Identity Crisis: The Israeli ID system and the segregation of Israel/Palestine

The Nakba, which refers to the ethnic cleansing of over 50% of the Palestinian population, was a defining moment of the long and ongoing history of forced displacement and separation of the Palestinian people that began with the events leading up to the creation of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948.

Today, 66 years after this date, the fragmentation of the Palestinian people both inside and outside of historic Palestine remains as concrete as ever.

This infographic represents each population group falling under de-facto Israeli sovereignty today. It deconstructs how different groups of Israelis and Palestinians experience segregation based on an Israeli-controlled system of colored ID cards. The graphic is based on data from UN agencies, and from Israeli and Palestinian government sources and NGOs.

The issue of prolonged Israeli sovereignty over Palestinians is also pertinent in light of growing talk among prominent Israeli politicians such as Naftali Bennet of permanently and unilaterally annexing large portions of the occupied Palestinian territory, and by Avigdor Lieberman of de-nationalising some Palestinian citizens of Israel. A recent Associated Press article discusses how a shifting demographic balance and continuing de-facto Israeli control over the Palestinian population weigh heavy in Israel’s calculations.