The Guardian newspaper published an editorial commenting on the Amnesty International report in which it described Israel as an apartheid state.

The newspaper said that the continued oppression of Palestinians is eroding Israel’s international standing and undermining its democracy.

The Guardian began by referring to what the then Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, said in 2010: “As long as there is one political entity west of the Jordan River called Israel, it will either be non-Jewish or non-democratic. And if this bloc of millions of Palestinians cannot vote, there will be an apartheid state.” This statement was recalled in 2014 by US Secretary of State John Kerry (despite later regretting the language he used). Almost the same words were said by Boris Johnson three years later when he became Foreign Secretary.

No one doubted that Israel’s continuation on this path without reaching peace with the Palestinians would face real accusations of apartheid. After four years of investigations, Amnesty became the latest human rights organization to make this accusation, concluding that Israel operates a regime amounting to apartheid according to international law.” The United Nations called for “imposing sanctions targeting the Israeli officials involved.” It also demanded an arms export embargo to Israel.

Amnesty called for bringing those who practice apartheid to “justice” through the International Criminal Court.

The Guardian says: “This is the largest human rights organization in the world, and the conclusion it has reached shows that the debate has become an integral part of international forums.” The newspaper commented that the diagnosis presented by the human rights organization regarding the Israeli situation should alarm everyone who wishes prosperity for Israel, including the newspaper itself.

Amnesty was attacked by the Israeli government, but several local human rights organizations defended it. The Guardian sees that the organization’s message will undoubtedly hurt Israeli Jews who view their country as a beacon of hope and take pride in its democratic traditions. However, the continued oppression of Palestinians will only erode Israel’s international reputation and harm its democracy. There is a clear consensus that the term “apartheid” can be applied to Israel in a manner distinct from the system applied in South Africa.

The accusation has also expanded; it is not limited to the military occupation of Palestinian areas but includes areas under Israeli control from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, including those holding Israeli citizenship whom Amnesty says are treated as second-class non-Jewish citizens and are prevented to varying degrees from exercising their basic rights, depending on where they live.

The newspaper adds that as the number of Palestinians in the Holy Land approaches the number of Jews, Israel’s dilemma becomes clearer. Neither Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett nor his expected successor Yair Lapid will admit that they cannot control all areas and maintain a Jewish identity while establishing a proper democracy at the same time. This may be related to Donald Trump’s support for the expansionist vision of Jewish extremists and Israel normalizing relations with Arab countries and the participation of an Arab party in the government in a way that makes it feel immune to accusations of discrimination.

But the seizure of land and destruction of homes continues in displacing and depriving Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line, not to mention the illegal settlement expansion in Palestinian areas. Last year, protests against the eviction of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem escalated into a military confrontation between Hamas in Gaza and Israel, resulting in 250 Palestinian deaths and a number of Israelis. Perhaps Israeli leaders treated the continued de facto annexation of Palestinian areas and laws with constitutional status that entrench the inferiority of non-Jews and the entrenchment of a control system as victories. However, human rights and civil rights trends indicate that these will turn into a defeat in the international public opinion arena.