In its most comprehensive report to date on Israel's treatment of Palestinians, Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused Israel of committing "crimes against humanity" and said the U.S. and the international community have "turned a blind eye." It advocated an international commission of inquiry and sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, against "officials and entities credibly implicated."

The group's 213-page report, titled "A Threshold Crossed," accuses Israel for the first time of "apartheid and persecution," as defined by international conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It says the Israeli government perpetuates structural oppression to "maintain the domination of Jewish Israelis over Palestinians" in both Israel and the Palestinian territories, where today both groups of people are about equal in size.

While Tuesday's report does not contain new revelations about Israel's actions, it synthesizes previous studies into a reframing of the situation and reflects a shift in how human rights advocates are addressing the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict: moving from a focus on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and blockade of the Gaza Strip to questioning Israel's commitment to democracy and civil rights even within its own borders.