Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Checkpoint Violence: Blood and Occupation in Palestine
________________________________________
Checkpoint Violence: Blood and Occupation in Palestine
By Vijay Prashad [1] / The New Arab [2]
December 30, 2015
On December 17, Naseer was driving from Nablus to Ramallah. Light rain fell
as he approached the Israeli military's checkpoint at Huwwara. In front of
him was another car, moving cautiously. About fifty meters before that car
was an Israeli military vehicle. Caution is the order of the day in the
vicinity of the Israeli military. No sense in provoking their ire. Naseer
kept some distance between the cars. They were moving slowly.
Beside the road, on the grass off the sidewalk, a young boy walked in the
same direction of the cars. Naseer observed that the boy seemed to be on the
grass to avoid the puddles on the sidewalk.
The Israeli military vehicle braked. An order must have come from the
soldiers. The boy put his hands up. Naseer did not hear them but saw him
obey. The car in front of his began to go around the military vehicle.
Naseer followed. He saw the boy with his hands up. The next minute, in his
rear view mirror, Naseer saw the boy on the ground. All this happened in a
split second. One minute the boy was standing with his hands up, and the
next minute he was dead on the ground.
Naseer stopped his car, as did the driver of the car in front of him. The
two men exchanged information. They had both witnessed an execution. There
was no opportunity to approach the Israeli soldiers, who had already
cordoned off the area.
Not long after, Israeli state media announced that their military had killed
Abdullah Hussein Nasasra (age 15) from Beit Furik (near Nablus). The Israeli
military said that Nasasra had "charged the forces while armed with a
knife."
Naseer said that he saw no knife. Nor did he see Nasasra charge the military
men. They had guns trained on him. Why would he try to attack them with a
knife?
Over the course of the past few weeks, Israeli military and security forces
have used deadly force against a number of children whom they accuse of
knife attacks. Israeli political leaders have given carte blanche to their
military to kill anyone they see as a threat. Interior Security Minister
Gilad Arden said, "Every terrorist should know that he will not survive the
attack he is about to commit." Yair Lapid, former Minister of Finance in the
Israeli government, concurred, "You have to shoot to kill anyone who pulls
out a knife or a screwdriver." Since the Israeli military is the Judge,
Executioner and Investigator of these incidents, there is no accountability
for them.
When Kamal Badran Qabalan drove his ambulance to the scene, the Israelis
blocked him from access to the body. There will be no independent
investigation of this death. The miasma of Israeli propaganda - terrorist,
knife - has already covered over the facts. Naseer says he is ready to
testify against the Israeli military. But how does he do it? There will be
no trial. The case will close quietly. Naseer is a distinguished man. His
eyes are kind and honest. His voice is defiant as he tells me the story - "I
saw them kill a boy," he says. But what can Naseer do? His body language
bespeaks the Occupation. There is futility here beside the defiance.
No light at the end of the tunnel
The day before the Israeli military shot to death Nasasra at Huwwara, Samah
Abdul-Mo'men (age 18) and her father drove toward that checkpoint. Israeli
soldiers opened fire in the vicinity of her car, hitting her (she died in
hospital later that day). Why did the Israeli military open fire at the cars
with civilians? They claim that they had come under attack from Alaa' Khalil
al-Hashshash (age 16), from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. He is said to
have tried to stab Israeli soldiers, who then retaliated. Did al-Hashshash
actually carry out a "knife attack"? If he did, why did the Israeli soldiers
fire at all the cars in the vicinity, killing Abdul-Mo'men? The Israelis
will take none of these questions up in seriousness. The questions are seen
as an irritant.
In the evening of Friday, December 18, the road between Ramallah and
Jerusalem - only ten kilometers - is congested. Qalandiya check point is
virtually closed. We decide to go around - driving forty kilometers as
detour around the illegal "separation wall." Later we learn that two young
men attempted to drive their cars into military vehicles. These are known as
"vehicular attacks." The men drove their cars futilely at the heavily armed
checkpoints. The Israeli military easily shot Muhammed Abd al-Rahman Ayyad
(age 21) to death. The other man, age 30, stumbled out of his car and was
shot by the military. None posed any real threat to the checkpoint. Their
bodies - weighed down by frustration - were no matches against the Israeli
military.
