Tag: IDF

Nowhere is Safe in Gaza, Not Even in the So-Called ‘Safe Zones’

An NBC investigative report demonstrates the frequency with which Israel continues to bomb areas and travel routes that have been designated by Israeli officials as “safe zones.”

Destitute Palestinians travel to areas where they were told they would remain safe from attack, only to be bombed, shot and terrorized in their  freshly erected makeshift homes.

It’s as if the ‘safe zones’ were deliberately designed holding pens created to ensure a higher percentage of civilian targets for Israeli bombs.

There is LITERALLY no safe place in Gaza today. Watch:

 

The Bombing May Be Over, But the Devastation Remains

Israel and Hamas may have reached a “ceasefire,” but Palestinian suffering continues unabated.

While Israel violated the ceasefire almost immediately, the western press says nothing about it. [I will be posting about this common scenario very soon.]

The recent missile exchange killed 12 Israelis and at least 288 Palestinians, including 69 children and 40 women. More than 8,900 others were injured in Gaza, many with life-threatening wounds.

Israeli bombing damaged or destroyed 187 Gazan schools, including 55 kindergartens and 132 elementary schools.

This man lost 14 family members in a single strike. Of course, all human lives are sacred. We are all created as the Image of God. But this one man lost more family members than were killed in the entire state of Israel.

Watch below to learn about his story:

Rep. Rashida Tlaib Gives Powerful Speech About Palestine on the Floor of Congress

 

 

 

The Israeli Army Doesn’t Have Snipers. It Has Hunters — Gideon Levy

Here is an excerpt from today’s editorial by Gideon Levy at the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz. It is entitled, “The Israeli Army Doesn’t Have Snipers

Israeli journalist, Gideon Levy

on the Gaza Border. It Has Hunters.”

He is addressing the ongoing, daily slaughter of Palestinian men, women and children at the Gaza prison fence.

To date, 8,000 young men have been permanently disabled. The number of deaths is in the hundreds (approximately, 500 I believe) and the serious injuries in the tens of thousands.

And still, the United States and the rest of the world do nothing:

“They’re the best of our boys. One is a “musician from a good high school,” another a “boy scout” who majored in theater.” They’re the snipers who have shot thousands of unarmed protesters along the Gaza border fence.

“In the Gaza Strip there are 8,000 permanently disabled young men as a result of the snipers’ actions. Some are leg amputees, and the shooters are very proud of that. None of the snipers interviewed for Hilo Glazer’s frightening story in Haaretz (March 6) has any regrets. If they are feeling at all apologetic it’s because they didn’t spill more blood. One was mocked in his battalion with “here comes the killer.” They all act like murderers. If their actions don’t show it – more than 200 dead as a result of them – then their statements prove that these young men have lost their moral compass. They are lost. They will go on to study, to have careers and to raise families – and will never recover from their blindness. They disabled their victims physically, but their own disabilities are more severe. Their souls were completely twisted. They will never again be moral individuals. They are a danger to society. They lost their humanity, if they ever had it, on the shooting berms facing the Gaza Strip. They are the sons of our friends and the friends of our sons, the young people from the apartment across the hall. Look how they talk.

“…but it’s hard not to be shocked at the depths to which we have sunk. They recalled the number of knees they shot. ‘I brought in seven-eight knees in one

Israeli soldiers patrol the Gaza fence looking for people to shoot

day. Within a few hours, I almost broke his record.’ ‘He got around 28 knees.’ They shot at unarmed young men and women who were trying in vain to struggle for their freedom, an issue that couldn’t be more just. ‘The regular scenario is supposed to be that you hit, break a bone – in the best case, break the kneecap – within a minute an ambulance comes to evacuate him, and after a week he gets a disability pension.’…

“They chose their victims by their charisma, with a sniper’s precision. Their ‘leadership aura’ has destined young men to a life of disability in the cage that is Gaza. But that was not enough. They become bloodthirsty as only young incited people can be. They wanted more blood, not just blood, a child’s blood. Not just a child’s blood, but in front of his family.

“‘Let me just once take down a kid of 16, even 14, but not with a bullet in the leg – let me blow his head open in front of his whole family and his whole village. Let him spurt blood. And then maybe for a month I won’t have to take off another 20 knees.’

