A protester holds a placard as she stands next to Israeli soldiers during a protest against Israeli settlements in West Bank city on December 27, 2014. (Reuters)
Elderly women, families, children, and of course young men in the occupied Palestinian territories are regularly treated with brutality by Israeli forces. International laws are in place to protect vulnerable populations, but Israel ignores such laws – and gets away with it. Simple, common decency ought to elicit restraint on the part of the occupier, but does not.
These very brief stories are snapshots of Israeli cruelty between December 15 and 17, 3 days out of the 50+ years of violent occupation which the United States endorses and supports to the tune of over $10 million a day.
by Kathryn Shihadah
Israeli forces detained a groom and about 20 wedding guests, and summoned others for interrogation. The charge: “taking part in a wedding during which flags of the Hamas movement were waved and terrorists were hailed.”
This incident violated the universal human rights to privacy and self-expression.
This incident broke the international law against collective punishment and bypassed the right to a fair trial for the accused. (The Geneva Conventions use the words “the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.”)
This incident involved a breach of international law which states that an occupying force must ensure the provision of medical care for the occupied population.
This incident contravened the universal human right to security of person and the laws of occupation regarding maintenance of public order and safety and the ban on transfer of civilian population into occupied territory.
This incident was a breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and several of the laws of occupation.
This incident violated international humanitarian law, in which the elderly should “enjoy protection from abusive behavior” during conflict.
These incidents infringed on the universal human rights to self-expression, protection of the right to life, liberty and security of person in peaceful assemblies, and the right of an occupied population to medical care.
And on and on it goes. Here are headlines from just a few other incidents reported between December 15th and 17th:
Israeli Naval Forces Wound Fisherman, Arrest 4 Others and Detain Fishing Boats
Israeli Soldiers Ram Two Palestinians With Jeep, Abduct One, Near Ramallah
Israeli Soldiers Shoot A Palestinian While Driving Near Ramallah
Illegal Israeli Colonists Attack School Near Nablus
Israeli Soldiers Abduct Thirteen Palestinians In West Bank
Army Abducts Seven Palestinians, Including A Blind Man, In Ramallah
Soldiers Abduct Three Children, 13-16 years old, In Hebron
The world – especially America – needs to wake up to this ongoing travesty.
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