These pictures of Palestinian boys shot by Israeli soldiers were taken by Doug Whitmore, a Kansas City landlord who served as a volunteer for a group called Ecumenical Accompaniment in the Occupied Territories earlier this year.
Whitmore says the boys were shot in the village of Azzun in the northern West Bank. The IDF was trying to pacify Azzun, which had some occupation resistance. The army came into the
village and shot at the legs of the boys who were throwing stones, or
who were on the street at the wrong time. It was reported that an Israeli captain called Captain Joe then shot one injured boy in the other leg. Captain Joe said he did so to teach the boys a lesson.
Here is a youtube video on the incident, or one very similar, dated Feb. 2008. Horrifying, Gestapolike. The captain was eventually pulled from that duty because the stories got this publicity, Whitmore says. It was the
fact that he went over and shot them again, not that the kids were shot in the first place. That's common.
The soldiers are there
illegally. The boys are resisting, perhaps unwisely, in the only way
that they can. These incursions into Palestinian villages are regular, Whitmore reports, "at least while I was there." Notice the get-well gift to the boy in the right-hand picture, with hearts on it.
Phil,
you shouldn't say "Gestapolike".
Refrain from Nazi comparisons. What the Israelis are doing is wrong in their own right (or rather: their own wrong).
BTW, the Gestapo had a different function from these occupation soldiers.
Israel is for all Jews. The actions of the army are for all Jews. So there will be a safe place for all Jews. "In your name" is right. And also "for you" (if you are Jewish).
Yes, Israel is for all Jews. The Zionist concept is the ingathering of the diaspora Jews in their biblical 'homeland'.
They knew that to this end they would have to confiscate Palestinian land and they knew that there would be resistance and they knew that they would have to break the Palestinians' bones. That's it. – And no, I'm not Jewish.
.
This story (and accompanying photos) is very reminiscent of an event that occurred during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, when the IRA used kneecapping as a punishment for both common criminals and informers.
An ambulance was called, and upon its arrival the attendants were told, "Sorry, we're not done yet," as the muffled sound of shots could be heard a little ways down the alley, turning half a dozen young men into cripples for life.
That the IDF is now emulating this IRA technique to "pacify" Palestinian villages will perhaps evoke images that Americans (or least those who took an interest in the Irish conflicts) can understand.
Is there a larger lesson to learn from the "Irish troubles?"
Let's have some American journalists visit their wonderful ally in the Middle East, that brave little democracy surrounded by barbarians, and find that Captain Joe, in order to ask him politely why he shot those boys. Perhaps get him in a room with the boys and their parents, to explain himself.
I wonder how these imaginary journos would be treated. If they were lucky, they'd get the Jimmy Carter silent, nose-in-the-air treatment. If they were unlucky they might get the James Miller treatment.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0503-03.htm
It would be nice to think the wilful murder of American journalists by soldiers of their great Middle Eastern ally might have an effect on Americans profound enough to start an open debate in the media about US support of such an 'ally'. But I wouldn't count on it.
Probably the Israelis would be sensible enough to limit the killing of journalists to those not of hyperpower extraction. But I wouldn't count on that either.
This is what has come to symbolize the Jewish state to most people in the world. And because of US support of Israel has come to symbolize America. (And yes there are other reason besides Israel for Arabs to hate the US.)
If things like this were isolated incidents poeple might say it happens everywhere now and then but this is a regular occurance in Israel. You can't read the international press or the Israeli papers without seeing something like this almost daily.
What goes around comes around, it can't last.