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<small><b><big><big><font class="artname">Israel’s latest genocidal
assault against Palestinians is nothing new</font></big></big></b></small><br>
<br>
By <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AshahedM">Ashahed M. Muhammad</a>
-Assistant Editor-<br>
Updated Jul 15, 2014 - 1:27:01 AM<br>
<b><small><small><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/printer_11018.shtml">http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/printer_11018.shtml</a></small></small></b><br>
<br>
<p> The launch of Operation Protective Edge by the Israeli Defense
Forces July 8 represents only the latest genocidal aggression
targeting the Palestinian people.</p>
<p>“The common narrative that Israel is responding in self-defense
is totally misleading,” said Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, a member of
the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Central Council and
founder of the Palestinian National Initiative political movement.
“Israel provoked the actions, Israel is the one who started the
airstrikes on Gaza, Israel is the one when there was no <nobr><a
href="http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/printer_11018.shtml#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_6_0_5">response</a></nobr> made sure
to assassinate people so there would be a response. Israel must be
restrained,” he added. </p>
<p>Hamas is fighting back by sending rockets to Jerusalem and Tel
Aviv, but their weapons are no <nobr><a
href="http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/printer_11018.shtml#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_5_0_4">match</a></nobr> for the
bloody paralyzing <nobr><a
href="http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/printer_11018.shtml#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_1_0_0">military</a></nobr>
capabilities of the Israel Defense Forces. The Bonn International
Centre for Conversion’s 2013 Global Military Index has Israel at
the top of its list as the world’s most militarized country. The
independent, non-profit policy organization uses several variables
to determine the relative importance of the military apparatus to
the society as a whole.</p>
<p>Attorney Tarek Khalil, a Palestinian activist, said the military
mismatch is the main part missing from the Western and controlled
media’s narrative and an important part of what is happening.
“Palestinians are being killed by the Israeli government itself
using a technologically advanced army. Whatever is done by
Palestinians in response is a reaction to being attacked by the
occupying forces of the Zionist government.</p>
<p>“It’s always presented as two sides with equal bargaining <nobr><a
href="http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/printer_11018.shtml#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_3_0_2">chips</a></nobr> almost as if
it is symmetrical and equal conflict between two sides who can
equally defend themselves,” said Atty. Khalil. “Well, nothing
could be further from the truth. It is absolutely ridiculous to
even suggest that Palestinians are the aggressors. There is no
such thing as aggression from victims,” he added. </p>
<p>Many view Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as
somewhat weak, however, he is the preferred choice of Israel and
the United States when confronted with the specter of having to
work with Hamas, which handily won democratic parliamentary
elections in 2006 and still maintains significant support. Most
recently, as they <nobr><a
href="http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/printer_11018.shtml#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_2_0_1">continue</a></nobr> to seek
international support for Palestinian statehood, it was announced
last month that a unity government between Fatah and Hamas had
been formed, much to the chagrin of Israel and the U.S.</p>
<p>“Everything started since the Palestinian consensus government
was announced and since the reconciliation took place,” Dr.
Barghouti explained. “It was clear since then that Israel was
planning a huge operation with specific political aims.” <b>Decades
of state-sponsored terror</b></p>
<p>Israel has been an occupying force in the Palestinian territories
for decades, and this is not the first time they have maimed and
injured innocent men, women, and children, without being called to
account for their actions. Dr. Barghouti also believes ground
operations are imminent, tanks will be rolling in and more
soldiers, which means a repeat of the bloody massacres that took
place at the end of 2008/2009 and 2012 that resulted in heavy
Palestinian civilian casualties.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jijCP-mqnyU?rel=0"
allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" align="right" height="197"
width="350"></iframe>According to analysts, Israel’s goals are
several: to break the Palestinians will to reject a long-term
apartheid system, to end the political <nobr><a
href="http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/printer_11018.shtml#"
class="FAtxtL" id="FALINK_4_0_3">isolation</a></nobr>
currently being experienced by Israel, and to break up Palestinian
efforts at establishing unity.</p>
<p>“Israel will not achieve their political goals, but the price is
going to be very heavy. We are talking about the loss of thousands
of lives,” Dr. Barghouti said.</p>
<p>Numbers can be deceiving, but in this case, they tell an
important aspect of the story infrequently analyzed. Israel’s
political leaders and people fear the demographic threat posed by
Palestinians. According to 2014 statistics from the Palestinian
Central Bureau of Statistics, the Palestinian population is
estimated to be nearly 4.6 million. According to several human
rights organizations operating in the area, nearly half of the
Palestinian population is under 20 years of age.</p>
<p>The recent actions of the Israeli military are “appalling” and
suggestive of the type of imbalance that has occurred over the
years, said Imam Sultan Rahman Muhammad of Mosque Maryam. Israel,
by her actions, continues to make things worse, he noted.</p>
<p>“We’re looking at the Israeli government practicing what is known
as collective punishment,” said Imam Muhammad. “The young
Palestinians are growing up with revenge in their hearts, and we
find that this is not bringing any resolution to the problem that
has been existing since 1948, and the only type of resolution that
can come is to stop the settlements and put an end to the
apartheid type of government.” </p>
<p>The violence in the region did not begin with the deaths of three
Israeli teens in June, nor is it a battle between two opponents of
equal military strength. The United States of America supports
reliably and delivers Foreign Military Financing to the tune of $3
billion annually, to bolster and maintain Israel’s quantitative
and qualitative military advantage in the region. A conservative
estimate by the Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs found
total direct aid to Israel topping $123 billion since Israel’s
formation in 1948.</p>
<p>“There is no accountability in the Occupied Territories. Israeli
officials and authorities operate with impunity,” said Brad
Parker, staff attorney and international advocacy officer for
Defence for Children International-Palestine, which promotes and
protects global children’s rights in the Occupied Territories.
