Category: War Crimes

Not murder when an Israeli kills helpless Palestinian

1/4/2016

Opinion: Since the Six Day War 1967, when Israel fought against a coalition of Arab states and defended itself, it has occupied territory in the State of Palestine. It has gradually encroached on the people living there. Settlements have been built on unceded land. In 1980 Israel declared that it ‘owned’ all of Jerusalem in spite of the UN declaration that the move is illegal and null.

Many Palestinians have had their farms and villages destroyed as the Israeli state has continued to expand. The occupied territories are the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. While the Gaza Strip is controlled by Israel, it is not actually occupied by the Israeli military. It is estimated that at least half a million Israelis are now living on seized Palestinian land.

Crimes against the Palestinians including killing of children, imprisonment of children and killing and imprisonment of civilians for unsubstantiated crimes seem to go unpunished. The horrific murders of a family when someone threw a petrol bomb into their house, killing mother, father, baby and maiming a toddler was just one of many crimes aimed at civilians.

So the world could be forgiven if it looked at yet another atrocity by the Israeli state and turned away. An Israeli soldier was filmed stepping toward a man who lay motionless on the pavement, aiming his side arm at the man’s head and shooting. As the blood ran down the street, the soldier was taken away. The dead man, aged 21 joined his companion who had been killed earlier in the day. The soldiers maintain that the two dead were trying to stab them. The prosecutor for the military court initially announced that a murder charge would be brought against the killer, but it has already been downgraded to manslaughter, a much lesser charge.

On Wednesday, Christof Heyns, the UN's special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said: "Whatever legal regime one applies to the case, shooting someone who is no longer a threat is murder."   Al Jazeera

There is no doubt that some Palestinians have attacked the Israeli military and civilians in the occupied territories. There have been approximately five fatal stabbings. There have been over 100 Palestinians killed who were purportedly trying to stab Israelis.

When the state of Israel was created at the end of WW2, those Arabs living there were turned into refugees. They lost their homes and possessions. The Israeli government’s aggressive actions towards the people whose land they occupy(formerly part of Jordan) makes the area a much less safe place.

While human rights organization within and without Israel condemn the human rights abuses and the UN censors the actions, the abuses and murders continue.

It is a great puzzlement to me why the USA continues to support this terrorist state.

Sources:
Al Jazeera
Wikipedia

1 Comment

Freedom Flotilla III heads for Gaza blockade

28/6/2015

4 Comments

Unwilling participant in Israeli shelling of civilians 2014

Opinion

A small flotilla left a port in Sicily to try once again to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. The blockade has been declared illegal by the UN. Some have called it the world’s largest open air prison. Last summer destruction rained down on the population as Israel retaliated for rockets fired into their country.

Both sides have likely committed war crimes.

The blockade is in its ninth year.

The Freedom Flotilla carries people from 20 countries. A Canadian making a second attempt at breaking the blockade is Robert Lovelace, a former Algonquin FN chief. He drew parallels in how the settlers treated the aboriginal people in Canada and how Israel is treating the Palestinians trapped in the Gaza strip. Parallels to forcing the Canadian FN people onto reserves and seizing of land and the Israeli policy of containing about 1.8 million Palestinians in the narrow strip of land while gradually seizing land in the occupied West Bank have been made.

A surprise participant in this year’s flotilla is Dr. Basel Ghattas who is an elected member of the Israeli government. The Israeli foreign minister has condemned Dr. Ghattas’ action, stating that it is “serving the enemy”.

Someone who is not considered as aiding the enemy by Netanyahu is the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He has been open about his unconditional support of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu has been effusive in his praise of the Canadian PM.

Calling Harper "a great friend of Israel and the Jewish people", Netanyahu praised him for "unabashedly" standing by Israel on issues including Iran's nuclear programme, and terrorism. Al Jazeera

Harper leads the Conservative Party in Canada. The religious following that he participates in is the Christian and Missionary Alliance. From Wikipedia, the summary of the base for the “born again” believers: A.B. Simpson articulated the Alliance's core theology as the Christological "Fourfold Gospel": Jesus Christ as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Soon Coming King. Critics of the PM have alleged that he has moved a slightly right of centre government to the religious right.

Five hours ago a post on the Freedom Flotilla Facebook page noted that aerial surveillance had taken place and they were being shadowed by unidentified ships.

Further Reading: Look up The King is Coming on the Net for numerous end of times predictions.

Freedom Flotilla tweet image-Israeli occupied forces intercepted Marianne. The boat is currently en route to Ashdod port #SOSFreedomFlotilla

June 29 update:
There are reports that the vessel the Marianne was intercepted by Israel's military around 100 nautical miles from Gaza's shore. There are no reports of injuries according to the Israeli military who boarded the vessel.

Petros Stergiou, a spokesperson for the flotilla, told Al Jazeera "What we learned is that the Israeli navy attacked the Marianne around 100 nautical miles from the shore of Gaza. "They said they could see three military boats approaching them that had identified themselves as being military. "Once again, the Israeli government and its military has acted like state pirates and attacked our boat in international waters."

On Twitter Peter Lerner said "After repeated appeals and following refusal to change course, the vessel is now being escorted to Ashdod Port."

The Marianne is one of four vessels forming the flotilla.

Sources:
Al Jazeera
Alahed

4 Comments

Not murder when an Israeli kills helpless Palestinian

Freedom Flotilla III heads for Gaza blockade

Barbara McPherson

Archives

Categories