UN Official Accuses Israel of "Apartheid" in West Bank
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The UN's top human rights official says Israeli policy in the occupied West Bank resembles an "apartheid system."
In a new report, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk details what he calls "systemic discrimination" against Palestinians. The report says this treatment is designed to keep Palestinians separate from Israeli settlers.
Israel immediately rejected the accusations. A government spokesperson called the report "absurd."
The term "apartheid" refers to a system of enforced racial segregation. It is a strong and controversial label in international law.
The report focuses on Israeli actions in the West Bank, which Israel captured in 1967. It examines policies on land, housing, and legal rights for Palestinians and Israeli settlers living there.