-Caveat Lector-
Israel's Palestinian Liquidation Policy Is Nothing Short Of State
Sponsored Terrorism
Chicago - July 4, 2001 (IAP NEWS) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
and his closest advisers, known as the "kitchen cabinet", said on Tuesday
that Israel would not only stick to its policy of tracking down and
assassinating Palestinian civilians who are actively involved in resisting
the illegal occupation of their ancestral land, but be given an even
broader license to do so. The new act would be directed at Palestinians
whom the Israelis thought were on the verge of committing an attack, and
not after the fact.
In commenting on the policy, an Israeli security source stated: "In
places where we have asked the Palestinian Authority to work to foil
attacks and it is not doing so, we will have to act in its stead." In
addition, Sharon's spokesman, Raanan Gissin, said the number of killings
depends on Palestinian efforts to stop attacks. "The less they do, the
more we have to do,'' he said.
In other words, if the PA does not arrest Palestinians whom Israel
considers to be terrorist under Israeli definitions of the word, then
Israel will just shoot them.
In seeking to justify these draconian measures, Israeli Science Minister
Matan Vilnai scoffed at U.S. criticism of this policy by saying on Israeli
radio: "I'm not sure they (American officials) really understand the rules
of the game."
"I would like to see how the Americans would react if a car packed with
explosives blew up in the middle of Manhattan," Vilnai further stated.
American citizens reading this commentary can judge for themselves if they
would be willing to accept their government adopting an official policy of
assassinating suspects and circumventing due process in the courts of law.
By Israel implementing such a law the Israeli government, who will order
either Israeli police or the IDF to carry out these assassinations, is
setting itself up as judge, jury and executioner without following any due
process of law. In legal language such a practice is referred to as
"extra-judicial killings."
Article 10 of the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights states:
"Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an
independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and
obligations and of any criminal charge against him."
And Article 11(1) states:
"Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed
innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which
he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence."
In addition, this assassination policy constitutes willful killing and is
is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Article 32 of that
convention states:
"The High Contracting Parties specifically agree that each of them is
prohibited from taking any measure of such a character as to cause the
physical suffering or extermination of protected persons in their hands.
This prohibition applies not only to murder, torture, corporal punishment,
mutilation and medical or scientific experiments not necessitated by the
medical treatment of a protected person but also to any other measures of
brutality whether applied by civilian or by military agents."
Moreover, it gravely breaches Article 75 of Protocol Additional to the
Fourth Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 (Protocol 1) especially
Paragraph 2, which states,
"The following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any
place whatsoever, whether committed by civilian or by military agents: a.
Violence to the life, health, or physical or mental well-being of persons,
in particular: i. Murder; ii. Torture of all kinds, whether physical or
mental; iii. Corporal punishment; and iv. Mutilation"
and Paragraph 3 of Article 85 of the same Protocol, which stipulates
"In addition to the grave breaches defined in Article 11, the following
acts shall be regarded as grave breaches of this Protocol, when committed
willfully, in violation of the relevant provisions of this Protocol, and
causing death or serious injury to body or health: a. Making the civilian
population or individual civilians the object of attack."
In spite of this, since the beginning of the al Aqsa Intifada in
September, at least 15 Palestinians were victims of Israels policy of
extra-judicial execution.
The fact of the matter is that extra-judicial killings constitute a war
crime and is nothing short of state sponsored terrorism against a civilian
population. Under Israeli rules everyone becomes guilty and is thus a
potential target of the next assassination.
Given these facts, it is incumbent on the international community to
intervene and punish those responsible for both ordering and of carrying
out these acts of state sanctioned murder and try them in international
courts. The international community can no longer remain silent in the
face of these hideous Israeli crimes, and must intervene immediately to
protect Palestinian civilians before it is too late.
Last Wednesday, the Subcommittee on Foreign Operation of the House of
Representatives put Palestinians on notice as it passed a foreign aid bill
that provides for stiff sanctions against the PLO if it fails to curb
anti-Israeli violence. The $15.2 billion bill contains language that
requires the president to determine "whether the PLO is complying with its
promise to renounce terrorism and take measures against instigators of
violence." If the President cannot make such a determination, it must
either close the Palestinian information office in Washington, designate
the PLO, or one of its constituent groups, as a terrorist organization, or
limit humanitarian assistance to the West Bank and Gaza.
In addition, in a display of solidarity with the Jewish state, the
subcommittee approved $2.04 billion in military assistance to it for
fiscal 2002, which begins October 1.
Given the fact that Israel has implemented a policy of state sanctioned
murder against Palestinian civilians, the words of this one sided US
resolution is ironic indeed. While Palestinians are condemned for
exercising their internationally recognized right to resist the illegal
occupation of their land, on the other hand the world's fifth most
powerful military is rewarded with US tax payer's money for flaunting
international law and spreading terror to Palestinian civilians.
As we write these words we are reminded that today is the 4th of July. It
is a day when America celebrates its independence and the principles that
the country was supposedly founded on: "Freedom, liberty, and justice for
All." Why is it then that the US continues to fund and unconditionally
support Israel's brutal and unjust occupation of Palestinian land?
Did you know that from 1949 to Oct 31, 1999, total U.S. Aid to Israel was
$91.8 billion - as a free gift, without accountability of any kind. This
amounts to over $75,000 for every Israel family of five. How many American
families of five ever received $75,000 from our government? How can we
justify the inflationary cost of this giveaway with many of our fellow
Americans dependant upon two jobs per family, with 44 million without
health insurance, with many of our military accepting food stamps, with 11
million American children underfed and with many of our senior citizens
making choices of food on the table or fuel to keep warm or medicine to
stay alive? Most of that aid is used to fund the Israeli military.
That military aid is used to oppress Palestinians, and violate their human
rights. It is unlawful for the United States to provide military
assistance to nations that use it for oppressive means.
Now more than ever American citizens of conscience must step up efforts to
place pressure on Congress to immediately halt all aid to Israel. Take
the time today to contact your elected official and demand that they
immediately stop aid to Israel!!!
To contact your representative just call the Capital Switchboard and give
them the name of your representative and they will automatically transfer
you. That number is 202-224-3121.
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