So far, understandably, our attention has concentrated on the relationship between Israel and the Palestinian people of Gaza. At a time of war, this is inevitable. However, if you want to understand the wider relationship between Israelis and Palestinians, you also need to be aware of how Israel treats its two million Palestinian citizens as well as those living in the West Bank, which it has illegally occupied since 1967. Here are some facts probably unknown to you.
First, Israel is a democracy, but only for its Jewish citizens. The National State Law of 2018 discriminates between its Jewish citizens and those who are Palestinian. For example, Israel has a Law of Return which allows Jews from anywhere in the world to get automatic citizenship. But family members of Palestinians, who were born there but left at the time of the 1948 Nakba (Nakba means “catastrophe” in Arabic and refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war) or the 1967 war, are denied this right. This is in clear defiance of UN Resolution 194, which confers on all Palestinians the right to return.
Second, Israel has an Administrative Detention Law which permits the arrest of Palestinians without charge. Al Jazeera says of the 7,667 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, 40% are thus detained. During the truce, when 240 were released, 310 were detained. Incidentally, of the 7,667, 3,325 or 43% were arrested after October 7.
Let’s turn to the West Bank. Since 1967, an estimated 750,000 Israeli settlers have illegally occupied Palestinian land and evicted the people living there. Instead of stopping them, the Israeli army protects them. This is also encouraged by the Benjamin Netanyahu government because it converts a UN-guaranteed Palestinian State into an untenable patchwork quilt of territory.
Al Jazeera reports that since October 7, 240 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with Israeli settlers. In a Washington Post article, President Joe Biden said he had been “emphatic with Israel’s leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and those committing violence must be held accountable”. But Netanyahu snubbed him. At a press conference, he said: “I told President Biden that the accusations against the settlement movement are baseless.”
Finally, Israel’s reported intentions for Gaza once the truce ends. The BBC’s diplomatic correspondent, Paul Adams, quoting Israeli military spokesmen says the Netanyahu government is considering pushing perhaps two million Gazans, presently sheltering in south Gaza, into a small portion of the Strip called al-Mawasi, just 2.5 kilometres wide and four kilometres long. So the people of Gaza, who first became refugees in 1948 when they were pushed out of their West Bank homes, now face becoming refugees a second time, when they’re crammed into al-Mawasi.
Actually, it’s worse. Juliette Touma, communications director of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian welfare, says of al-Mawasi: “There is nothing there. It is just sand dunes and palm trees.” Even Lt Col Richard Hecht, an Israeli Defence Force spokesperson, admits al-Mawasi is “going to be dire”.
Al-Mawasi lacks essential infrastructure. There are no hospitals and the vast majority will have to live in tents. This is after winter has set in and it’s cold and rains frequently. Yet, Avichay Adraee, another Israeli Defence Force spokesman, says al-Mawasi will provide “appropriate conditions for your loved ones”.
As per reports by the BBC, Israeli officials say it will be “up to aid agencies to make sure help reaches al-Mawasi”. So, clearly, Israel is throwing Gazans to their mercy. But they’re reluctant to accept. The heads of 18 UN agencies and NGOs have issued a statement saying “We will not participate in the establishment of any safe zone in Gaza”.
The WHO director-general calls the al-Mawasi proposal “a recipe for disaster”. “Attempting to cram so many people into such a small area with such little infrastructure or services,” he says, “will significantly increase risks to health for people who are already on the brink.”
I’ll stop there. My intention is to make you aware of facts you haven’t been told and Israel’s thinking our media hasn’t covered. Bear this in mind the next time Israel is called an apartheid State.
Karan Thapar is the author of Devil’s Advocate: The Untold Story. The views expressed are personal
Karan Thapar is a super-looking genius who’s young, friendly, chatty and great fun to be with. He’s also very enjoyable to read. ...view detail
Palestine through the eyes of the Israeli State
10
1
03.12.2023
So far, understandably, our attention has concentrated on the relationship between Israel and the Palestinian people of Gaza. At a time of war, this is inevitable. However, if you want to understand the wider relationship between Israelis and Palestinians, you also need to be aware of how Israel treats its two million Palestinian citizens as well as those living in the West Bank, which it has illegally occupied since 1967. Here are some facts probably unknown to you.
First, Israel is a democracy, but only for its Jewish citizens. The National State Law of 2018 discriminates between its Jewish citizens and those who are Palestinian. For example, Israel has a Law of Return which allows Jews from anywhere in the world to get automatic citizenship. But family members of Palestinians, who were born there but left at the time of the 1948 Nakba (Nakba means “catastrophe” in Arabic and refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war) or the 1967 war, are denied this right. This is in clear defiance of UN Resolution 194, which confers on all Palestinians the right to return.
Second, Israel has an........
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