Settler Attacks on Palestinians:
Institutionalized Racism Terrorizes Palestinians
21 August 2012
By Stephen Lendman
Last February, a Jerusalem Fund/Palestine Center (PC)
report titled "When Settlers Attack" discussed data
collected from 2004 to 2011. It includes over 3,700
separate incidents. It explains when, how, and why
they occur.
PC discovered a disturbing increase in violence.
Palestinian civilians are targeted. Northern rural
West Bank villages are most affected.
Each year, attacks peak during olive harvest season.
Most aren't "price tag" revenge incidents. They're
structural and systemic. They're occupation related.
Over 90% of areas experiencing violence are under
Israeli security jurisdiction. According to PC's
executive director Yousef Munayyer:
"The dramatic rise in settler violence in the last
several years demands investigation and analysis into
why this happens."
"We believe our report is the most comprehensive
undertaking regarding settler violence and we hope it
can move the general discussion about this important
issue forward while also advancing policy formulation
aimed at ending settler violence and protecting
Palestinian civilians and their property."
"With a 300 percent+ increase in settler violence of
the past five years and nearly 2.7 incidents per day
in 2011, settler violence presents a daily challenge
to Palestinians."
Increasing Israeli setter violence directly and
consistently threatens Palestinian civilians and their
property.
From 2010 - 2011, incidents increased 39%. From 2007 -
2011, it's up 315%. Over the same period, Palestinian
violence decreased 95%.
Geographically dispersed West Bank violence is
shifting. Earlier, incidents occurred mostly in
southern areas. In recent years, northern locations
are increasingly targeted.
Incidents peak seasonally during olive harvest.
Working in olive groves makes Palestinians easy
targets.
Arson attacks are increasing in numbers and frequency.
In 2005, they represented about 6% of attacks. In
2011, they rose to 11%.
The vast majority of settler attacks are structurally
related to occupation. Greater number of settlers
increase their frequency.
PC's data comes mainly from Palestine Monitoring Group
(PMG) reports. It's an "inter-agency group of
Palestinian civilian ministries and security
agencies."
Established in August 2003, PMG monitors ground
conditions in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.
Catalogued daily, it's an invaluable resource.
Violence includes "price tag" attacks. Settlers use
the term to describe retaliations relating to Israeli
government actions limiting their political goals.
Palestinians bear their brunt.
From September 2004 - December 2011, 3,700 incidents
occurred. They're catalogued by time, type, location,
number of injuries and/or deaths, and settlements of
origin. Every West Bank governorate is affected.
Key is that Israeli and Palestinian security forces do
little to protect civilians from violence. They're
largely vulnerable on their own. They live in a
virtual war zone.
For example, on August 23, Al Haq headlined
"Escalation in Settler Violence: Molotov Cocktail
Severely Injures Palestinian family," saying:
Days earlier, "an Israeli settler threw a Molotov
cocktail into a Palestinian taxi." Ghayatha family
members were severely injured. Some are in critical
condition.
Basem Ghayatha saw an Israeli settler in Orthodox
dress walk through nearby bushes. Within two meters of
the taxi, he threw the explosive. It set the vehicle
ablaze. Basem lost control. He crashed into a roadside
safety barrier. Passengers were trapped for several
minutes engulfed in flames.
Jamila's plastic shoes melted to the floor. She
struggled to get out. Her daughter Iman followed. A
passing car driver called an ambulance. Family members
were taken to Jersulem's Haddasa 'Ein Karim Hospital.
Everyone suffered severe burns. Ayman is most
critical. Hasan's condition is severe. Six-year old
Muhammad sustained burns over 35% of his hands and
back. Basem got second degree burns on his face and
third degree ones on his hands. Family members are
still recovering.
Israeli soldiers protect settlers. They enjoy virtual
impunity. Palestinians are vulnerable to everything
from routine vandalism to arson and murder. Who can
they turn to for help with no willing source.
According to Al Haq:
"The consistent failure of the Israeli authorities to
act with due diligence has encouraged an increase in
settler attacks against Palestinians."
As occupying power, Israel is responsible for "protect(ing)
the occupied Palestinian population." It "therefore
(must) conduct thorough investigations, bring those
responsible to justice and punish them if found
guilty."
Israeli authorities scoff at these obligations and
ignore them. As a result, Palestinians suffer
horrifically from settler attacks alone.
On August 19, the London Guardian headlined "Jewish
settler attacks on Palestinians listed as 'terrorist
incidents' by US," saying:
For the first time, the State Department classified
them this way. Israeli officials also condemned them.
In July, EU parliamentarians denounced settler
violence. They also demanded "an immediate end to
house demolitions, evictions, and forced displacement
of Palestinians."
In mid-August, Maxwell Gaylard, Deputy Special
Coordinator for Middle East peace and
humanitarian/development activities, expressed concern
for the dire humanitarian situation affecting almost
1,000 South Hebron Hills Palestinians.
In all cases, rhetoric substitutes for policy.
Culpable settlers aren't punished. They're free to
commit crimes with impunity. They've done it for
decades. So have Israeli security forces.
Condemnations without teeth are worthless.
Palestinians suffer horrendously as a result.
In contrast, their violence on Jews brings severe
recrimination, prosecutions and imprisonment. Harsh
penalties follow routine incidents. Justice isn't
Israel's long suit or America's.
In June, B'Tselem discussed settler violence. It comes
in various forms. Land, crops, and other property are
damaged or destroyed. Palestinians are harmed and
sometimes killed.
B'Tselem documented numerous incidents. They include
blocking roads, throwing stones at cars and homes,
raiding Palestinian villages and land, torching
fields, uprooting trees, damaging other property, and
causing injuries or deaths.
Security forces do practically nothing to help. At
times, during witnessed incidents, they don't
intervene. They're slow investigating reported
violence. Reports when they're issued whitewash them.
During one September 2011 period, B'Tselem documented
10 incidents. They included damaging Palestinian
property, torching a mosque, and spraying offensive
graffiti on walls of two others.
Rather than restricting violent settlers, Israeli
security forces "imposed restrictions on
Palestinians."
Israel is obligated to maintain order and protect
Palestinian security. Its High Court ruled that
"protecting the security and property of the local
residents is one of the most important basic
obligations placed upon the military commander in the
field."
It added that defense officials must "give clear,
unequivocal instructions to the forces that are
deployed in the field." They must also "allocate
forces to protect the property of the Palestinian
residents (HCJ 9593/04 Murar et al. v. IDF Commander
for Judea and Samaria et al.)"
The ruling fell on deaf ears. Policy didn't change.
Recent reports like these are commonplace:
Settler runs over Palestinian child. Doctors called
her injuries moderate. She could have been killed.
Seventeen-year old Jamal Juliani and three cousins
were victimized by dozens of Israeli youths. Onlookers
didn't intervene. Juliani was hospitalized
unconscious. Days later, he was well enough to be
released.
Settlers attacked elderly Palestinian near Hebron. He
was treated at Hebron Hospital. In a separate
incident, two settler teens firebombed a car near
Hebron. PA official Ghassan Doughlas warned
Palestinians to be cautious.
Over half a million settlers live on Occupied
Palestinian territory. Most don't make trouble.
Extremist ones look for it. They know they can act
with impunity. Institutionalized racism terrorizes
Palestinians. They have no place to hide for safety.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached
at
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book is
titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized
Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit his
blog site at
sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge
discussions with distinguished guests on the
Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio
Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and
Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are
archived for easy listening.
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
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