According to the group, 14 children under the age of 18 have been
killed. Two victims were 3-years old and two were only 1-year-old.
When looking at the names and ages of the 41 who have been killed,
many are in their 20s. No Israelis have lost their lives.</p>
<p><b>Israel’s threats and actions</b> </p>
<p>Shortly after it was publicly reported that the three missing
Israeli teenagers, Gilad Shaer,16, Naftali Fraenkel, 16, and Eyal
Yifrah, 19, had been found dead, instead of pleading for calm,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whipped Israelis into an
emotional frenzy using American-style dog whistle politics and
calling for vengeance.</p>
<p>“Vengeance for the blood of a small child, Satan has not yet
created. Neither has vengeance for the blood of three pure youths
who were on their way home to their parents who will not see them
anymore. Hamas is responsible and Hamas will pay. May the memories
of the three boys be blessed. They were abducted and murdered in
cold blood by human animals,” said Mr. Netanyahu.</p>
<p>His strategy likely helped lead hawkish and bloodthirsty
supporters into vigilantism. The death of 15-year-old Mohammed Abu
Khdeir soon followed. He was kidnapped, tortured and burned alive
by his abductors. Six Israelis are being held in connection with
the death.</p>
<p>Then in a tragically ironic twist, the next day, Tarek Abu
Khdeir, a U.S. citizen from Tampa, Fla., and Mohammed Abu Khdeir’s
cousin, was viciously beaten by Israeli police. Video footage of
the brutal beating emerged and has spread throughout media
networks worldwide. There have also been reports of other
attempted kidnappings of Palestinians, and now, Israeli youth are
menacingly prowling neighborhoods loudly chanting “death to
Arabs.”</p>
<p>Shortly thereafter, bombing of Gaza began<b>. </b></p>
<p>Israel’s government and military have advanced the narrative that
Operation Protective Edge is needed to dismantle Hamas and Islamic
Jihad, however the entire population of Gaza and the West Bank
find themselves punished with few defenders.</p>
<p>“This is not an attack on Hamas, this is an attack on all of the
Palestinian people in Gaza. Gaza is completely under siege,” said
Dr. Barghouti.</p>
<p> “Who is going to defend the Palestinians from this rage from the
Israeli terror?” asked Hatem Abudayyeh of the United States
Palestine Community Network. Palestinians are not going to sit
by—in the Middle East or America—and watch as their people are
killed, he said. The U.S. government must act against Israel’s
state-sponsored violence and further retaliatory bloodshed, said
Mr. Abudayyeh.</p>
<p>Many have called for a ceasefire, but Israel typically violates
the terms and never respects any agreements. Dr. Barghouti, who
was among those who sat with members of Hamas to work out details
of the unity government, said on July 9 President Mahmoud Abbas
made an official request to the United States to talk to Israel.
He called for a complete and immediate ceasefire. Israel refused.</p>
<p>“It is now clear that Israel is the one that is refusing to have
any ceasefire,” said Dr. Barghouti. “If Israel stops its
airstrikes and stops its invasion, there will be no rockets. There
was a complete ceasefire and complete calm and Hamas was not only
not shooting any rockets, they also restrained and prevented
others from doing so,” he added.</p>
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