MADUMERE, ONYINYECHI ADAUGO (2025) APARTHEID AND STATE RELATIONS IN THE MIDDLE-EAST; THE PALESTINIAN EXPERIENCE. Other thesis, GODFREY OKOYE UNIVESITY, ENUGU.
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Abstract
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the longest and most politically entrenched of modern times, founded upon rival claims to territory, nationality, and sovereignty. Recent years have seen growing attention being given to whether the state policy of Israel against Palestinians — particularly in the Occupied Palestinian Territories — is apartheid under international law. This study examines the Palestinian case both as a local domestic repression case and as a regional geopolitical issue affecting and being affected by Middle Eastern state relations. By situating apartheid within local and regional contexts, the research examines its significance for Palestinian self‑determination, human rights, and regional foreign policy. Two research objectives are: (1) to investigate whether the Israeli land policy and the housing policy amount to apartheid; and (2) to assess whether the permit and checkpoint regime legitimates a racially structured regime of domination. This study adopts Settler Colonial Theory as its theoretical foundation. The theory understands the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians not as a security or territorial conflict but as a domination system whereby the native Palestinians are replaced by a settler group and kept in place by legislation and policy with a view to perpetuating permanent control. A qualitative, documentary case study research design was employed. Data was collected from academic literature, international legal documents, United Nations reports, publications of human rights organizations, and credible media sources. The data was analyzed through content and thematic analysis to identify patterns and deviations in Israeli policies and their associations with apartheid matrices. This facilitated a comprehensive analysis of both Palestinian local governance institutions and their interlinkages with Middle Eastern state relations. Based on the evidence, the research recommends that the international community — particularly legal bodies such as the International Criminal Court — should intensify scrutiny of Israeli policies that pass the legal threshold to be qualified as apartheid. Middle Eastern states should condition normalization agreements and diplomatic relations with Israel upon measurable Palestinian human rights progress. Palestinian civil society and institutions have to extend documentation of apartheid-type policies and engage in strategic campaigning in international forums. They are needed not only for addressing structural injustice in Palestine but also for creating a more stable and just Middle Eastern political system.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Other) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | J Political Science > JZ International relations |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Arts > Faculty of Law > Faculty of Management and Social Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Uchenna Eneogwe |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Jun 2026 10:51 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Jun 2026 10:51 |
| URI: | http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/5691 |
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