[News] The targeted killing of Palestinians is the next Israeli crime to be normalised

[Anti-Imperialist News]

middleeastmonitor.com
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221003-the-targeted-killing-of-palestinians-is-the-next-israeli-crime-to-be-normalised/>
The targeted killing of Palestinians is the next Israeli crime to be
normalised
Ramona Wadi
------------------------------

October 3, 2022
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For decades, the international community has sought to portray the occupied
West Bank as being distinct from Gaza by focusing on the Palestinian
Authority in terms of diplomacy, and showcasing Ramallah as an example of
prosperity. Israel's colonial violence in the occupied West Bank and the
PA's "sacred" security collaboration to oppress Palestinians don't suit
this narrative. Neither does it suit the PA's financial backers to speak
about how Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem are also active in
legitimate anti-colonial resistance, against both the PA and Israel.

The truth is that while Palestinians' experiences in Gaza differ from those
of Palestinians under the PA in the occupied West Bank, colonial violence
is a reality across the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel has the
power to implement measures that can make both on a par in terms of
violence, because it enjoys unparalleled international impunity.

Despite the efforts by Israel and the PA, particularly given Washington's
insistence that the latter should be strengthened to avoid the possibility
of Hamas gaining ground politically, the Palestinian people have reclaimed
their anti-colonial struggle from the manipulation of political factions.
The refugee camps in particular have displayed
<https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/9/13/why-is-israel-targeting-jenin-and-nablus>
unity in resistance which has prompted Israel to approve
<https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-718422> the use of drones during
raids by the Israeli military, thus making targeted killings of
Palestinians another violation to which the international community will
soon be turning a blind eye.

According to Israeli media reports, drones will now be used "not only as
cover and intelligence for forces during operations but also to carry out
strikes should armed gunmen be identified as posing imminent threats to
their troops." The targeted killings of Palestinians are thus the next
Israeli crimes to be normalised.

Both Israel and the PA have attempted to write off Palestinian refugees as
irrelevant. For Israel, refugees represent an absolute demographic
alteration if their legitimate right of return is ever implemented. During
the Trump administration, Israel sought to change the definition of who
constitutes a Palestinian refugee to the point of their elimination
altogether. The PA, on the other hand, has written off Palestinian refugees
and the right of return as symbolic references in its rhetoric, while
removing their relevance to the formation of a Palestinian state by
diluting the already compromised right of return, and has no apparent issue
at all with Zionist colonialism.

Palestinian anti-colonial struggle has been moving towards its roots,
recognising the strength within communities on the ground and uniting with
a common objective. The emergence of new brigades which are not affiliated
to political factions is also evidence of the changes which Palestinians
are now displaying. Mistrust of the PA, largely due to its security
services carrying out purges within the occupied West Bank for the benefit
of Israel and PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, have prompted Palestinians to
reclaim not only their narrative, but also their political expression.

Extending not only the use of drones, but also the targeted killings of
Palestinians, should prompt us all to questions about Israel and its
accomplices, including the PA. Just months ago, an Israeli sniper murdered
Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who posed no threat to
the Israeli army at the time of her killing. The absence of on the ground
contact in Israel's new page of aggression against the Palestinians will
take targeted killings like that of Akleh to a new level. In the past, such
killings made headlines due to the involvement of Israel's domestic
security agency, Shin Bet. The Israeli plan to normalise such violence
within the occupied Palestinian territories using the latest technology is
upping the ante against Palestinian refugees, while extending the
boundaries of what constitutes normalised and acceptable violence, as long
as Palestinians are the victims.

We have to ask both the PA and the international community why they
continue to speak of a "two-state solution" even while Israel is seeking to
make the killing of Palestinians even easier. Why are they not talking
about protecting Palestinians from, and their right to resist, Israel's
brutal military occupation?

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not
necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.
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