“They wanted blood from a boy’s head only to spare themselves the need to take down 20 more knees. They identified their victims’ age by their shirts: Dress shirts for the older ones, T-shirts for the youngest.

“None was court-martialed. Correction: One got seven days in military jail for shooting a sheep. Soldiers in the world’s most moral army don’t shoot sheep. With 200 dead and 8,000 wounded, they think ‘the restraints on us are shameful.’ That is their shame. They are our shame. They, and their commanders. They and the army that orders them to shoot at protesters as if they were ‘ducks who chose to cross the line.’

“People who shoot ducks aren’t snipers. They’re hunters.”

Read the entire piece here.

 

What U.S. Politicians on the AIPAC Trip to Israel Will Never Learn, And Why Reps. Tlaib and Omar Were Right to Boycott It

The city of Ramallah is the provisional capital of the Palestinian state.  It is located in the West Bank region designated as Area A.

Supposedly, Area A is under the autonomous control of the Palestinian Authority.  Israeli propaganda says that the people living in this area have complete autonomy without the interference of Israeli forces.

Zionist literature, included ALL of the Christian Zionist work that I am reading these days, label Palestinian protesters against Israel as unappreciative, recalcitrant dead-enders who rebel simply because they hate Jews.

The proof, they say, is the supposed freedom and independence Palestinians have been granted by Israel throughout the West Bank in communities designated as part of Area A.

In other words, why else would Palestinians who have been granted their freedom continue to protest against good-natured Israel?  Obviously, they must be ungrateful anti-Semites.

Below is a video of Israeli soldiers harassing and firing tear-gas at a non-violent march of Palestinians near the city of Ramallah in Area A.

Check it out:

This confrontation between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians is something that politicians on a tour of Israel sponsored by AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) — such as the one recently boycotted by Reps. Omar and Tlaib — would never be allowed to see.

Forty-on Democrats and thirty-one Republicans participated in the most recent trip, sponsored annually by AIPAC.

Thankfully, the trip was boycotted by Reps. Omar and Tlaib because they know better.  These women know the truth about Israel.

Israeli public relations people sponsor these tours in order to repeat their government propaganda:

“Nothing to see here in Area A. These people are autonomous and independent. They live in freedom.  Disturbances are addressed by Palestinian police. Israeli soldiers are not allowed here.”

And this smiling gaggle of American doofuses, masquerading as

U.S. politicians being indoctrinated by Zionist propaganda on AIPAC sponsored tour of Israel

knowledgeable politicians, will then return home more ignorant and ill-informed about the plight of the Palestinian people than when they accepted a free trip to Israel from AIPAC.

And they will repeat these lies to their constituents, many of whom  are misguided Christian Zionists, about Palestinian autonomy in the West Bank.

The fact is, there is no place in the West Bank, Gaza or the state of Israel where Palestinians are truly free. They do not enjoy civil rights or genuine equality anywhere that is controlled by the Israeli government.

As you watch the video notice that the only people carrying weapons are the Israeli soldiers.  All of the Palestinians are unarmed. I have never seen any Palestinians carrying weapons at any of the protest marches I have attended in the West Bank.

I recognize one of the marchers as a friend of mine who is unwaverlingly committed to non-violence.

Some months ago he was released from an Israeli prison.

He had been arrested for the horrible crime of protesting the all-too common imprisonment of Palestinian children by the Israeli military.  He dared to stand in public with a home-made sign objecting to the arrest of 17 year-old  Ahed Tamimi for the dangerous act of slapping an Israeli soldier.

A soldier, by the way, who had just finished shooting one of her cousins in the head.

My friend’s arrest for protesting occurred in another section of Area A, where — the Israeli government assures us — the Palestinian people are free.

 

Munther Amira’s Statement after Prison Release #Palestinians #Israelioccupation

I am happy to say that my friend, Munther Amira, was released from an Israeli military prison about 1 1/2 weeks ago. Munther released a thank you statement on Facebook yesterday, and I want to share it with any of my readers who may have participated in the “free Munther” actions I posted here.

Recall that Munther was arrested for quietly, non-violently protesting Israel’s policy of imprisoning children in its military prisons. He was peacefully walking down the street in his own neighborhood holding up a picture of the Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi, who remains in prison for the “crime” of slapping one of the soldiers who shot her young cousin in the head.

