Apartheid. Fewer words have gained such infamy in the past half-century.

Pre-Mandela rule in South Africa illustrated how brutal institutionalized racial/ethnic discrimination can be. One might even argue that the U.S. has been a quasi-apartheid state for much of its history.

That is why John Kerry’s recent words carry such somber weight.

Last week, he stated before world leaders that Israel could risk becoming an apartheid state in its own right, if a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not reached.

Heavily loaded words—certainly the kind that will make some stomachs churn and some tempers boil over.

But could they be justified?

After all, Israel has a slew of laws discriminating against Palestinians—even those who are Israeli citizens.

And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent proposal won’t exactly discredit Kerry’s words, either.

There is no one infallible take on this. Yes, Kerry may have been a bit hyperbolic.

But just maybe, there’s a grain of truth to his claims.

What do you think? A justified firestorm… or a storm in a teacup?