n the UK we don’t hear an awful lot about Palestine, or at least not for the right reasons. In fact news on Israel’s ‘illegal occupation’ (words of the UN, not mine) are a somewhat rarity and are forgotten just as quickly as they are broadcasted. Although we are presented with pleasantly thorough and heart wrenching coverage when a story speaks of the Israeli struggle, be that past, present or future. All alone, surrounded by regions who don’t like them, who want to apparently wipe them off the map and who do not ‘recognise’ their state or birth right.
It seems Israel can do no wrong, like butter wouldn’t melt, even. So much so that just commenting on their blatantand confirmed (by the international community) atrocities is a damning outrage and requires an apology. So just to put this into perspective, Israel:
- Has illegally occupied the West Bank (since 1967)
- Created 7 million Palestinian refugees
- Mercifully allowed 1.5 million Palestinians to live under its race-based apartheid laws creating inhumane ghettos with:
- Race-based ID cards
- Restricted Marriage laws
- Property acquisition discrimination (Palestinians cant buy land)
- Restricted social participation
- Restricted public transport (visualised, not that public transport is overly accessible to Palestinians in the first place)
- Restricted road usage segregation
- Restricted and purposefully contaminated water supplies (with intentional destruction of the already limited infrastructure and sewage system)
- Border checkpoints where Palestinians are forbidden to travel between their own regions whilst also being humiliated, intimidated and discriminated against. This has in some cases even lead to women giving birth at checkpoints and others dying in labour at checkpoints.
- Restricted access to hospitals because of the Israeli checkpoints
- Israeli settlers stoning Palestinians (grown apparently civilised adults stoning school children whilst the soldiers watch on. Weird how we only usually associate the Palestinians with throwing stones…)
- Has banned Palestinians from studying at universities in the West Bank
- Bombed and damaged civilian structures including over 100 schools
- Has used weapons including white phosphorus and tungsten against the Palestinian population
- Has used up to 75 tonnes of depleted uranium on the Palestinians (resulting in a sharp increase in cancer)
- Is the largest recipient of US taxpayer-funded military aid ($30 billion from 2009-2018). Thats $8.5 million aday
- Regularly sprays the Palestinian territories with its missile ridden drones (hell, they can afford to right)
- Holds part of Syria illegally
- Has created siege manufactured poverty leading to 80% of Gaza’s 1.5 million Palestinians to be food-aid dependent with 10% of children under five years old suffering from malnutrition and also spreading rampant anemia among women, in particular those who are pregnant
- Turned Gaza into the worlds largest open-air prison camp (with the blessings and funding of the US Government)
- Destroyed Gaza’s sole power plant (in 2006) resulting in daily power outages (that last between 8-20 hours)
- Injured and killed over 7,700 farmers and fishermen as they worked out at sea (making the Palestinians all the more dependent on Israeli controlled food sources)
- Enforced a buffer zone which has cut off Gazan’s from 35% of their agricultural land (again depriving them of more land and food sources)
- Use Palestinian civilians as human shields
- Have this wayward perception that it is okay to sniper scope children.
To some readers though all of the above may be deemed ‘collateral damage’, so here’s an infographic that visualises the deaths on BOTH sides. Considering Israel is under apparent constant battle trying to ahem, defend itself it doesn’t seem have an awful lot of casualties does it? Not to fear mind, the Palestinian causalities seem to more than make up for that…
Looking at the infographic, some of you with a keen eye may also have noticed that Israeli casualties actuallydropped after Hamas won the parliamentary election and came into power…funny that isn’t it (or at least it would be, had this not been about slaughtering human beings)? Also notice the spikes after both US Presidential elections? Yes, I did too.
Benjamin Netanyahu also said Israel would ‘abandon the peace process’ (I know the audacity) between Israel and Palestine if the UN voted to investigate Israeli war crimes in Gaza (talk about throwing your toys out of the pram).
This investigation however still went ahead and found Israel to be surprise surprise… guilty of war crimes. Not that anything came of this as the US vetoed the claim, not for the first time.
So for taking the peaceful and non-violent route(à la UN bid), the very bid the Palestinians fought for despite thethreats, after the UN verdict Israel returned in kind by cutting off $100 million in tax transfers to the Palestinians and announcing plans to continue building thousands more new homes in the West Bank.
Not to mention Netanyahu also said the “unilateral step the Palestinians took at the U.N. is a gross violation of previous agreements signed with Israel”. The government of Israel, he added, “rejects the General Assembly’s vote”.
So just to clarify Israel controls oppresses the people in its vicinity yet is portrayed as the innocent bystander, peacekeeper, victim even. Anything against its wishes is deemed as inciting hatred and is categorically rejected whilst its own views are just, true and unquestionable. Israel also has full monetary, food, medical, water and population control.
Palestinians are not fighting for their land, before they can even contemplate that ‘luxury’ they are having to fight for the meager right to exist in a dignified humane manner on a land that they have always lived on but is controlled by others.
This quote from the Israeli (and obviously impartial) border patrol guard seems to somewhat capture the essence of the occupation and eloquently reflects their stance on peace and the Palestinians whom they lovingly oppress:
“Animals. Animals. Like the Discovery Channel. All of Ramallah is a jungle. There are monkeys, dogs, gorillas. The problem is that the animals are locked they can’t come out. We’re humans. They’re animals. They aren’t humans we are.” - Israeli border police (you can find at 5:03 of this video)
And this border patrol solider who says Arabs cannot use the same walkways because “that’s the law”.
But its fine, lets just pretend Israel is the victim and ignore the sadness is this child’s eyes as he travels to and from school or the unnerving trauma so many Palestinians, in particular children have become accustomed to, not just through the terrorism inflicted upon them but also due to the loss of loved ones. Lets just blame Hamas or something.
Does Israel really look out of control to you? Does Israel really look like the casualty? The one that needs protecting, rescuing?
p.s Ohh and please don’t misunderstand or misrepresent this article as being against the Jewish community, Thereare plenty of rabbi’s that agree with me. Besides there is nothing more anti-semitic than Zionism…
I’m just too tired of having to write over and over how Israel did not “Illegally Occupy the West Bank” it was actually occupied by the Jordanians and in’67 we took it from them not the Palestinians and more points. So luckily for me I compiled this list. Such as how the Quran even says itself the land belongs to the Jewish people so Muslims can’t even follow their own religion apparently. Or how Hamas and PLO really don’t want peace or freedom based on what they tech kids on their television programs.
