected to torture in the jails and prisons. There houses can be searched without warrants (and even occupied by the military at any time), and they face the possibility of assassination or extra-judicial murder at any time (Equal Rights for Palestinians). Palestinians in the Occupied Territories are subject to military law, while Israeli settlers living right across the state are subject to the legal system of Israel. Crimes by Israeli settlers against Palestinians are rarely punished while equal crimes by Palestinians receive harsh punishments.
The persecution of Palestinians by Israel bears some resemblance to the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire in that the persecution is by the state and not individual groups. In general, though, the persecution is different because of the reasons for the persecution. Christians were prosecuted by the early Roman Empire because of their religion. The Christian faith was different from the main pagan religion of the empire and threatened the religious leaders of the day . The persecution of the Palestinians by Israel is not really based on religion because Palestinians are both Muslim and Christian. Some may argue that it is a religious persecution since one of the goals of Israel is to create a Jewish state and to do so requires a Jewish majority. However, the treatment of Palestinians is more of a territorial dispute. Israel want domination over all of the land that was Palestine, in order to create a Jewish homeland. This is the ultimate goal of the Zionist movement which led to the creation of Israel in 1947. In the words of David Ben-Gurion, one of the leaders of the Zionist movement, “No Zionist can forgo the smallest portion of the Land of Israel. [A] Jewish state in part [of Palestine] is not an end, but a beginningEstablishing a [small] statewill serve as a very potent lever in our historical effort to redeem the whole country” . This sentiment shows that the ultimate goal of Israel is to dominate or displace the Palestinians in order to establish a Jewish state in all of the Palestinian territory. The use of discriminatory laws is one tool for accomplishing this goal.
Works Cited
“Ban on Family Unification” – Citezenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order).
Adala.org. n.d. Web. 25 April 2016
Equal Rights for Palestinians. Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign. n.d. Web. 25 April 2016.
Lunn-Rockliffe, S. Dr. Christianity and the Roman Empire. 17 February 2011. Web. 25 April
2016.
Palestine: An Introduction to History & Issues. Palestine Solidarity Committee - Seattle. n.d.
Web. 25 April 2016.
