Israeli apartheid (or the terming of Israel an apartheid state) is a term used by some Palestinian-rights activists, South Africans, and some anti-Zionists to criticize Israel's policies by drawing an analogy between the policies of various Israeli governments towards the Palestinians to those of the apartheid-era South African government towards its Black and mixed-race populations. The use of this term to describe Israeli policies is considered objectionable by some pro-Israel groups.