Why did these men try to drive their cars into the checkpoints and why do
the children use knives to attack the settlers? Why - in particular -given
that their attacks are unsuccessful and that they lose their lives in the
process? The Israelis have killed over a hundred and thirty Palestinians
since October. Most of those shot have been children.
Some of these children have indeed attacked settlers in their streets. But
not all of them. Nasasra had no knife in his hand, nor did Abdul-Mo'men. But
others did. Why did these few others attack Israeli settlers with knives?
UNICEF notes that it is the "existence and expansion of Israeli settlements
including in East Jerusalem, illegal under international law, [that] have
been a primary driver of protection threats against children." Palestinian
children are exposed to violence early in their lives, which are constrained
by the loss of their families' land and livelihood.
Lives lived encaged by the Occupation produce - says UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon - "fear, humiliation, frustration and mistrust. It has been fed
by the wounds of decades of bloody conflict, which will take a long time to
heal. Palestinian youth in particular are tired of broken promises and they
see no light at the end of the tunnel." Secretary Ban blamed the "settlement
enterprise" for the tension in the region.
Frustration is the order of the day. I meet some young men from a camp near
Ramallah. They see no outlet for their anger. Everyday they see their
families and friends humiliated by the Occupation. This situation drives
them to desperation - "we have to do something," says one young man. His
eyes are tired. He looks older than his teenage years. He has lost his
friends to Israeli violence. "We marched to Qalandiya last year," he says,
"in a peaceful protest. They fired on us. My friend died." Colonial violence
bears down on his spirit. Around him young children are eliminated by the
Israeli military. His body twitches with anxiety and fear.
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Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/world/checkpoint-violence-blood-and-occupation-pales
tine
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/vijay-prashad
[2] http://www.alaraby.co.uk/
[3] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Checkpoint Violence:
Blood and Occupation in Palestine
[4] http://www.alternet.org/
[5] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Checkpoint Violence: Blood and Occupation in Palestine
Checkpoint Violence: Blood and Occupation in Palestine
By Vijay Prashad [1] / The New Arab [2]
December 30, 2015
On December 17, Naseer was driving from Nablus to Ramallah. Light rain fell
as he approached the Israeli military's checkpoint at Huwwara. In front of
him was another car, moving cautiously. About fifty meters before that car
was an Israeli military vehicle. Caution is the order of the day in the
vicinity of the Israeli military. No sense in provoking their ire. Naseer
kept some distance between the cars. They were moving slowly.
Beside the road, on the grass off the sidewalk, a young boy walked in the
same direction of the cars. Naseer observed that the boy seemed to be on the
grass to avoid the puddles on the sidewalk.
The Israeli military vehicle braked. An order must have come from the
soldiers. The boy put his hands up. Naseer did not hear them but saw him
obey. The car in front of his began to go around the military vehicle.
Naseer followed. He saw the boy with his hands up. The next minute, in his
rear view mirror, Naseer saw the boy on the ground. All this happened in a
split second. One minute the boy was standing with his hands up, and the
next minute he was dead on the ground.
Naseer stopped his car, as did the driver of the car in front of him. The
two men exchanged information. They had both witnessed an execution. There
was no opportunity to approach the Israeli soldiers, who had already
cordoned off the area.
Not long after, Israeli state media announced that their military had killed
Abdullah Hussein Nasasra (age 15) from Beit Furik (near Nablus). The Israeli
military said that Nasasra had "charged the forces while armed with a
knife."
Naseer said that he saw no knife. Nor did he see Nasasra charge the military
men. They had guns trained on him. Why would he try to attack them with a
knife?
Over the course of the past few weeks, Israeli military and security forces
have used deadly force against a number of children whom they accuse of
knife attacks. Israeli political leaders have given carte blanche to their
military to kill anyone they see as a threat. Interior Security Minister
Gilad Arden said, "Every terrorist should know that he will not survive the
attack he is about to commit." Yair Lapid, former Minister of Finance in the
Israeli government, concurred, "You have to shoot to kill anyone who pulls
out a knife or a screwdriver." Since the Israeli military is the Judge,
Executioner and Investigator of these incidents, there is no accountability
for them.
