Amnesty joins rights groups in accusing Israel of apartheid

By JOSEPH KRAUSS
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Amnesty International says Israel has maintained “a system of oppression and domination” over the Palestinians going all the way back to its establishment in 1948, one that meets the international definition of apartheid. It joins Human Rights Watch and the Israeli rights group B’Tselem in accusing Israel of apartheid — both within its borders and in the occupied territories. Israel adamantly rejects those allegations and accuses Amnesty of antisemitism. The reports are part of a growing international movement to redefine the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a struggle for equal rights rather than a territorial dispute. Those efforts have gained strength in the decade since the peace process ground to a halt.