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Wrong, New York Times: Israel Is No Metaphor for Apartheid

A taxi passes by in front of The New York Times head office, Feb. 7, 2013. Photo: Reuters / Carlo Allegri / File.

South African Apartheid is not a metaphor for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For some reason, many attempt to make a despicable conflation between the two, when they could not be more different.

In Lydia Polgreen’s New York Times op-ed “South Africa is not a Metaphor,” she delves into the rise and fall in popularity of the African National Congress (ANC) party among average South Africans since its revolution in apartheid South Africa.

Buried among the personal anecdotes of ex-ANC supporters, are six paragraphs dedicated to arrogantly drawing a false comparison to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and current Israel-Hamas war. In doing so, Polgreen leaves out necessary context.

It may be subtle but @lpolgreen‘s @nytimes op-ed includes a despicable attempt to conflate South African apartheid with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Here’s some of the context that she missed out. https://t.co/f5N6ldru3z

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 2, 2024

Polgreen brings in the International Court of Justice (IJC)’s contentiously misinterpreted January ruling regarding IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, and the “plausibility” of “genocide” against Palestinian civilians.

The court agreed in a decision in January that South Africa’s case was at least plausible,” she says, “and demanded that Israel take greater care to protect civilians and provide aid.

As confirmed by former ICJ president Joan Donoghue, the court did *not* decide that Israel’s war against Hamas could plausibly be considered genocide. @lpolgreen has dangerously misinterpreted the ruling.

Read more here: https://t.co/IW83nfvsOY pic.twitter.com/6CVqFUv1jz

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 2, 2024

We have seen this time and time again from different reporters, and the ICJ ruling on the IDF’s operation in Gaza does not cease to be reported by the media in a manner that is not only irresponsible, but dangerous.

Words create a ripple effect in real world behavior. Journalists are looked to as vehicles to uncovering truth, and are supposed to be reliable sources of information.

But this op-ed was published long after clarifications were made, including by former ICJ president Joan Donoghue, among others. These corrections and clarifications were blatantly ignored in what appears to be an effort to continue fitting someone’s personal narrative. It’s unfortunate — for Polgreen, The New York Times, and for Jews around the world who inevitably bear the heat of this dangerous reporting.

Polgreen also attempts to mask the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), a United States-recognized terror group, as a “left-wing ally,” by explaining its support for the ANC during the fall of apartheid. She then goes on to describe “separation” and “oppression” of Palestinians by Israel, falsely portraying the conflict as a racial one.

However, Israeli military actions are primarily based on security considerations to prevent terrorism, and have no place being compared to racial oppression, segregation, or class systems.

The op-ed then discusses the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement — and the result of that boycott movement as a bright-shared future for “Israel and Palestine.”

But despite the article’s claims, the words “peaceful” do not exactly describe what comes out of BDS efforts or a one-state solution. Both mean the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel. This oversimplification of a nuanced and complicated conflict cannot be compared with South Africa’s revolution against apartheid.

Nevertheless, the most naïve portion of the Israel-South African comparison is the creation of a fantasy, originally by author Mahmood Mamdani. His book, Neither Settler Nor Native, is cited to explain how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be solved the same way that South African apartheid was: by wrongly forcing Israelis to admit their role as white colonialist settlers, and painting Palestinians as oppressed and the only natives of the land. Then, he says, the plan is to abolish these labels and roles in order to enact a path for forgiveness and create a new, shared future.

This would not only broaden the conflict between Israelis and Palestinian on the ground, but suggesting this resolution can be applied to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict erases Jewish history and Jews’ presence in the land of Israel for 3,500 years. Polgreen perpetuates a popular libel that Jewish people are white colonialists who illegally established a state.

Polgreen did manage to get one part right — that there are “real limits to comparing South Africa’s transition” and “the possibilities for transformation in Israel and Palestine.” She adds, “they are different places with different histories….”

Yes, they are. So why do it?

Channa Rifkin started her career in broadcast journalism, as producer and correspondent at ILTV and i24NEWS, focusing on Israel, the Middle East, and Jewish world. She studied Communications and Political Science at Bar-Ilan University, and attained a master’s degree in Diplomacy and Conflict Studies at Reichman University in Israel. She is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.

The post Wrong, New York Times: Israel Is No Metaphor for Apartheid first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.

The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.

They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.

Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.

Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.

The post Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip

Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS

i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.

The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.

Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.

He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.

The post Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.

Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.

Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.

Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.

Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.

The post Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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