Israel/Palestine, South Africa and the ‘One-State Solution’: The Case for an Apartheid Analysis

Abstract

The application of the term ‘apartheid’ to the policies and practices of the Israeli state forms a flashpoint in contemporary global politics. South Africa has provided a point of comparison for many state formations, and we suggest that, overall, the apartheid analysis serves as a useful contribution regarding Israel/Palestine within the framework of comparative political science. Moreover, because of the transformation evident in South Africa since 1994, the reference to the apartheid experience draws attention to the possibility of change, and has been a central element in discussions of the ‘one-state solution’ to the Middle East conflict. Adopting an approach consistent with the comparative method in political science, we see comparison as a means through which to highlight both similarities and differences between Israel (post-1948 and post-1967) and the apartheid-era South African context.

Acknowledgements

This paper is part of a larger project focusing on the racial contract and Israel/Palestine. Our thanks to David McDonald for helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper, as well as to the two anonymous reviewers for the journal for their constructive suggestions. Earlier versions were presented at the Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, 29 May 2009; and Israel/Palestine: Mapping Models of Statehood and Paths to Peace, sponsored by Queen's University and Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Canada, 23 June 2009.

Notes

For the purposes of clarity, in a series of articles on the subject of Israel/Palestine we have identified our positioning as authors. Specifically, Bakan is of Jewish background, and Abu-Laban is part of the Palestinian diaspora (Abu-Laban and Bakan, 2008, p. 639).

These conferences include: Israel/Palestine: Mapping Models of Statehood and Paths to Peace, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (22–24 June 2009); One State for Palestine/Israel: A Country for All its Citizens?, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, US (28–29 March 2009); Re-envisioning Israel/Palestine, an International Conference organized by The Middle East Project of the Democracy and Governance Programme, Human Sciences and Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa (12–14 June 2009); and Challenging the Boundaries: A Single State in Palestine/Israel (17–18 November 2007), SOAS, London, UK.

In some accounts, apartheid is considered to have ended in South Africa in 1994, with the first general election utilizing a universal franchise; in others the ending is rooted in developments from 1990 (including lifting the ban on the African National Congress, and the release of Nelson Mandela from prison).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Abigail B. Bakan

Department of Political Studies, Queen's University, Canada.

Yasmeen Abu-Laban

Department of Political Science, University of Alberta, Canada. Email: [email protected].