Ehud Barak Warns Israel Sliding Into ‘Apartheid’

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By Daniel J. Solomon June 22, 2017

Ehud Barak warned on Wednesday that Israel was on a “slippery slope to apartheid” given the current state of play with Palestinians, in stark comments from the former prime minister and leader of the left-wing Labor Party.

Speaking to the German station Deutsche Welle, Barak said that the growth of the Palestinian population would mean Israel would have to either give up the West Bank or become a non-democratic power ruling over another people. “I care about morality,” he told the channel, explaining the motives behind his concern. “But I care more about our very survival in life.”

Barak, who served as prime minister during the last major push for peace in the late ‘90’s, also faulted the present Israeli government for its settlement policy, which he said was alienating due to building in isolated blocs of the West Bank.

“When I was prime minister… we enjoyed the support of the whole world for our policy because it was clear that, on one hand, we are still building within the settlement blocs, but we are genuinely ready to make a deal with the Palestinians and give up the isolated settlements,” Barak said.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

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