Palestine Update 635
Comment
Israel acts without any sense of discretion
Israel has no sense of discretion when it takes to bombing Gaza. The bombing in 2021 of a studio, called ‘Hollywood beach’, sent shockwaves because no one expected the studio to be a target. “Built without a roof, it was clearly not much of a hiding place for anyone or anything, and it should have been obvious to any drones flying overhead what the site was used for”.
There is surprise and amusement among BDS activists over how boycotts, divestments, and sanctions — though not explicitly named as such — have become central strategies of the Israeli protest movement. “Large swathes of society are not just distancing themselves from the government’s agenda, but are actively pursuing nationwide disruption and international intervention to stop it. The stability of the economy, security, and day-to-day life are all necessary sacrifices in the name of saving “democracy.” At this scale, the movement has gone beyond merely ending public complicity; it is, in effect, a civil revolt”.
Rather surprisingly, until recently, the EU elite were smug over the patterns of Israeli “democracy” merely because they conducted frequent elections to conclude who had the right to rule Israel (and misrule Palestinian territories). The EU deemed, rather naively, that the sheer “regularity of elections was proof that freedom reigned in Israel. It was only when the current ruling coalition began its assault on the judiciary that the EU began to treat Israeli “democracy” as an endangered species. “In this world of myth and illusions, nobody acknowledges that Israel was set up to prevent Palestinians having any democratic rights.”
As if to prove the point, Right-wing politicians have demanded vigorous measures against Palestinians in response to a terror attack that seriously wounded an Israeli man in the northern West Bank town of Huwara, the second shooting attack there in three weeks. A spokesperson for a far-right coalition urged the government to “wipe out” the entire town as revenge.
Anglican bishop Husam Naoum expressed grief over finding that more than 30 tombstones and crosses were smashed to pieces by at least two Jewish extremists. A Palestinian man has thwarted an attempted Israeli attack on a Christian church in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, the Palestinian Authority (PA) said. Two Israelis entered the Church of Gethsemane and attempted to damage items inside. A Palestinian man at the scene stopped them. The occupation is taking more and more illegal forms of punitive actions that are illegal and totally beyond political morals.
On behalf of MLN Palestine Updates
Ranjan Solomon
Hollywood Beach, the photo studio Israel keeps bombing
It was while rebuilding his photography studio a third time that Muhammad Hajjaj, 23, decided to see the repeated destruction of his dream project in a new light. An English-language business administration graduate, Hajjaj always conceived of running a business of his own that did not rely on his certificate or a boss, a consequence of the high unemployment rate and low prospects in Gaza’s battered and captive economy.
Further, he also chose to work with his passion. Since childhood, Hajjaj was relentlessly positive; interested in fashion and design and in making others smile. “I wanted to offer a service for people that helps them keep some beautiful memories,” Hajjaj told The Electronic Intifada. A photography studio was the perfect fit, and a good enough idea – not least because, as Hajjaj said, “there are always weddings in Gaza” – that in 2021, he and a friend, Muhammad Nassar raised $30,000 with support from their families to turn it into reality.
They built the studio on the beachfront in Gaza City. They took great care to fill it with trees, plants and flowers, colorful walls and photo backdrops. The design and decor, unusual in Gaza, as well as the location on the beach, made it unique. And in addition to photos, the studio also planned to offer a video service for weddings, graduation ceremonies, and birthday parties. Hajjaj named the studio Hollywood Beach to impart a sense of glamor and style.
Just two days before the studio was due to open, Israel launched its 11-day aggression on the Gaza Strip in May 2021. On the third day of the onslaught, an airstrike hit the studio. When reports of the bombing came, people were shocked because no one expected the studio to be a target. Built without a roof, it was clearly not much of a hiding place for anyone or anything, and it should have been obvious to any drones flying overhead what the site was used for.
Read more in Electronic Intifada
Israelis, welcome to BDS
Though not named as such, BDS tactics have been central to Israel’s anti-government protests. And the hypocrisy is not lost on Palestinians.
It took only two months for Israelis to shatter one of their biggest political taboos in the fight against the far-right government. Riled by the coalition’s relentless power trip, Jewish opposition parties have pledged not to participate in the Knesset’s final votes on legislation aimed at overhauling the judiciary. Israeli diplomats and envoys are quitting their posts in protest. Army reservists are objecting to service en masse, affecting every unit from combat troops to the air force. Tech companies and venture capital firms are relocating abroad and transferring out hundreds of millions of dollars. Artists, writers, and intellectuals are calling on world leaders to shun meetings with senior Israeli officials, including the prime minister. None of these groups will admit it, but this is, by all accounts, one of the most impressive BDS campaigns ever witnessed.