When Kamal Badran Qabalan drove his ambulance to the scene, the Israelis
blocked him from access to the body. There will be no independent
investigation of this death. The miasma of Israeli propaganda - terrorist,
knife - has already covered over the facts. Naseer says he is ready to
testify against the Israeli military. But how does he do it? There will be
no trial. The case will close quietly. Naseer is a distinguished man. His
eyes are kind and honest. His voice is defiant as he tells me the story - "I
saw them kill a boy," he says. But what can Naseer do? His body language
bespeaks the Occupation. There is futility here beside the defiance.
No light at the end of the tunnel
The day before the Israeli military shot to death Nasasra at Huwwara, Samah
Abdul-Mo'men (age 18) and her father drove toward that checkpoint. Israeli
soldiers opened fire in the vicinity of her car, hitting her (she died in
hospital later that day). Why did the Israeli military open fire at the cars
with civilians? They claim that they had come under attack from Alaa' Khalil
al-Hashshash (age 16), from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. He is said to
have tried to stab Israeli soldiers, who then retaliated. Did al-Hashshash
actually carry out a "knife attack"? If he did, why did the Israeli soldiers
fire at all the cars in the vicinity, killing Abdul-Mo'men? The Israelis
will take none of these questions up in seriousness. The questions are seen
as an irritant.
In the evening of Friday, December 18, the road between Ramallah and
Jerusalem - only ten kilometers - is congested. Qalandiya check point is
virtually closed. We decide to go around - driving forty kilometers as
detour around the illegal "separation wall." Later we learn that two young
men attempted to drive their cars into military vehicles. These are known as
"vehicular attacks." The men drove their cars futilely at the heavily armed
checkpoints. The Israeli military easily shot Muhammed Abd al-Rahman Ayyad
(age 21) to death. The other man, age 30, stumbled out of his car and was
shot by the military. None posed any real threat to the checkpoint. Their
bodies - weighed down by frustration - were no matches against the Israeli
military.
Why did these men try to drive their cars into the checkpoints and why do
the children use knives to attack the settlers? Why - in particular -given
that their attacks are unsuccessful and that they lose their lives in the
process? The Israelis have killed over a hundred and thirty Palestinians
since October. Most of those shot have been children.
Some of these children have indeed attacked settlers in their streets. But
not all of them. Nasasra had no knife in his hand, nor did Abdul-Mo'men. But
others did. Why did these few others attack Israeli settlers with knives?
UNICEF notes that it is the "existence and expansion of Israeli settlements
including in East Jerusalem, illegal under international law, [that] have
been a primary driver of protection threats against children." Palestinian
children are exposed to violence early in their lives, which are constrained
by the loss of their families' land and livelihood.
Lives lived encaged by the Occupation produce - says UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon - "fear, humiliation, frustration and mistrust. It has been fed
by the wounds of decades of bloody conflict, which will take a long time to
heal. Palestinian youth in particular are tired of broken promises and they
see no light at the end of the tunnel." Secretary Ban blamed the "settlement
enterprise" for the tension in the region.
Frustration is the order of the day. I meet some young men from a camp near
Ramallah. They see no outlet for their anger. Everyday they see their
families and friends humiliated by the Occupation. This situation drives
them to desperation - "we have to do something," says one young man. His
eyes are tired. He looks older than his teenage years. He has lost his
friends to Israeli violence. "We marched to Qalandiya last year," he says,
"in a peaceful protest. They fired on us. My friend died." Colonial violence
bears down on his spirit. Around him young children are eliminated by the
Israeli military. His body twitches with anxiety and fear.
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Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [3]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[4]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/world/checkpoint-violence-blood-and-occupation-pales
tine
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/vijay-prashad
[2] http://www.alaraby.co.uk/
[3] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Checkpoint Violence:
Blood and Occupation in Palestine
[4] http://www.alternet.org/
[5] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
