Palestinians and Israelis: Unequal Treatment
by Stephen Lendman
Israeli deaths alone matter. Palestinian ones go unnoticed. Unequal treatment ignores their suffering. Daily crimes against humanity go unreported.
Israelis killed make headlines. A previous article discussed IDF Staff Sgts. Tomer Hazan and Gal Kobi. Both were shot and killed.
Nine-year old Israeli Noam Glick was shot and wounded. She's in stable condition.
Feature stories covered what happened. Israeli soldiers went on a rampage. They sealed off Palestinian communities, refugee camps and surrounding areas. They stormed them.
They conducted intensive house-to-house searches. Homes were broken into violently. They were ransacked. Cars were stopped and inspected. Dozens of Palestinians were assaulted.
Dozens more were arrested. Brutal interrogations followed. It's longstanding Israeli practice. Detained individuals are isolated.
They're denied counsel or access to family members. They're tortured. Children are treated like adults.
On October 11, Haaretz headlined "Israeli reserves colonel murdered outside his Jordan Valley home," saying:
"Colonel (Res.) Seraiah Ofer was killed in a suspected terror attack outside his home in the Jordan Valley settlement Brosh Habika at 10 PM Thursday night."
"His wife Monique was moderately wounded, but managed to escape and contact police."
Palestinians were blamed. Doing so is automatic. Israel called the killing a terror attack. Roadblocks were erected. Area sweeps followed.
Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon suggested canceling peace talks. He wants agreed on Palestinian prisoner releases stopped.
He told Israeli public radio:
"I think there's room to consider whether to carry on the negotiations, carry on the release of terrorists."
"If we need to stop for a number of months; to fight terror and stop the incitement, then that's what we need to do."
Israel's Yesha Council is an extremist umbrella settlement organization. It's militantly hardline.
It's committed to continued Palestinian land theft. It wants unlimited settlement expansions. Its chairman Avi Ro'eh wants no further Palestinian prisoner releases.
"(I)t has been proven, again, that negotiations only push quiet and distance away and increase terror," he said.
"The government of Israel should not continue to close their eyes against the wave of recent attacks and against the deception of the Palestinian Authority's incitement."
Housing Minister Uri Ariel called Friday's incident "another lowly murderous attack that proves, once again, that 'peace talks' just equal 'peace victims.' "
Other Israeli extremist officials voiced similar sentiments. Blaming Palestinian victims is longstanding Israeli policy.
B'Tselem publishes data on Palestinian and Israeli fatalities. Doing so reveals an entirely different picture. Disproportionality best defines it.
On September 29, 2000, the second Intifada erupted. From then through December 26, 2008 Palestinian and Israeli fatalities were as follows:
Occupied Territories
Israel
Gaza Strip
West Bank
Total
Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces
2998
1791
4789
69
Palestinians killed by Israeli civilians
4
41
45
2
Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians
39
195
234
471
Israeli security force personnel killed by Palestinians
97
146
243
88
Foreign citizens killed by Palestinians
10
7
17
36
Foreign citizens killed by Israeli security forces
4
6
10
0
Palestinians killed by Palestinians
475
134
609
0
Data on minors and women included in previous table
Occupied Territories
Israel
Gaza Strip
West Bank
Total
Palestinian minors killed by Israeli security forces
635
316
951
3
Palestinian women killed by Israeli security forces
93
53
146
1
Israeli minors killed by Palestinians
4
35
39
82
Israeli women killed by Palestinians
7
42
49
170
Palestinians killed by Palestinians for suspected collaboration with Israel
11
109
120
0
Data on participation in the hostilities and targeted killings included in first table
Occupied Territories
Israel
Gaza Strip
West Bank
Total
Palestinians who did not take part in the hostilities and were killed by Israeli security forces (not including the objects of targeted killings)
1353
833
2186
5
Palestinian killed by Israeli security forces, Not known if involved in fighting