In the topsy-turvy Israel of today, boycotts, divestments, and sanctions — though not explicitly named as such — have become central strategies of the Israeli protest movement. Large swathes of society are not just distancing themselves from the government’s agenda, but are actively pursuing nationwide disruption and international intervention to stop it. The stability of the economy, security, and day-to-day life are all necessary sacrifices in the name of saving “democracy.” At this scale, the movement has gone beyond merely ending public complicity; it is, in effect, a civil revolt.
Read more in 972 Mag
Why is the EU suddenly worried about Israeli “democracy”?
I had a flashback upon hearing that the European Parliament will voice grave concern this week about how Israeli “democracy” is deteriorating. Suddenly, I found myself transported back to that distant month of January 2023. Visions of the same European Parliament flooded my mind. Immaculately dressed, its top representatives were queuing up to have their photographs taken with a visiting Israeli president. Just a few hours earlier Israel had committed a massacre in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. That did not perturb the great and the good in Brussels. They were completely fixated on celebrating how the European Union and Israel are entwined by history and values. Welcome to a world of myths and illusions.
Until quite recently, the EU elite were complacent about Israeli “democracy.” The regularity of elections was considered proof that freedom reigned in that little oasis. It was only when a crude coalition began its assault on the judiciary that the EU began to treat Israeli “democracy” as an endangered species. In this world of myth and illusions, nobody acknowledges that Israel was set up to prevent Palestinians having any democratic rights.
Israel’s police force has played an essential role in strangling democracy. Long before the far-right pyromaniac Itamar Ben-Gvir became the minister in charge of that force, its officers were attacking Palestinian gatherings – even funerals – and carrying out extrajudicial executions.
Read full narrative in Electronic Intifada
Coalition lawmakers urge escalation against Palestinians following terror attack
Huwara must be ‘wiped out’; Ben Gvir urges death penalty for culprits
Right-wing politicians called Sunday for forceful measures against Palestinians in response to a terror attack that seriously wounded an Israeli man in the northern West Bank town of Huwara, the second shooting attack there in three weeks. A spokesperson for a far-right coalition MK urged the government to “wipe out” the entire town as revenge. David Stern from the settlement of Itamar, a former US Marine in his 40s who works as a weapons instructor, was seriously hurt after sustaining gunshot wounds to his head and shoulder in the attack on the Route 60 highway.
A woman in the car, identified as Stern’s wife, was also taken to a hospital suffering from traumatic shock. She was not hit by the gunfire, medics said. The Israel Defense Forces said the Palestinian terrorist was shot by both the victim and soldiers immediately after the attack, before he fled the scene on foot. After a brief chase, troops located and detained the gunman, who had been wounded by the victim’s and troops’ gunfire, the IDF said, adding that his makeshift submachine gun was seized. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was praying for the “wounded hero” who succeeded in shooting the terrorist attacker, adding: “Whoever tries to harm Israeli citizens will bear the responsibility.”
Read full report in Times of Israel
Palestinian man thwarts Israeli attack on East Jerusalem church
A Palestinian man has thwarted an attempted Israeli attack on a Christian church in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, the Palestinian Authority (PA) said. Two Israelis entered the Church of Gethsemane and attempted to damage items inside. A Palestinian man at the scene stopped them. The attempted attack came after two Israeli radicals defaced a Christian cemetery in East Jerusalem on New Year’s Day. “It really grieves us to see what happened over the New Year holiday when we discovered that more than 30 tombstones and crosses were smashed to pieces by at least two Jewish extremists,” Anglican bishop Husam Naoum said at the time. “I ask for action to be taken; the perpetrators brought to the law and are a lesson for others.” The bishop attributed the attack to increased hate speech within Israeli society. Palestinians in Jerusalem experience frequent violence from Israeli settlers and forces and both Christian and Muslim holy places come under attack. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which is the third-holiest site in Islam and the most-sacred Muslim place in Palestine, often faces raids.
Read more from The New Arab
20 March 2023
Source: nakbaliberation.com