Israel Attacks Palestinians During Peace Talks

by Stephen Lendman

Doing so exposes the sham process. So do many other similar incidents. Daily violence persists. Dozens of weekly incursions terrorize Palestinian communities.

Violence and arrests follow. So do detentions, interrogations and torture. Israel's no peace partner. Palestinians don't have one. They never did. For sure they don't now.

On August 28, Maan News headlined "Israeli forces kill 3 Palestinians in Qalandia camp," saying:

Undercover Israeli forces bear full responsibility. They wore civilian clothes. They acted provocatively.

"Robin al-Abed, 32, was shot in the chest." He died instantly.

"Younis Jihad Abu al-Sheikh Jahjouh, 22, was also shot dead."

"Jihad Asslan, 20, died Monday morning." Ramallah Hospital officials pronounced him brain dead.

"All three men were killed when Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd during clashes with camp residents following (a lawless) arrest raid."

Live fired injured at least 15 Palestinians. Six are in critical condition. Most were shot in the head, chest and upper body.

Israeli security forces shot to kill. They committed cold-blooded murder. Doing so repeats with disturbing regularity.

One incident follows another. Police states operate that way. Israel's one of the worst.

An Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said:

"In the early hours of the morning a border police team went into Qalandiya camp to arrest a hostile terrorist activist."

Israel calls all Palestinians wanting to live free "terrorists."

"After his arrest," she added, "a 'mob' of about 1,500 residents began a disturbance, throwing petrol bombs and stones, endangering the lives of force members, who responded with riot dispersal means."

Palestinians often throw stones in response to Israeli provocations. They don't use petrol bombs. They don't use live fire. They don't endanger Israeli lives.

Samri lied. Coverup and denial don't wash. Incidents often end the same way. Palestinians are shot, killed and/or injured. Arrests are made. Israelis suffer no casualties.

On August 26, Haaretz headlined "Palestinian negotiators say they cancelled meet with Israelis after deadly clashes."

State Department officials claimed otherwise. Spokeswoman Mari Harf said:

"I can assure you that no meetings have been canceled. The parties are engaged in serious and sustained negotiations."

Early Monday, said Haaretz, a senior Palestinian official said talks were cancelled. It was to protest Qalandiya refugee camp killings and injuries.

Israeli officials didn't comment either way. Palestinian Foreign Minister Ryiad al-Makiki didn't say if the meeting was held.

"We have made it clear on several occasions that the negotiations will be affected by policy and measures that undermine the process," he said.

"There is no doubt that what happened this morning will have an effect," he added.

According to UNRWA spokesman Christopher Gunness:

"Credible reports say (Robeen Zayed) was on his way to work…(He) was not engaged in any violent activity. He was shot in the chest" at close range and killed.

On August 26, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) headlined "Israeli Forces Use Excessive Lethal Force Killing 3 Palestinian Civilians and Wounding 16 Others, Including 5 Children, in Qalandiya Refugee Camp."

PCHR denounced Israel's "heinous crime. (It) holds Israel fully responsible. (It) demands international community assume its responsibilities." It wants Palestinian civilians protected.

Eyewitnesses told PCHR, "at approximately 05:00AM on Monday, 26 August 2013, Israeli forces in military vehicles and a 20-member infantry unit moved into Qalandiya refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem."