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Ruthless Israeli Collective Punishment |
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By
Stephen Lendman |
| Fourth Geneva is binding international law. Article 33 states “(n)o protected
person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed.”
“Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited. Pillage is prohibited. Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.” Israel considers individual Palestinian acts of self-defense or other actions against decades of brutal persecution justification to retaliate against its entire population or portions thereof. Young children accused of stone-throwing face arrest and imprisonment, their family homes demolished. Entire Palestinian communities at times feel the wrath of Israeli ruthlessness - multiple pre-dawn raids, mass arrests and beatings occurring virtually daily. On Sunday, a lone rocket fired by an unknown source from Gaza struck Israel’s southern city of Sderot, no injuries or damage reported. Israel responded with tank shelling and warplanes firing air-to-surface missiles. An Israeli drone struck a water reservoir. At least three Palestinians were injured having nothing to do with what happened, how badly isn’t clear. Occasional rockets fired from Gaza land in Israeli territory, rarely ever causing harm, at most some minor damage. Yet Israel retaliates with attacks on individuals, communities and areas not responsible for the incidents, killing or injuring Palestinians, damaging or destroying their property, holding Hamas accountable despite knowing it hasn’t attacked Israel since responding to its summer 2014 naked aggression, massacring or injuring thousands, causing mass destruction throughout the Strip. Imagine a comparable scenario in America or other Western society. Would authorities dare attack an entire community with warplanes, militarized drones, tanks and maybe combat troops for an incident involving one or more of its residents? Would they wage war on their entire population with heavy weapons able to cause mass slaughter and destruction, killing or injuring innocent civilians, destroying their homes? Israel has been at war with Palestine throughout its entire history, massacring, injuring, imprisoning and otherwise brutalizing its entire population for not being Jews - with full US support and encouragement, most other governments turning a blind eye. Long-suffering Palestinians remain largely isolated on their own against one of the world’s most brutal regimes - supported by billions of US tax dollars annually, along with the latest sophisticated weapons and technology. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new 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 Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |
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