Obama Ignores Israel's War on Palestine

Obama Ignores Israel's War on Palestine

by Stephen Lendman

Obama intends lawless aggression on Syria. He does so based on lies. At the same time, he ignores the worst of Israeli crimes.

They occur daily during sham peace talks. In late August, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians. They wounded 18 others. Five children were hurt.

Excessive force is used daily. Nonviolent civilians are targeted. Peaceful protests are ruthlessly suppressed. Israel tolerates no dissent. International law is systematically violated.

During the week ending August 29, Israeli forces averaged seven lawless daily incursions into Palestinian neighborhoods. At least 29 arrests were made. Four children were included.

During the week ending September 4, multiple daily incursions continued. Nearly three dozen nonviolent Palestinians were arrested. They included five children. Peaceful protesters were ruthlessly attacked. 

On September 1 and 2 alone, the International Middle East Media Center reported eight important stories, among others. Its headlines explained:

"Soldiers Kidnap A Palestinian In Hebron"

"Soldiers Kidnap Twelve Palestinians In Bethlehem"

"Five Injured By Army Fire In Ramallah"

"Army Uproots Lands To Build Settlement Units In Salfit"

"Tel Aviv (Lied) Claim(ing It) Uncover(ed) A Hamas Cell"

"Israel Prepared A Plan For 3800 Units In West Bank Settlements"

"Egypt Detonates Five Border Tunnels"

"Ahrar: "Soldiers Killed Six, Kidnaped 250 in August"

On September 7, IMEMC headlined "Dozens Injured in Al-Aqsa Mosque"

"Forty Palestinians Kidnapped Near Hebron"

On August 30, Israeli forces attacked nonviolent Belin villager protesters. They rallied in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners.

Six were injured. Four were shot with rubber bullets. Tear gas canisters struck two others. They were fired from close range. An eight-year old boy was targeted. So were journalists.

Israeli peace plans offer Palestinians nothing. They reflect business as usual. They have full US support.

Israel's carving up the West Bank with illegal settlements. It's restricting Palestinians to isolated cantons.

It's longstanding policies are clear. Their roots go back to Israel's 1967 Six Day War. They were more than ever hardline post-Oslo.

Gaza and the West Bank were supposed to be an indivisible territorial entity. Israeli complicity with Washington separated them.

A vastly expanded Greater Jerusalem was created. Israel's Separation Wall steals more land. It's not built for security.

Israel violates international law repeatedly. It does so unaccountably. Palestinians are virtually entirely denied.

Obama's appointment of Martin Indyk shows where he stands. He one-sidedly supports Israel. He ignores its worst crimes.

There's great regional skepticism about so-called peace talks. It's not hard knowing why.

Daily Israeli violence alone explains. So does besieging Gaza for years. On September 1, the Electronic Intifada headlined "Stocks of vital medicines hit zero as Egypt, Israel tighten Gaza siege."

Egypt's coup d'etat regime is complicit with Israel. It's part of Netanyahu's war on Palestine.

Its army is demolishing homes along its Gaza border. It's an "Israeli-style tactic." It's a pretext for "buffer zone" restrictions.

Egypt's contributing directly to Palestinian suffering. It's "deepening the economic and medical crisis." It affects 1.7 million Gazans.

A July OCHA Humanitarian Bulletin Monthly Report revealed the horrendous siege harshness. Israel's committing crimes against humanity.

From January through June 2013, Israeli forces doubled their attacks on Gaza fishermen. Since Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) ousted Muhammad Morsi, it kept Gaza's Rafah border closed. It did so for prolonged periods.

Doing so exacerbates harsh conditions. According to OCHA:

"The average number of people passing per day in July was 540, less than 30 per cent of the approximately 1,860 who crossed daily in June."

"The crossing remains the primary exit and entry point to the Gaza Strip for Palestinians, due to the long-standing restrictions imposed by Israel on pedestrian movement via the Erez Crossing."

Egypt justifies its restrictions based on groundless, fabricated allegations. At issue is aiding Israel's war on Palestine.

Urgently needed medical care is severely restricted. Many needing it can't get it. Obtaining permission to travel to Egypt is too onerous for many too bear. According to OCHA:

"Patients aged 18-40 years, especially males, are most often required to submit to Israeli security interviews as part of the application process for permits to exit via Erez." 

"Companions must also apply for permits, and may likewise be called for interviews."

Israel tries blackmailing Palestinian patients. They want vitally needed heathcare dependent on becoming Shin Bet informers.

For some, it's do so or die. Since Egypt's coup, OCHA said:

"(T)he Ministry of Health in Gaza began restricting X-rays and limiting certain drugs to emergency use only, due to low supplies and the unreliable flow of medical supplies via the Rafah Crossing."

"Twenty-five per cent of (Gaza's) drug supplies are normally received from, or through, Egypt via this crossing." 

"Two principal Egyptian donors, the Arab Physicians Union and the Physicians Syndicate, are expected to halt donations to Gaza in view of current urgent needs in Egypt." 

"These groups have played a crucial role as a source for rapid supply of critical items, such as dialysis solutions, common chemotherapy drugs, Factor VIII for haemophilia, immunosuppressants for kidney transplant patients and treatments for other chronic blood disease conditions." 

"Any sustained gap in the supply of these items would have immediate negative impact on patients." 

"The Human Appeal International (United Arab Emirates) and Qatar Red Crescent also provide donations to the MoH in Gaza via Rafah, but according to the MoH, only one drug shipment has been received via that route since 30 June, from an Italian NGO."

SCAF's destroying Gaza's tunnel economy. It's doing it complicit with Israel. It's a lifeline too important to lose.

It's the main source of vitally needed supplies. In July, SCAF's crackdown "included the destruction and flooding of tunnels, as well as the extensive deployment of security forces and the imposition of severe restrictions on access to the tunnel areas," said OCHA.

"The Palestinian Federation of Industries estimated that, on average, around 1,500 tonnes of construction materials entered Gaza through the tunnels per day, compared to 7,500 tonnes prior to the imposition of the recent measures." 

"The price of construction materials on local markets rose sharply before declining to between 20 to 30 per cent above the normal price by the end of the month, and leading to a sharp slowdown in construction activities and the operation of concrete mix factories."

Chronic fuel shortages exist. Israel lied claiming normal Gazan conditions. World leaders able to act responsibly remain silent.

Obama's complicit with Israel's worst crimes. So are SCAF generals.

An August Israeli propaganda release outrageously included a Malaysian luxury shopping mall. It falsely claimed it's located in Gaza.

It's typical Israeli malicious deception. It's part of its longstanding war on Gaza. It puts a lie to sham peace talks.

They've been stillborn for decades. They're dead on arrival now. Palestinians never had a legitimate partner. They don't now.

Longtime Israeli collaborators represent them. Palestine's legitimate government is excluded. Peace is a convenient illusion. It's more myth than reality.

Israel's war on Palestine continues. Palestinian liberation remains a distant hope. Maybe some day. Not now.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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