Posted June 18, 2014 at 9:29 pm

Israel on the rampage, Gaza under threat, over missing boys

In a sickening display of double standards, the suspected abduction of three Israeli settler teenagers from the Hebron area has been used to unleash widespread attacks on Palestinians, often (such as vindictive collective punishment of prisoners) having not the remotest connection to finding the boys. Palestinian sources report that the Israeli military is currently invading Bir-Zeit University while arresting students who are on strike on campus, in support of the hunger striking Palestinian prisoners.

Other reports speak of military forces also in Bil’in. Like yesterday’s invasion of the Al-Aqsa radio station, these actions of the military regime in the West Bank have lost even the veneer of a search for the kidnapped boys while showing the repression of a civil and political infrastructure which is struggling against the occupation.

If the boys were abducted as an act of resistance against the Occupation, such an act is understandable but may be more likely to undermine and damage the struggle: so much so, that there is a lurking suspicion it may be a “black ops” or false flag action designed to win back international sympathy for “Jews under threat”: while the frequent killings of young Palestinians (four in the last month) is expected to go unnoticed, and the nightly abduction of small children by the army continues despite warnings from Amnesty, the EU and UN Human Rights bodies, Israel has demanded worldwide headlines over the missing trio.

Whoever is responsible and whatever the outcome, it is imperative that the solidarity movement and BDS stands its ground and is not deflected from its support for what has been in recent years an almost entirely non-violent struggle.

While such an attack on civilians may not be rightful, the anger driving it certainly is: quite apart from the entire context (amply summed up in the banner in this picture with its comprehensive response to the “bring back our boys” drive), there are the specific provocations, of settler children and youth being brought up and encouraged by their parents and their communities to go out on criminal damage expeditions to bully, stone and insult Palestinians and destroy their property, both in the countryside and in Hebron itself.

These acts of colonial-style bullying and man-hunting, under the cover and protection of the armed settlements and the settlers’ army, are a deep and clear incitement to physical defiance, both against the acts themselves and against the ethnic cleansing message that lies behind them.

Since the disappearance of the three Israeli Jewish teenagers, Israeli forces have killed one Palestinian, Ahmad Sabarin, aged 20, and have injured nine others, including an 8 year old boy and a 17 year old boy who was, according to reports, shot in the chest and abdomen with a live bullet, critically wounding him.

More than 200 Palestinians have been arrested, including the head of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and seven other members of the PLC.

The three settler teenagers disappeared on the 50th day of a hunger strike by more than 125 Palestinian prisoners who are being “administratively detained” without charge and without any judicial process, under a system effectively amounting to state-sanctioned kidnapping.

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B’Tselem statement

The Israeli resistance organisation B’Tselem issued this catalogue of some of the punitive actions taken against the entire population. More is expected as Israel takes full advantage with air strikes on Gaza.

17 Jun 2014

Hebron District and its residents under third day of closure: increasing reports of property damage in arrest raids

Hebron District and its 750,000 residents under third day of closure:
* increasing reports of property damage in arrest raids
* Israeli security forces must do all in their power to locate the abducted teens, but must uphold human rights and act lawfully.
* Preventing Palestinian workers from entering Israel, and freezing visits to prisoners, equals Collective punishment.

As part of the efforts to locate the three abducted yeshiva students, stringent travel restrictions were imposed on the Palestinian residents of Hebron District. The restrictions went into effect on Saturday (June 14) and were stepped up the next day:

The military blocked all main entrances to the city of Hebron and stationed troops at other entrances. Any Palestinian who wants to go through the entrance must undergo an inspection.
Since Sunday (June 15), Tarqumya and Meitar Crossings have been closed to Hebron District Palestinians. Moreover, security forces do not allow Hebron District Palestinians with Israeli entry permits to go through any other checkpoints linking the West Bank and Israel. This amounts to collective punishment of many thousands of workers, each of whom has already undergone an individual security background check and who, regardless, may only enter Israel after going through security inspection.
Security forces have imposed blanket travel restriction on male Hebron residents between the ages of 16 and 50, prohibiting them to cross over to Jordan via Allenby Bridge.

Israeli security forces are extensively combing the region around Hebron. Last night, soldiers blew up the front doors of several houses which they then entered as part of arrest raids.

Nablus and its environs are also the target of arrest raids and searches. Several residents have reported that soldiers blew up doors to their homes and seriously damaged the property inside. The vast majority of reports are from Balata Refugee Camp where roughly 40 houses whose contents were damaged last night have been documented.

We are currently examining reports of destruction in the village of Huwarah. Residents of Kafr Tel reported that on the night of 16 June soldiers searched homes and brought about 30 residents to the village school. The residents then underwent questioning in one of the classrooms. The soldiers handcuffed one of the residents they detained and took him over to the settlement of Havat Gilad. He was released only five hours later.

As of Sunday, the Israeli security authorities have barred family visits to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. This measure imposed on all prisoners and their families is unlawful collective punishment.

Security forces have extensive operational powers to achieve the rightful and essential objective of finding the abducted teens. Yet these powers are not unlimited, and not all measures are lawful. For instance, the authorities cannot impose blanket, open-ended travel restrictions on the hundreds of thousands residents of Hebron District. The media has reported that approximately 200 Palestinian have been taken into custody to date. B’Tselem calls on security forces to uphold the rights of the detainees throughout, from the very moment of detention. B’Tselem also calls on them to refrain from abuse and torture – which are absolutely prohibited under international law – in the course of interrogation, irrespective of the circumstances.

There is growing concern that security forces will adopt further measures whose object is to harm and pressure the Palestinian population. This grave concern is increasing in view of certain statements made by politicians as well as in view of further measures proposed by security establishment officials. B’Tselem calls on the Israeli authorities to refrain from adopting measures which violate human rights and breach international law, and to take only lawful action in the search for the abductees.