Maybe ethnically cleansing an area of non-Jews to make way for Jewish only colonies over the ashes of destroyed Arab villages wasn't such a good idea in the first place. Who'd have thought the millions of oppressed who lost everything would fight back against this fundamental injustice???
That said, firing rockets at civilian targets is a war crime. But cleansing a region of most of its people because they are the wrong religion is a crime against humanity. Israelis will have peace when the people they oppress have freedom and justice. But since Israelis aren't finished taking their land and enclosing millions of displaced people behind walls, razor wire and guard towers, the people who have no freedom, no nationality and no rights are going to resist. Some will commit violent war crimes, like firing rockets and mortars at Israeli civilians, but others resist non-violently like the weekly protests at the work site of shame:
Broken Lives and Families in Bil'in
Oct 16th, 2012
"Bil'in is a Palestinian village….struggling to exist," says its web site (bilin-village.org).
It's "fighting to safeguard its land, its olive trees, its resources….its liberty."
Israel stole around 60% of its land for settlement expansions and Separation Wall construction. Residents are being "strangl(ed)." Every day more is taken. Palestinians are left inside an "open air prison."
Each Friday, Israeli and international activists demonstrate supportively with Palestinians who want their land and homes preserved. They gather in front of the "work-site of shame."
Israel responds violently. Physical and psychological methods are used. Residents manage best they can. Injustice is horrific. Daily raids and arrests are made. Village leaders are especially vulnerable.
At issue is terrorizing people into submission. Courageously they refuse to go away and disappear.
"By supporting Bil’in, you will help its inhabitants to continue their struggle and maintain hope in their fight for liberty. (Their) site is dedicated to all people of good will - Palestinian, Israeli and the internationals who fight side by side against the injustices endured by" courageous people who won't yield to oppression.
What's happening in Bil'in occurs throughout Palestine...
The rest here:
Broken Lives and Families in Bil'in : Indybay
More news from this conflict that our news doesn't report:
This Week in Palestine
week 42 2012
Friday October 19, 2012
... anti wall protests were reported in Kufer Kadum village, northern West Bank, and the central West Bank villages of Bil’in , Nil’in and Al Nabi Saleh as well as the southern West Bank village of Al Ma’ssara near Bethlehem city.
In Kufer Kadum, villagers and their supporters marched up to the Israeli military road block that cuts the village from the outside world and demanded its removal. Troops stationed their fired tear gas at them, no injuries were reported.
Elsewhere three Palestinian youth were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets fired by Israeli troops at Nabi Saleh villagers and their supporters. This week representatives from Martin Luther king association joined Nabi Saleh villagers and marched under the title of “ We Have a Dream”...
... Four Palestinians were injured, on Tuesday, after the Israeli army attacked nonviolent protesters at the Latrun-Jerusalem Road (Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Road), north of occupied East Jerusalem, referred to by Israel as Road #443.
Among the wounded was Ashraf Abu Rahma was violently attacked by the soldiers and was kidnapped after he was wounded. The nonviolent procession was held to protest the ongoing and escalating attacks carried out by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians, their orchards, farmlands and holy sites...
...Israeli continued its bombardment targeting the Gaza Strip while in the west Bank Israeli forces conducted at least 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities. During these incursions, Israeli troops arrested at least 18 Palestinians, including 3 children....
...On Thursday an Israeli F-16 fighter jet fired one missile into the former Third Platoon security base, north of Ash-Shuhada junction, south of Gaza City. One hour after the first strike, the army fired another missile into the base, extensive damage was caused by both strikes, and fortunately there were no reported casualties.
On Wednesday at dawn, the Israeli Air Force carried out two strikes targeting centers used by fighters of the armed wing of the Hamas movement, known as the Al-Qassam Brigades. The shelling led to excessive damage but no injuries.
Also in Gaza, Israeli naval gunboats fired dozens of rounds of live ammunition at Palestinian fishing boats along the Gaza Coast, and the Central coastal region; no damages or injuries were reported.
The Israeli military continues to conduct illegal operations throughout the West Bank. In the South- Hebron and Bethlehem where subjected to a series of invasions by Israeli security personal. The Northern city of Jenin was also targeted by Israeli military personal who conducted illegal raids and home invasions.
Meanwhile groups of armed extremist settlers uprooted 20 olive trees and 15 grape trees that belong to the residents of Al-Khader town, southern West Bank. The land in question is close to the illegal Israeli settlement of Efrat, which built on land that still belong to residents of Al-Khader.
Farmers say the land has been repeatedly targeted by these settler groups, once more the owners of these orchards have been prevented from taking action and entering their own premises as the security personal demand a special permit, obtainable only from the military.
Tuesday, Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers demolished a Palestinian home and a shed in Beit Hanina, in occupied East Jerusalem, the Quds Media Center reported.
The Jerusalem Municipality claims that the building was originally the property of a Palestinian from the occupied West Bank, therefore, according to Israeli law, “the property is considered to be absentee property”, and will be confiscated by Israel under the so-called “Absentee Property Law”....
The entire article here:
This Week in Palestine week 42 2012 - International Middle East Media Center
The week before:
This Week in Palestine
week 41 2012
Friday October 12, 201
...Israel escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip by aerial and land bombardment as a result one man was killed and total of14 civilians were wounded including 6 children. Meanwhile in the West Bank Israeli forces conducted at least 46 military incursions into Palestinian communities. During these incursions, Israeli troops arrested at least 8 Palestinians, including the wife of a Palestinian prisoner....
...A Palestinian man was pronounced dead on Monday evening due to Israeli shilling which targeted Rafah city southern Gaza Strip last night. Ten civilians were wounded on Sunday evening, when the Israeli Air Force fired several missiles into Rafah. Some of the wounded residents sustained serious injuries; an infant is among the wounded.
Also on Monday five civilians were wounded in an Israeli tank shelling which targeted the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. later in the week Israeli gunboats positioned off al-Waha resort, northwest of Beit Lahia, opened fire on Wednesday, at the Palestinian fishing boats...
...On Monday a Palestinian young man was injured when Israeli settler opened fire at him near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem. A Palestinian child suffered moderate wounds on Thursday when he was rammed by a settler’s vehicle near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the old city of Hebron, southern West Bank. while two Palestinians were injured, on Wednesday evening, after being attacked by several extremist Israeli settlers in Burin village, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The settlers attacked several Palestinians, including women, who were harvesting their olive trees in the village.
Since the start of this week settler’s managed to cut of around 450 olive trees in different parts of the West Bank, local sources reported. Settlers uprooted around 300 olive trees that belong to residents of Al-Mogheer village, east of the central West Bank city of Ramallah. The settlers carried their attack out during the early dawn hours, and fled the scene, local sources reported. Another 150 trees were cut-off by settlers in southern West Bank....
the entire report here:
This Week in Palestine week 41 2012 - International Middle East Media Center
Who would have thought that the violence, ethnic cleansing, injustice and oppression that Palestinians suffer on a daily basis would lead to some of them to commit war crimes? (sarcasm alert)