Here is Munther’s letter:

JUN 17, 2018 — My dear friends,

I would like to start my message “post” by thanking each and every woman, man, organization, union, and group for your tremendous support and solidarity. My imprisonment is no more than one small event in the series of the long lasting occupation’s violations of human rights. Since the beginning of occupation 70 years ago, the violations of human rights never stopped. They just varied in shape from cold blood killing, to injuring or imprisoning. They included land confiscation, home demolitions, road blockage, siege, exile, individual and public punishments, all of which contribute to a system of ethnic cleansing. All of which destroy human lives, deprive freedom, erase dignity, end lives, kill hope, and steal childhoods.

My short, but tough and humiliating, six month imprisonment empowered me and strengthened my convictions. Since the beginning I knew that the nonviolence approach I adopted to defend Palestinians human rights, dignity, and freedom will be difficult. This is still true and was confirmed by the violence of the Israeli occupation’s response to my, and many other activists, nonviolent resistance. Your solidarity and support makes it easier for me and others like me to lead this every day fight.

This support will empower the nonviolence movement in Palestine in this long-term endeavor. I hope this support will continue and grow in scale and forms.
During my imprisonment I met with comrades, spending, 36, 30, 28 or 26 years in Israeli political prisons. A lifetime of prison is their fate on this earth. Each of them has their own heartbreaking and incredibly strong story. I listened to them tell me about their dreams, feelings, and hopes for freedom. I learned from their enthusiasm and was stunned by their positive, ongoing energy. They have an incredible discipline and are eager to learn and to teach each other. In prison, I attended lectures discussing global sustainable environments, social sciences, human rights, and international humanitarian laws. It was not – and is still not – easy for me to grasp the source of their hope, their energy, and their ability to think about things like economics and the environment, all while living in a 9 square meter cell.

I saw them touch the glass separating them and their mothers during the monthly visits, imagining they could actually feel them.
I admire their spirit, and hope that one day, sooner rather than later, they will wake up outside, next to their loved ones. As a human rights defender, activist, social worker, father, and most importantly as a human, I and many others in and outside of Palestine will continue our peaceful fight for justice, dignity, freedom and a brighter future.

Finally, I would to like to thank you all again, and to extend my gratitude to all your tremendous support during my time in Israel’s kangaroo courts, which fail to meet the basic standards of fair trial and due process.
These military courts are designed to criminalize Palestinian rejection of the occupation and punish Palestinians for demanding their basic human and national rights. They are a conveyor belt of convictions and injustice that prosecute between 500 and 700 Palestinian children every year, with a near 100 percent conviction rate.

I would like to thank all who demonstrated in the streets, and those who were punished for it. Thank you to the 15,000 people who signed the petition for my freedom. I wish I could thank them all one by one. Thank you to all human rights defenders, unions, human rights NGOs, grassroots NGOs, journalist, bloggers, individuals and groups.

Last but not least I would like to thank my family who has stood by me in this dangerous endeavor from the very first day.

Munther Amira
Aida Refugee Camp
Occupied Palestinian Territories

(Posted on Facebook on 17 June 2018)

Noura Erakat Explains Gaza Protests & Palestinian Grievances on CBSN #gazakillings #zionism #nouraerakat

Professor Noura Erakat

Last week I came across an excellent CBSN interview with Noura Erakat talking about the recent protests in Gaza and the massacre of unarmed Palestinians there.

Ms. Erakat is a Palestinian-American human rights attorney and an Assistant Professor at George Mason University.  You can check out her impressive professional biography at her webpage here.

Two things about this interview were unusual:

First, the newswoman asking the questions was respectful and allowed Professor Erakat to give her responses fully without interruption, both rather unusual behaviors during those rare occasions when Palestinians appear on US corporate media.

Second, Ms. Erakat’s answers offered one of the most articulate, detailed and knowledgeable presentations of Palestinian suffering and their right to self-determination that I have ever seen on American television.

