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Ruthless Israeli Harshness |
| By
Stephen Lendman |
| It’s never the right time to be Muslim in a racist apartheid Jewish state
- a fantasy democracy, demeaning, intimidating, persecuting and terrorizing
unwanted Palestinians for praying to the wrong God. Israeli extremists running things go out of their way to create impossible conditions for Palestinians to tolerate. They’ve endured 50 years of occupation harshness. Besieged Gazans suffered most of all, blockaded by land, sea and air, facing the worst of Israeli cruelty, devastated by humanitarian crisis conditions, victims of vicious collective punishment. Jub a-Dis village was established in 1929 southeast of Bethlehem. It’s currently home to about 160 residents. Israel recognizes its legality, but won’t providing essential services other Palestinian villages in Area C get. Since the 1980s, its residents filed repeated requests with Israel’s Civil Administration to be hooked up to the nation’s power grid - rejected each time for phony reasons. In 2009, they bought three generators. They provide power for about eight hours a day only. They requested humanitarian help to buy solar panels. In November 2016, 96 were installed, financed by the Dutch government, for the first time giving them a reliable constant electricity supply. Last June 28, Israeli military and Civil Administration forces dismantled the panels, confiscating them along with electronic equipment. It’s longstanding Israeli policy to harass, intimidate and terrorize Palestinians for not being Jewish. In the Occupied Territories, they’re subject to rule by military orders, not civil laws afforded Jews. They have virtually no right of appeal for justice because when they try, they’re virtually always denied. Israeli harshness aims to pressure them to leave their communities, homes, and land - so they’ll be available for exclusive Jewish development. Longstanding Israeli policy call for maximum Jews and minimum Arabs, none on land valued most. Separate and unequal creates enormous hardships for Palestinians. Jub a-Dis resident Ne’meh al-Wahsh expained the harm to herself and family by Israel’s dismantling and confiscation of village solar panels, saying: “On the day (it occurred), I sat at the entrance to my store, crying and wondering what I would do. I invested 500 shekels (about $140) in buying ice-cream for (Ramadan) that I haven’t sold yet.” “The refrigerators were full of dairy products and frozen vegetables. I had to take all the refrigerated and frozen goods and take them to the neighboring village, Za’tara. I sold whatever I could at half price to the grocery stores there.” “Cutting off the power to our house and to the store has directly damaged our income and daily life. My children got used to spending the holidays in front of the TV, and now they’re playing outside in the sweltering heat again.” “I can’t keep them inside because they have nothing to do here with no TV or internet. Also, I’ll have to start washing our clothes by hand again.” “I don’t know how we’ll go back to living without a fan, now that it’s so hot. I was sad to see the children bored yesterday, and having a hard time falling asleep because of the heat.” Similar accounts by other village residents are just as heart-rendering. They all ask what have they done to deserve this? Why is Israel punishing them? Why are they treated so harshly? Because they’re unwanted Arabs in a ruthless Jewish state, the way it’s been since 1948 - an endless Nakba brutalizing them. VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |