CAAP.

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About us:

We are a coalition of organizations and individuals who have worked on issues of justice in Palestine. Specifically, we have been involved in the “StopCat Coalition,” which focused on stopping sales of militarized bulldozers by Caterpillar to Israel. We decided that even though the campaign against Caterpillar remains valid, the focus was too narrow given the recent events in the Middle East.

We believe that after decades of occupation, the only appropriate description of the political situation in Palestine is that of apartheid. By using the term apartheid, borrowed from the pre-liberation regime in South Africa, we mean a regime that applies separate systems of law and practice to people occupying the same territory based solely on their nationality/race/religion.

The following examples of the de facto and de jure apartheid in Palestine are meant as illustrative, not exhaustive:

  • Separate roads, facilities and access for Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories

  • The construction of a wall that separates Palestinian villagers from their land, prevents movement of peoples except through checkpoints opened or closed on whim and seizes precious water resources

  • Demolition of Palestinian homes both as collective punishment and to seize the land; targeting Palestinians for no reason other than they are Palestinian

  • Impunity for crimes, including murder, by both the Israeli military and militarized settlers

  • Laws that apply to Palestinians only, such as making it illegal for Palestinians to ride in cars owned by Jewish Israelis or not permitting Palestinians who marry Israelis from living in Israel

  • Targeting Palestinian civilians for killing and maiming and imprisoning thousands of Palestinians no matter the form of resistance

  • Subjecting Palestinians to Israeli laws without giving Palestinians in the Occupied Territories any vote in Israeli elections in violation of any "one person one vote" principle

  • Differing laws for Jewish citizens of Israel and Palestinian citizens of Israel including laws on land ownership, marriage, social security, health care, and reunification of families.

  • Our Mission

    The world community rose in response to the apartheid regime in South Africa by imposing sanctions against both South Africa and countries aiding and doing business with the apartheid regime; boycotting South African goods and national cultural institutions (art, music, sports, etc.); and divesting from both South African companies and companies doing business with the South African regime.

    Our goal is to make it untenable for Israel to do business in the world and for the world to do business with Israel until it dismantles the apartheid system imposed on the Palestinians.

    To achieve this goal, we will initiate targeted campaigns: to boycott Israeli goods and cultural institutions; to divest from Israeli companies and those companies doing business with Israel; and for international sanctions against Israel and countries aiding the Israeli government.

    Chicagoans Against Apartheid in Palestine - CAAP
    caap_mail@yahoo.com