Your time will be well rewarded by taking the 8 minutes needed to watch. Just click below:

A Twitter Storm for my Friend Munther Amira on Nakba Day

Last March I wrote about my Palestinian friend, Munther Amira.  Munther is a social worker who lives near Bethlehem. He had just been arrested for protesting the way Israeli soldiers regularly arrest, abuse and imprison Palestinian children.

For important information documenting these widespread abuses, please check out the Defense for Children International/Palestine website as well as the work of an Israeli human rights organization called B’TSELEM, The Israeli Information Center on Human Rights in the Occupied Territory.

Change.org has launched a petition and a Twitter campaign on Munther’s behalf.  The campaign is scheduled for May 15, known as Nakba Day to the Palestinian people.  The Nakba, Arabic for The Catastrophe, is the Palestinian designation for the ethnic cleansing of Palestine that was put into effect by Israeli military forces in 1948-49.

It is illegal for Palestinians to commemorate this day in Israel.

Munther’s arrest and imprisonment also demonstrate that there is no such thing as freedom of speech in the Occupied Territories.  It is also against the law (apparently) to protest Israel’s imprisonment of minors in military prisons.

Please, read the full petition at Change.org and speak up for Munther on May 15th.

I have excerpted the announcement below, complete with suggested tweets.

“It would be great if as many people as possible could join us in expressing solidarity with Munther by tweeting using #FreeMuntherAmira #FreePalestine #Nakba70 . Please share this information widely too, and let’s make this twitter storm as big as possible.

“Here are some suggestions for tweets that you could use, or you might want to compose your own, but do include the hashtags.

“Greetings to Munther Amira from [your country]. We stand alongside you in your continuing campaign for freedom and justice #FreeMuntherAmira #FreePalestine #Nakba70

“Greetings to Munther Amira from social workers in [your country]. We stand alongside you in your continuing campaign for freedom and justice #FreeMuntherAmira #FreePalestine #Nakba70

“Solidarity with fellow social worker, Munther Amira, thank you for standing up for the rights of Palestinian children and for being a shining example to us all #FreeMuntherAmira #Nakba70

“We stand in solidarity with Munther Amira & all Palestinian refugees on #Nakba70 and recognise the UN Declaration of Human Rights “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country” #FreeMuntherAmira #FreePalestine #Nakba70

“Freedom and justice for Munther Amira, Ahed Tamimi and all Palestinian children in Israeli military detention #FreeMuntherAmira #FreePalestine #Nakba70

Palestinians Suffer Every Single Day Under Israeli Occupation

  • As often as we can afford it, Terry and I travel to Israel/Palestine in order to live with friends in the Aida refugee camp, located on the outskirts of Bethlehem.  Our main focus involves volunteer work in a local, Palestinian community center.  I have also done educational research when I was teaching at Calvin College.  We always try to document and participate in some of the local protests against the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian communities.

In the summer of 2014, our stay coincided with the tragic kidnapping and murder of three Israel, Jewish teenagers.  We witnessed some of the effects of Operation Brother’s Keeper, the Israeli military response to the kidnappings, an exercise in massive, indiscriminate collective punishment throughout the West Bank.

I gave this talk, complete with illustrative Power Point slides and video, at Calvin College in February, 2015.  The MC introduces me at the 5:48 minute mark. I begin to speak at 9:15.

I hope that, if you haven’t already, you will take the time to listen and then, perhaps, pray for the plight of the Palestinian people.

Durham, North Carolina First To Ban Police Exchanges With Israel (The Forward)

The first paragraph from today’s article in The Forward reads:

“The City Council in Durham, North Carolina, has voted unanimously to bar the city’s police department from international exchanges in which the officers receive ‘military-style training’ in a slap at such programs held with the Israeli army and police.”

This is excellent news. I hope that it is a first step in a nation-wide movement to delegitimize (as Benjamin Netanyahu loves to lament) the military policing tactics used by Israeli authorities.  They are criminal methods as employed within Israel and the Occupied Territories.  They remain abhorrent, criminal and immoral when exported elsewhere — as I mentioned in an earlier post about police lynchings in America.  It is a travesty that an international exchange program allowing Israel’s apartheid policing philosophy to infiltrate this country was ever condoned in the first place.

I encourage you to read the article if you want to know about Israel’s influence in our police academies.  I intent to write about this in the near future.  For now, here are a few additional sources (here and here).