Abstract

MOMBERG, Marthie. Apartheid then and now - where are we heading? The case of Israel. STJ [online]. 2023, vol.9, n.3, pp.1-19. ISSN 2413-9467.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17570/stj.2023.v9n3.a1.

Arguments that the State of Israel practices apartheid are contested by many. In recent years debates on the secular State of Israel's oppression of Palestinians gained prominence also in ecumenical circles. Several stark ecclesial differences prompted this review of Israel as an apartheid regime, and the implications for reformed theology. Christian Zionist beliefs fall short of living up to religious moral high ground because of uncritical support for a country with a scurrilous record for flagrant disregard of human rights. An understanding of ethnic cleansing, occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid as defined in international law, are crucial in examining the nature of Israel's regime. The task of reformed Christians - in churches, church bodies, theological schools and in public life - in response to ideologies and theologies of empire and exclusivity is to be united in acknowledging complicity in injustice and in fostering an ethos of honesty, inclusive dignity, equality, and compassion.

Keywords : Apartheid; Christian division; Israel; Palestine; reformed theology; renewal in faith; Zionism.

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