Beyond Occupation

Occupation, Colonialism, and Apartheid are three loaded terms regularly used to describe Israel's practices in the Palestinian territories. This book offers a careful legal consideration of these terms and how useful they are in understanding Israel's actions. Virginia Tilley demonstrates that Israel's administration of these territories is consistent with colonialism and apartheid as defined in international law. Although belligerent occupation in itself is not an unlawful situation, the practices of colonialism and apartheid are particularly serious breaches of international law, being contrary to fundamental values of the international legal order. Apartheid is, moreover, a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute. This books shows that these practices are deliberate Israeli state policies, imposed on a population under military occupation, raising serious implications for the legitimacy of Israel's policies and the failure of Western governments to challenge them.