Israel: A Rogue Regime Fostering Violence, Racist Hate and Brutality

by Stephen Lendman

Israeli viciousness has Palestine on the brink of exploding. State-instigated violence continues daily. An entire population is being ruthlessly terrorized.

Israeli security forces murdered four Palestinians in the past week, injured hundreds more, 129 in the last 24 hours alone, assaulted journalists, and attacked Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) medical staff 27 times since the latest violence erupted - injuring 17 medical workers, damaging 10 ambulances.

Washington is directly complicit, providing Israel with billions of dollars annually, the latest weapons and technology and political support for its high crimes.

Israeli rules of engagement include live fire against defenseless Palestinian protesters, including young children. Expect many more deaths and injuries ahead.

An Israeli sniper fatally shot 13-year-old Abdul-Rahman Obeidallah, threatening no one, walking home from school still in uniform, wearing his backpack. He was murdered by indiscriminate sniper fire.

Popular Struggle Coordination Committee head Munther Amira said Israel assassinated Obeidallah. “We, Palestinians will continue struggling against this occupation, and we are going to take the Israeli leaders to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as they give direct orders for their soldiers to kill (children like) Abdul-Rahman.”

Family homes of Palestinian children accused of stone-throwing are being demolished, including two Jabal al-Mukaber village ones yesterday - a vicious crime against humanity, a Fourth Geneva grave breach war crime, part of longstanding Israeli collective punishment, a flagrant international law violation.

Palestine is under siege. A state of war exists. Israeli security forces violently attacked peaceful Palestinians in Jaffa overnight - beating them with clubs and batons.

Live fire was used against Palestinian protesters in Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, Jenin, Bethlehem, East Jerusalem and elsewhere throughout the West Bank. Scores of injuries were reported, some serious, Palestinians victimized by Israeli brutality.

PRCS emergency unit head Mahmoud Sa’adi said soldiers fired live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas against peaceful protesters. Medical personnel and journalists were attacked.

Dozens of Palestinians were arrested, including young children. Israeli police attacked Fadi Allon’s funeral procession, a 19-year-old youth murdered by security forces in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Soldiers rampaged through Palestinian communities, breaking into homes, ransacking them, traumatizing children, making arrests, including 14-year-old disabled Hassan al-Rajbi.

In the last 24 hours alone, at least eight Palestinians were wounded by live fire, scores of others from rubber bullets, tear gas and beatings.

Mahmoud Abbas has done nothing to protect the security of Palestinians he’s sworn to serve, virtually silent until Tuesday, only saying he wants to avoid escalated violence with Israel - a shocking indictment of his indifference to Palestinian rights, safety and welfare.

In the past week, over 600 Palestinians were injured, 49 wounded by live fire, four assassinated.

Longstanding Israeli viciousness bears full responsibility for ongoing violence. Palestinian victims take only so much before exploding - their stones and empty bottles no match against heavily armed security forces, brutalizing them with terror weapons, including live fire intended to kill, injure or maim.

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.

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