Israel's Ruthless Agenda

by Stephen Lendman

State terrorism is official policy. So is institutionalized racism, persecution, apartheid worse than South Africa's, and colonization.

Israel's occupation is lawless. It's the longest by far in modern times. Military orders control virtually all aspects of Palestinians' lives.

They have no rights whatever. They're not wanted. They're considered subhuman.

Efforts are made to eliminate them. Israel seeks total Judaization.

Its wars are cold, calculated premeditated aggression. They're high crimes against peace. They're slow-motion genocide. Palestinian self-defense is called "terrorism."

Operation Protective Edge was the latest example. It had nothing to do with Hamas rockets. It wasn't about protecting Israeli security.

It had everything to do with preventing Palestinian self-determination, maintaining occupation harshness, continuing Gaza's blockade, sabotaging Fatah/Hamas unity, stealing Palestinian resources, preventing diaspora Palestinians from returning, and maintaining Jerusalem as Israel's exclusive capital.

Torture is official Israeli policy. It persists despite international law prohibiting it all times under all circumstances with no allowed exceptions.

On September 14, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights headlined "PCHR Follows up Detention Conditions of Palestinians Arrested by Israeli Forces in Latest Offensive on the Gaza Strip," saying:

"The lawyers of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) have visited 4 Palestinian detainees in Ashkelon Prison who were arrested in the latest 51-day Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip."

They "confirmed that the prisoners were subjected to various forms of torture during their detention period, including beating and shackling between two chairs for long hours (Shabeh)."

"According to PCHR's documentation, Israeli forces arrested dozens of Palestinian civilians during the offensive on the Gaza Strip; 31 of whom were transferred to Israeli prisons."

All those arrested committed no crimes. It didn't matter. Thousands of Palestinian political prisoners languish in Israel's gulag. It's one of the world's worst.

"Later, 4 of the aforementioned detainees were released while 27 remained in custody and were charged of being members of armed groups, except for one, Samir al-Najjar, who was charged of being an 'illegitimate combatant.' "

"…(M)embers of armed resistance groups are considered prisoners of war against whom no bills of indictment can be presented according to the international law."

"PCHR continues its efforts to pursue Israeli war criminals through international courts based on the principle of universal jurisdiction (UJ) to bring them before justice since torture is an international crime."

Under UJ, nations may investigate and prosecute foreign nationals when their country of residence or origin won't, can't, or hasn't for any reason."

Israel used it to convict and execute Adolph Eichmann.

Britain used a Spanish court provisional warrant to apprehend Augusto Pinochet. It held him under house arrest for 18 months.

It set a precedent. It potentially makes other heads of state  vulnerable. So are top officials.

Pinochet's alleged ill health claim got him released. He returned home. He remained damaged and disgraced.

From September 11, 1973 to March 11, 1981, tyranny was ruthless on his watch. He died in December 2006. He's not missed.

Article 7 of Nuremberg's Charter of the International Military Tribunal states:

"The official position of defendants, whether as Head of State or responsible officials in Government departments, shall not be considered as freeing them from responsibility or mitigating punishment."

No one deserves immunity for high crimes against peace. They demand accountability.

No nation or individual is above the law. They're made to be enforced. They're inviolable.

Holding Israel and America accountable for high crimes too grave to ignore is long overdue.

In its 2013 State of Israel report, Amnesty International (AI) said:

"Israeli forces responsible for the killing and injuring of Palestinian civilians (as well as) torture and other ill-treatment of detainees continued to evade accountability."

Periodic air strikes target Gaza. They're conducted for any reason or none at all. For ones Israel invents.

IDF commanders order "live ammunition to enforce the land and sea 'exclusion zones' inside Gaza's perimeter and territorial waters, killing at least six civilians and injuring others," said AI.

"The myriad restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on the movement of Palestinians amounted to collective punishment of the population of Gaza and the West Bank, in violation of international law."

Gaza's blockade remains ongoing. It's lawless. It's suffocating. It has nothing to do with Israeli security.

Palestinians are arrested for bogus reasons. Many are held without charges or trial.

Freedom of expression, movement and assembly are denied. So are peace, equity and justice.

