October 14 - I am not sure what to call this wave of Zionist settler violence that is provoking more and more non-violent and violent Palestinian resistance. The thoughtful Palestinian people I have been talking to are saying that it is too early to say whether this is a Third Intifada. (Or a 14th intifada, if you count all the uprisings that Palestinians have carried out during their long history of resistance to foreign occupation.)
As I have said before, I think Zionist Israel is doing all it can to provoke another intifada in order to justify a final ethnic cleansing of this whole area in order to annex it into a purely Jewish state. To that end, the government has unleashed the settlers, who seem quite out of control and accountable to no one; it has encouraged Israeli citizens to arm themselves; and it has legitimized the use of live ammunition against Palestinian protesters. A recent law imposes a sentence of 4 years in jail for throwing a stone - for small children as well as adults. With all this weaponry and fanaticism innocent people are going to get shot and killed, and there is going to be a violent reaction on the part of Palestinians.
Israelis are getting killed and injured. I know they are scared and their families are mourning their dead. Yet I urge you to be skeptical about the news reports you are getting about how many Palestinians are wielding knives in attack after attack. Some of those reports are untrue, the knives never being found, or being planted next to a body. One 13 year old school boy was shot and killed as he passed near a demonstration. Racist Zionist settlers, police and army are targeting innocent Palestinians because they can. Just like racist police in the U.S. are targeting Blacks because they can.
A few statistics: Between October 1st and October 14th over 650 Palestinians have been arrested, either at demonstrations or during midnight raids on their homes. At least 32 have been killed, 3 of them age 13. 1300 Palestinians have been shot by live fire or rubber coated steel bullets. Seven Israelis have died.
So far Palestinian resistance has consisted mostly of throwing stones, now punishable by death by live fire from the Israeli army or police. It is widespread over the West Bank but it is not organized and has no central leadership. Isolated incidents of attacks have also occurred inside Israel. It is important to remember that a high level of tension was created in September as Israel increased its invasions of the Temple Mount, allowing groups of setters to be there, while restricting Palestinian access. The Temple Mount is the location of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and is the 3rd most holy site in all of Islam. Since 1967, it has been under the jurisdiction of Jordan and considered Palestinian land. With good reason allowing settlers access is seen as a threat to this status and to the very existence of the sacred site.
What does have the feel of an organized uprising is the setter violence - a settler intifada.
The right wing, racist and violent settler movement seems to be running Israel, or at least Israel’s expansionist (i.e. zionist) policies. Settlers have always received support and encouragement from the Israeli governments and army, no matter what farmer they have attacked, no matter how many olive and fruit trees they have burned or uprooted, no matter what Old City apartment they have moved into claiming it belonged to a Jewish ancestor, and then been as noisy and unpleasant as possible in order to drive away their Palestinian neighbors.
However, now the settlers are out in front of the army and police, demanding and carrying out “death to the Arabs.” No one is stopping them because they are actually carrying out the Zionist objective upon which Israel was founded: remove the natives in order to impose a Jewish state.
Dear Sherrill. I'm reading this sad, very sad narrative you are sharing, but cannot begin to respond. I just cannot imagine what is left to be said or what is to be done.
ReplyDeleteSherrill, let us know if there is anything we can do in the U.S. with this information.
ReplyDeleteWhat to do? Firsts of all, not to give up. It is the Palestinians' insistence on living --which they call "summed" - that helps me not to give up. Secondly, support and promote the BDS campaign. The U.S. organization that coordinates it is the U.S.Campaign Against the Israeli Occupation. It will take some creativity to think of ways to add our voices to the Boycott of Israeli products. Boycotting Tribe and Sabra Hummus is a place to start. Think of it as an educational tool, but also think about how to get it de-shelved where it is being sold. My church, the United Church of Christ, voted to Divest from 5 companies that directly benefit the occupation. Now we are working on implementation, both on the local and national levels.Palestinians issued the call for BDS in 2005. It has grown and spread throughout the world, it has had a big psychological impact on Israel, which is spending millions trying to stop it.
ReplyDeleteThirdly, frustrating as it is, we must keep hounding our elected officials with the facts that they don't find in the mainstream media. Staying on top of the facts takes time because we are assaulted with so many urgent issues, so form a group and take turns covering the alternative media.
There are on-line petitions; there are marches and rallies; there are national and local groups struggling to answer this question of what to do. Join the effort. And go to Palestine or come with me. I hope this helps. Sherrill
I am grieving (so much suffering and violence, injury and death) and raging against the distortions and violence, and wishing to do more for peace in Israel and Palestine...and here in the US, that we stop the weapons deals and the bombings and drone strikes, and begin toward becoming peace-makers. I pray for your safety and celebrate your courage and loving support for the Palestinians. Blessings! Suzanne
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