(Washington, D.C., Jan. 30, 2022)—B’nai B’rith International President Seth Riklin and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin have issued the following statement:

​A new report by Amnesty International UK is a flawed, damaging and dangerously prejudiced look at Israel—another supposed investigation in a long line of efforts to undermine the only Jewish nation in the world. The results of the report are not a surprise given Amnesty International’s long-standing unhinged responses when it comes to Israel. We reject the accusations and characterizations in the report.

In 211 pages, the report, “Israel’s Apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime against Humanity,” charges Israel with all-manner of offenses and concludes by asking the British government to reassess its relations with Israel. We call on the British government to reject this theater of the absurd.

Since the report doesn’t limit its charges to Gaza and the West Bank, but instead targets the entire State of Israel, these “findings” usher in a new and disturbing phase in the effort by those seeking to demonize and delegitimize Israel. By expanding its charges, Amnesty is clearly promoting an end to the Jewish state.

In branding Israel an “apartheid” state, Amnesty International UK uses a term favored, promoted and even celebrated by Israel’s harshest detractors. The word resonates painfully with victims of South Africa’s now-abolished formal segregation system and is used in this report, as it is elsewhere in global efforts to undermine Israel, to brand the Jewish state as an illegitimate and even outlaw government.

Use of the term “apartheid” to describe Israel is not just wrong, but an over-the-top effort to provide dangerous ammunition to those seeking the ultimate destruction of Israel. In the real world, Israel is the sole democracy in the Middle East, and the only defender of human rights across a region ruled by countless human-rights violating dictatorships. The apartheid slander intentionally mischaracterizes Israel, relying on a hot-button label to ignite outrage against the Jewish state.

The reality is that Israeli Arabs sit in Israel’s current government and on Israel’s Supreme Court. They have the same right to vote as all Israelis. They have their own media. Arabic is an official language of Israel. Amnesty’s libelous claim of  “apartheid” is simply baseless.

Another focus of the report, on the so-called “right of return,” clearly reveals Amnesty’s true motives. Under this narrative, all Palestinians that the United Nations deems refugees have the right to return to pre-state Israel. More than 70 years after Israel’s war for independence, the United Nations has allowed generation after generation to fall under its refugee program. The number of people now deemed refugees would immediately overwhelm Israel and quickly end its existence as a Jewish state.  Amnesty is effectively proposing a one State solution with the destruction of Israel as we know it.

This report should be greeted for what it clearly is: another transparent attempt to exile and eliminate the only Jewish nation in the world. We see through this charade, and we urge the United Kingdom, and other governments that Amnesty might seek to pressure, to reject the inappropriate calls for it to further marginalize Israel.

B’nai B’rith International has advocated for global Jewry and championed the cause of human rights since 1843. B’nai B’rith is recognized as a vital voice in promoting Jewish unity and continuity, a staunch defender of the State of Israel, a tireless advocate on behalf of senior citizens and a leader in disaster relief. With a presence around the world, we are the Global Voice of the Jewish Community. Visit www.bnaibrith.org.