Article 4 of the Palestinian Basic Law states "Islam is the official religion in Palestine. Respect for the sanctity of all other divine religions shall be maintained.
The principles of Islamic Shari’a shall be a principal source of legislation." Islam is not an official religion, the official religion.
Yet no one complains about "apartheid."
The extent of involvement of the Palestinian government in religious affairs is ignored by the West. They have a Ministry of Waqf and Religious Affairs that issues rulings under the name of the Palestinian Authority. Here's one example on how Mahmoud Abbas' government tells women how to dress:
There are no howls of outrage over this from supposedly liberal and human rights groups.
Today, during Eid Al Adha celebrations, as he does every year, Mahmoud Abbas participated in the ceremony in his own presidential palace.
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| Abbas at Eid service in 2013 |
Separation of mosque and state? It is not even a remote possibility for "Palestine." But no one even considers bringing this up as an issue, while many bitterly and falsely accuse Israel of being a theocracy.
CORRECTION: Originally I reported that Abbas led the service, but he did not. (h/t Ibn Boutros)