Netanyahu Regime Holds Palestinians Accountable for Crimes Committed Against Them

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Israeli apartheid isn't pretty. It promotes Jewish ethnic superiority while inciting racist hatred of Palestinians for praying to the wrong higher power.

It permits mass murder, targeted assassinations, state terror, torture, arbitrary arrests, illegal imprisonments, denial of the right to life and liberty, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, along with collective punishment of an entire population for not being Jewish.

Throughout its history from inception, Israel remains unaccountable for the highest of high crimes, its ruling class operating with impunity.

A B'Tselem report found that "settlers assault Palestinians and file false reports against them," Israel's military "arrest(ing) the victims," adding:

Racist settler violence includes "killing and injuring individuals to damaging property and land."

When witnessing these criminal acts, IDF soldiers are trained to either ignore or aid them, Palestinians denied rule of law protections.

When rare investigations of incidents occur, whitewash virtually always follows.

Settlers know they can get away with almost anything and take full advantage.

B'Tselem documented a recent example of injustice in Occupied Palestine.

The scourge of a "guilty until proven innocent" mentality exists for long-suffering Palestinians.

When settlers file police reports with accusations against Palestinians, they're automatically arrested even when no evidence suggests wrongdoing.

Weeks earlier, "soldiers arrested three Palestinian brothers who were grazing their flock when settlers arrived and tried to drive them away," said B'Tselem, adding: 

"The brothers were detained for five days and eventually released on a 3,000 NIS (870 USD) bail."

Separately, soldiers arrested a Palestinian tractor operator. Attacked by settlers, they falsely claimed he tried to run them over.

Though nothing of the kind occurred, the operator was detained for 10 days, then "released on a 4,000 NIS (1,160 USD) bail.

According to Israeli rules of engagement with Palestinians, guilt is automatic when charged. Innocence must be proved — time and again impossible because judicial fairness doesn't exist.

B'Tselem provided detailed information on an incident explained below.

In May, Palestinian tractor operators Suliman 'Asfur and Yusef Muzahem began plowing Turmusaya village fields.

Threatening no one, they were attacked by settlers with "stones and pipes…tr(ying) to prevent them from" working village land.

Here's how Muzahem explained what happened:

"As soon as we got to the plot, about three settlers in their 20s and 30s appeared, holding stones." 

"They were unkempt and (wore) skullcaps. Two of them lay down in front of the tractors and blocked our path, while the third filmed them." 

"We tried to drive around them, but they held on to the tractors and tried to pull the keys out by force." 

"They grabbed at our shirts to pull us out of the tractors. This went on for about five minutes." 

"Then, as one of them was trying to pull Suliman out of the tractor by his shirt, he stumbled over a deep furrow and fell." 

"I saw this happen from about ten meters away. At first, the settler tried to pretend he'd been injured and started groaning as if he was in pain." 

"We drove away and tried to continue plowing. A few moments later, he got up and started blocking our path again as if nothing had happened."

Harassment continued. The settler who fell attacked Muzahem with pepper-spray to the face while he was driving.

It stung and had a suffocating effect. Trying to drive away, "the settler flung himself in front of 'Asfur's tractor and pretended he had been run over again. At that point, a settlement security coordinator drove up." 

"When he saw the settler lying on the ground, he pulled out two stun grenades and hurled them at the tractor drivers."

Asfur drove away, chased by the security coordinator who climbed onto his tractor, pointed a gun at him, and threatened to shoot.

Israeli police and military were called. Asfur was handcuffed, blindfolded, and arrested for the "crime" of being Palestinian controlled a racist/apartheid Jewish state.

Injured by pepper-spray, Muzahem needed medical treatment at a village clinic.

Later, he and members of the village agricultural committee filed charges against the belligerent settler to no avail.

Describing his ordeal at the hands of police, Asfur told the interrogator he had nothing to say, showed videos of what occurred, proving he "hadn't run over anyone," adding:

"All the videos prove we weren't violent at all. In the video where the settler was supposedly run over, you can see the tractor's wheel not moving and the settler putting his foot under it on purpose." 

"The wheel doesn't run it over. The interrogator took my phone and sent me back to the holding room. At 11:00 or 12:00 PM, they transferred me to detention at the Ofer military prison."

Days later, a military judge ruled that "this incident justified an investigation and arrest to that end." 

Asfur added the following:

"The prosecution and the police refused to show the videos that prove my innocence in court." 

"They took away my freedom for ten days without any justification." 

"We're always potentially guilty until proven innocent, but when it comes to the settlers, it's the other way around."

Countless incidents similar to the above happen with disturbing regularity.

Palestinians have no legal protections from abuses by Jews committed against them.

Ruling Israeli regimes and hanging military judges assure continued injustice with no relief.

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

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