To the Editor:

I was very interested to read that UMass held an Israeli Apartheid Week. Human rights organizations Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Israel’s B’Tselem all conclude that Israel is committing the crime of apartheid. So does the International Court of Justice, former Israeli Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair and former Mossad intelligence agency chief Tamir Pardo. According to Human Rights Watch: “We reached this determination based on our documentation of an overarching government policy to maintain the domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians coupled with grave abuses committed against Palestinians living in the occupied territory, including East Jerusalem.” Moreover, B’Tselem has released an August report detailing Israel’s abuse of Palestinian prisoners. It’s entitled, “Welcome to Hell: The Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps.” Examples of maltreatment include sexual assault, starvation, humiliation, punishment for religious worship and denial of medical treatment. The topic of Israel and apartheid seems taboo in the halls of Congress and in much of the mainstream media. Instead of giving numerous standing ovations to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Congress should demand that Israel end its systematic mistreatment of the Palestinians.

Terry Hansen

Milwaukee, Wis.