Israel gets away with mass murder with impunity and then some. Rogue states operate this way.

Israel and America elevated lawlessness to a new level. Don't expect Western media to explain. Or what the Electronic Intifada (EI) reported on September 15.

It headlined "Leaked email reveals ADL advice to universities urging anti-Palestine crackdown."

It was sent to UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi's office. It was meant for her and other senior university officials.

The Anti-Defamation League is notoriously bigoted. Hate-mongering is longstanding practice. So is disseminating pro-Israeli propaganda.

Smear campaigns target its critics. They're conducted under the fraudulent pretext of fighting anti-Semitism.

ADL claims to support human rights. Its hate-filled agenda violates them egregiously.  

Its leaked email warned about an "upcoming day of action for Palestinian rights," said EI.

It called for "extra security and 'discipline.' "

It targeted the American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). It's an advocacy group. ADL lied making "thinly-veiled allegations of anti-Semitism," said EI.

ADL's email said in part:

"We write to you today to provide information and recommendations about how to respond to conflicts that may arise on your campus due to the recent conflict in Gaza."

“In the wake of the recent crisis, anti-Israel organizations are placing increasing pressure on academic institutions to engage in ‘Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions’ (BDS) activities."

"Be aware of the discourse around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that takes place on your campus and the potential for escalation."

"Review student codes of conduct to ensure that activity which is detrimental to the free exchange of ideas is not allowed on campus."

AMP is called "the leading organization providing anti-Zionist training and education to students and Muslim community organizations around the country."

It "advocates for a variety of BDS-related initiatives - all in an effort to isolate and demonize Israel and Jewish communal organizations."

Fact: AMP and Palestinian-led BDS supporters don't advocate targeting Jewish communal organizations, EI explained.

Fact: They want action against "institutions complicit with Israel's violations of Palestinian rights…"

Fact: They include academia, corporations, think tanks, numerous organizations and other biased institutions.

According to AMP chairman Hatem Bazian:

"The ADL has always been in the business of censoring Palestine’s narrative and promoting Israel and Zionism…"

It overstepped trying to "employ prior restraint on Palestinians' free speech."

Hate-mongering operates under its own rules. According to EI, expect "no let up (by Israeli lobbyists) to use all repressive means available to stigmatize…punish (and stifle) campus criticism of Israel's crimes."

On September 16, Mondoweiss headlined "US and Canada strengthen economic relationship with Israel following attack on Gaza," saying:

They consummated "a mutual customs agreement." It removes "screening barriers and tariffs."

Washington and Canada support Israeli genocidal high crimes against peace. It's longstanding policy in both countries.

Canada is more pro-Israeli than America. During right-wing Prime Minister Stephen Harper's January visit to Israel, he praised its "great moral leadership."

Canada's special relationship is deep-rooted, he said. It's "nourished by shared values."

"(It's) reinforced at the highest levels of commerce and government as an outward expression of strongly held inner convictions."

It's the right thing to do, said Harper. He called enemies Israel invents "dark forces of the world."

He ignored Palestinian rights. He was silent about generations of occupation harshness, ruthless persecution and numerous other high crimes.

Post-Operation Protective Edge, Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid and his Canadian counterpart Steven Blaney discussed their 2010 Authorized Economic Operator Program.

"We share the same moral values (and) threat(s), Lapid claimed. He lied naming "Hamas in the south, Hezbollah in the north and now ISIS advancing from the east."

It bears repeating. Israel's only enemies are ones it invents. It does so to enforce occupation harshness. To steal all valued Judea and Samaria areas.

To deny Palestinians fundamental human and civil rights. To treat them like enemies of the state. To violate core international human rights laws in the process.

Lapid's comments focused more on Gaza than economics, said Mondoweiss. It quoted him saying:

"We must move to find a solution for Gaza based on a regional framework, through a regional summit which includes all the key partners including Canada."

"For progress to be made we must ensure that rehabilitation occurs alongside demilitarization."

"We are strengthened and encouraged by the support of our allies, and in particular with Canada which stands steadfast by our side."

Their "special relationship" ignores each other's high crimes. America and Israel operate the same way.

Rogue states replicate each other's worst practices. It's longstanding official Western policy.

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

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

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

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.