State-Sponsored Violence in Occupied Palestine

by Stephen Lendman

US/NATO war on Russia by use of expendable Ukrainian foot soldiers isn't the only raging conflict on the world stage.

Multiple made-in-the USA clashes are ongoing against invented enemies by hot and/or other means.

It's been this way throughout the post-WW II period — especially since the NATO war-making alliance was established in April 1949.

In cahoots with the war-making machine, nuclear armed and dangerous Israel is a virtual alliance member, a strategic partner in pursuit of its own hegemonic aims.

Since established on stolen Palestinian land in May 1948 — especially since occupying the West Bank after its preemptive Six-Day War of aggression — Israeli apartheid subjugated, intimidated and terrorized indigenous Palestinians for praying to the wrong God.

They've been forcibly displaced from over 200,000 hectares of land throughout the West Bank to make way for exclusive Jewish development and use.

Land theft occurs by unilaterally and illegally establishing settlements, and by declaring areas state land, a firing zone, a nature reserve or pretexts used to displace their indigenous inhabitants.

At the same time, settlers are used by Israeli regimes to terrorize Palestinians with impunity.

They're given financial and military support.

Throughout over half a century of occupation, redress virtually never follows documented settler violence against Palestinians.

According to the Yesh Din human rights group:

Settler violence is state-approved and encouraged.

It's ideologically driven.

Its aim is to dispossess indigenous Palestinians from their native land.

It's to control all parts of historic Palestine that Israeli regimes want exclusively for Jews.

Since Yesh Din was established in 2005, the vast majority of so-called Israeli investigations into crimes by settlers against Palestinians were arbitrarily closed without indictment.

"Lack of law enforcement sends a message of impunity to offending settlers and provides support for them," Yesh Din stressed, adding: 

"It enables perpetrators to repeat their actions without fearing consequences, knowing that ultimately law enforcement agencies will avoid serving indictments."

Israeli regimes actively encourage settler violence and other human rights abuses against defenseless Palestinians.

Mistreating them as invented enemies of the state, they're denied the right to property, to freedom of movement, to life, liberty and bodily integrity.

According to B'Tselem, "thousands of testimonies from Palestinians, soldiers (independent media and) human rights organizations" documented Israeli ruthlessness against Palestinians for nearly 75 years without accountability.

Despite indisputable documentation, settler and state-sponsored violence against an indigenous population continues with no signs of abating.

Throughout the West Bank, violence against Palestinians includes torching and stealing their crops, damaging homes and other property, blocking roads and using live fire.

All of the above and more of the same go on daily — while nearby Israeli military forces pretend not to notice.

Or in support of settlers and apartheid rule, they attack nonthreatening/nonviolent Palestinians with tear gas, stun grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets and regular live rounds.

Nearly always when legitimate complaints are filed, there's no accountability.

When probes are initiated, whitewash follows.

State-approved violence is all about seeking to establish exclusive Jewish control over territory between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea.

It's been official Israeli policy since establishment of the Jewish state.

According to Israeli media on Friday, Arab-hating, right-wing extremist, Itamar Ben Gvir will be officially named Israeli national security minister.

A newly expanded ministry, it'll control the Netanyahu coalition regime's national and border police in the West Bank.

Ben Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party demanded and apparently got an expanded ministry for development of the Negev and Galilee, a newly created heritage ministry, the Knesset's public security committee and the body's Israeli citizen's fund.

He hailed what he called "a big step toward signing a full coalition agreement and establishing a full right-wing" regime — what promises to be the most extremist in Jewish state history.

Revealing how he intends to operate as national security minister, he said the following:

"We need to go back to carrying out targeted killings."

"We need to retake control of the State of Israel" — by enforcing state terror against defenseless Palestinians.

Religious Zionism leader, Bezalel Smotrich, appears slated to become Israeli finance minister.

According to Peace Now's head, Shaqued Morag, if his ministry includes civil administration control — what he reportedly demands — "de facto annexation" of the West Bank may follow.

On Wednesday, his Religious Zionist party reported his willingness to abandon a demand to be appointed Israeli war minister if given the finance portfolio to include control over civil administration.

Separately, Smotrich called human rights groups a threat to Israel and its incoming regime — wanting their funds seized to neutralize them.

In response, Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) executive director, Noa Sattath, said the following:

He's right.

Human rights groups like ACRI are "resolute opponents (of) the measures he" wants instituted.

According to Netanyahu's Likud party Knesset member, Amichai Chikli:

"(U)nder the guise of human rights organizations and humanitarian activity hides a radical antisemitic and anti-Zionist ideology (sic), whose purpose is to undermine the legitimacy of Israel (sic) and spill blood of its soldiers and citizens (sic)."

Head of the New Israel Fund human rights group, Daniel Sokatch stressed the following:

"For 43 years, the organization (has been a) human rights defender."

Smotrich, Ben Gvir and likeminded extremists are hostile "to equality (and) human rights" in pursuit of their diabolical aims.

Their "attacks will not silence (or deter) us."

"Anyone who cares about human rights will join us in this fight."

When formally announced, Netanyahu's Likud-led coalition regime will be a menace to Jews and non-Jews alike.

It'll include an array of Arab-hating, violence-supporting right-wing extremists.

Their empowerment will make apartheid Israel more unsafe and unfit to live in than ever before in Jewish state history.

A Final Comment

In response to the threat of giving Smotrich control over Israel's civil administration in the incoming Likud-led Netanyahu coalition regime, Haaretz editors expressed strong opposition.

The civil admin. controls settlement expansion and construction, as well as demolition of Palestinian homes to make way for greater Jewish occupation and development.

The Civil Admin. "is the military government in the West Bank," Haaretz explained. 

It's a tool for terrorizing Palestinians by hardened apartheid rule.

It serves settlers and occupation ruthlessness.

When Israeli war minister Gantz approved a limited "number of construction plans for Palestinians over the past year, this was exceptional precisely because the rule is that Israel advances construction plans for the settlements but doesn't give building permits to Palestinians."

"If Smotrich holds the reins, the situation will likely grow even worse."

"Israel's annexation of the West Bank would no longer be creeping, but rather a full gallop."

"Even by his own irresponsible standards, this is a reckless move by PM-designate Netanyahu."

Perhaps it's already approved.