238
404
642
4
Palestinians who took part in the hostilities and were killed by Israeli security forces
1257
472
1729
60
Palestinians who were the object of a targeted killing
150
82
232
0
Palestinians killed during the course of a targeted killing
277
107
384
0
Palestinian and Israeli Cast Lead Fatalities from December 27, 2008 - January 18, 2009 were as follows:
Occupied Territories
Israel
Gaza Strip
West Bank
Total
Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces
1391
7
1398
0
Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians
0
0
0
3
Israeli security force personnel killed by Palestinians
5
0
5
1
Palestinians killed by Palestinians
18
0
18
0
Data on minors and women included in previous table
Occupied Territories
Israel
Gaza Strip
West Bank
Total
Palestinian minors killed by Israeli security forces
344
1
345
0
Palestinian women killed by Israeli security forces
110
0
110
0
Israeli women killed by Palestinians
0
0
0
1
Palestinians killed by Palestinians for suspected collaboration with Israel
13
0
13
0
Data on participation in the hostilities and targeted killings included in first table
Occupied Territories
Israel
Gaza Strip
West Bank
Total
Palestinians who did not take part in the hostilities and were killed by Israeli security forces (not including the objects of targeted killings)
759
5
764
0
Palestinian killed by Israeli security forces, Not known if involved in fighting
32
0
32
0
Palestinians who took part in the hostilities and were killed by Israeli security forces
350
2
352
0
Palestinians who were the object of a targeted killing
2
0
2
0
Palestinians killed during the course of a targeted killing
20
0
20
0
Palestinian police officers who were killed inside police stations
248
0
248
0
Palestinian and Israeli fatalities post-Cast Lead through August 31, 2013 were as follows:
Occupied Territories
Israel
Gaza Strip
West Bank
Total
Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces
463
61
524
2
Palestinians killed by Israeli civilians
0
5
5
1
Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians
0
16
16
9
Israeli security force personnel killed by Palestinians
4
1
5
2
Foreign citizens killed by Palestinians
1
0
1
3
Foreign citizens killed by Israeli security forces
2
0
2
0
Palestinians killed by Palestinians
54
0
54
0
Data on minors and women included in previous table
Occupied Territories
Israel
Gaza Strip
West Bank
Total
Palestinian minors killed by Israeli security forces
66
12
78
0
Palestinian women killed by Israeli security forces
17
1
18
0
Israeli minors killed by Palestinians
0
5
5
1
Israeli women killed by Palestinians
0
3
3
2
Palestinians killed by Palestinians for suspected collaboration with Israel
1
0
1
0
Data on participation in the hostilities and targeted killings - Gaza Strip only included in first table
Occupied Territories
Israel
Gaza Strip
West Bank
Total
Palestinians who did not take part in the hostilities and were killed by Israeli security forces (not including the objects of targeted killings)
171
0
171
0
Palestinian killed by Israeli security forces, not known if involved in fighting
24
0
24
0
Palestinians who took part in the hostilities and were killed by Israeli security forces
233
0
233
1
Palestinians who were the object of a targeted killing
35
0
35
0
Palestinians killed during the course of a targeted killing
49
0
49
0
From September 29, 2000 through August 31, 2013, Israeli security forces and militant settlers killed 6,752 Palestinians.
Over the same period, Palestinians killed 989 Israeli military personnel and civilians. Most perished during the nearly four and half year second Intifada.
From late December 2008 through August 31, 2013, Palestinians killed 41 Israelis. Over the same period, Israelis killed 1,930 Palestinians.
The disproportional kill ratio was 47 - 1. It bears repeating. Israelis killed by Palestinians make headlines. Brutal security force retaliation follows.
Collective punishment is official Israeli policy. Palestinians killed by Israelis go largely unnoticed. Jewish deaths alone matter. Palestinians die out of mainstream sight and mind.
Longstanding injustice continues. Long denied liberation remains a distant dream.
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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