mistaken identity on West Bank is farce when it involves Jews, not tragedy

by on April 1, 2009 7
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Al Arabiya picks up this report from Haaretz, that Israeli soldiers dressed up as Palestinians to investigate a settler outpost-- and were set upon by angry settlers. Six settlers were then arrested. None of them is now imprisoned. That's the real difference between Palestinians and Israelis. Imagine if Israeli soldiers were set upon by Palestinians? (Thanks to Joshua Alzona.)

About Philip Weiss

Philip Weiss is Founder and Co-Editor of Mondoweiss.net.
Posted in Beyondoweiss, Israel/Palestine, Settlers/Colonists, US Policy in the Middle East

{ 7 comments... read them below or add one }

  1. Colin Murray says:
    April 1, 2009 at 12:45 pm

    I think acknowledgment of the heroism of the undercover Israeli police officers is in order. Good job guys!

  2. David F. says:
    April 1, 2009 at 1:02 pm

    Good point, Colin. Though I get the impression that most mainstream Israelis understand very well that the settlers are violent and uncontrollable.

    It would require a UN or US force to actually remove them, I think, though there is obviously no political will in Israel to even consider such measures.

    Their fanaticism has served well to make them into the poison pill that would guarantee the failure of a two state solution.

  3. kevin says:
    April 1, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    musta'ribin — israeli agents dressed as palestinians — are all over the west bank. they carry out surveillance, as well as assassinations or covert arrests (kidnappings) of palestinians in city centers. this news report makes it seem they were on a mission against the settlers, but my own guess is that it was a case of mistaken identity. they were probably mistaken for dirty local 'aravush' by the fanatic settlers, who set upon them with pitchforks.

  4. tree says:
    April 1, 2009 at 1:20 pm

    I noticed two points that were particularly emblematic of the double standard in the occupied territories.

    First this:

    Six Jewish settlers who mistook under cover Israeli cops for Palestinians attacked them Thursday, throwing stones and damaging a police under cover vehicle, Haaretz reported Saturday after a court ruling on the incident came out Friday. The settlers also tried to run the disguised police over near an illegal Jewish outpost in the West Bank.

    Five of the settlers were put under house arrest while one was released Friday.

    When Jewish Israelis are caught throwing stones, there is no resort on the part of Israeli authorities to lethal firing. And in this case, the undercover cops, who had no protective helmets or clothing, nor any armored vehicles, were much more vulnerable to injury that they are in situations involving Palestinian protestors. Any of our resident apologists for IDF behavior want to suggest that these settlers should have been shot? (After all, they are "in a war zone", to use the phrase.) Or can we admit that lethal fire is not a necessary response when no lives are endangered?

    Also notice that the violent assailants were given house arrest. Palestinian youths have been given years in administrative detention (prison without a formal trial) for allegations of stone throwing. A decade or so ago, Israel used to demolish houses of those Palestinians who were convicted of throwing stones.

    And second, there's this:

    Kfar Sava Magistrates Court, a local court, criticized the police for putting officers' lives in danger. Judge David Gadol ruled that the policemen's conduct was "unlawful" while Defense attorney told the court that masquerading was "provocative."

    IDF soldiers have disguised themselves as Arabs, also for decades, often when they were attempting to carry out targeted assassinations, before the days of the missile strikes. No judge ever ruled that these disguises were unlawful when they were used against Palestinians. Granted, this is just a local "settler's court" but it still illustrates the total hypocrisy of Israeli law.

    This incident is a perfect example of the apartheid in the West Bank. Two separate sets of courts and laws, all depending on whether the defendant is a Jewish Israeli or a Palestinian. Jewish settlers get a civil court and house arrest. Palestinians get an Israeli military court and detention in Israel, if they don't get killed or maimed first.

    Here's an old article from 1994, 15 years ago, about the same issue. This is not a new phenomenon. The dual legal system, the settler violence, and the collective punishment have been there for multiple decades.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/west-bank-law-loaded-against-arabs-1430271.html

  6. Eurosabra says:
    April 1, 2009 at 2:48 pm

    The problem is that the settlers are armed, or can quickly call upon the settlement security reaction force, which will use deadly force from a distance on anyone identifiably Arab firing a weapon. So the cops knew they risked being wiped out by a military-grade force that would be seen as "doing its duty" if they escalated. They were "Palestinian Arabs", after all. Most police and military forces resolve mistaken identity by withdrawing or identifying themselves, and Israeli "blue-on-blues" on the infantry level (as opposed to indirect fire on vehicles by aircraft) are a thing of the past.

    I agree that some of you have fantasies of dead Jews that are very unhealthy for you and the Jews, but you are missing the point. The assumption is that a mistaken attack by settlers can be resolved by the police identifying themselves, whereas Palestinians do not care that Israel Police identify themselves as such and continue their attacks. And while stones are deadly force, very often the Israel Police choose to de-escalate, whether facing Palestinian Arabs or Jews. (Ex. use of sound bombs alone is a common tactic.)

  7. Eurosabra says:
    April 1, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    Tree,

    Extension of Israeli civil law to the West Bank means annexation of the territory, something no Israeli government since 1967 has chosen to do outside Jerusalem. Also, calling Kfar Sava in 1949-Israel a "settler's court" just tells me more about your knowledge (inadequate) and goal (destroying Israel.) A "Beit Mishpat Mechouzi" is a District Court which handles civil and minor criminal matters, and its writ is determined by the level of the offense. Transportation of Palestinian prisoners to Israel to stand trial in an Israeli court is a violation of international humanitarian law, as is often noted, while Israeli citizens attacking elite Israel police (not the undercover Army Special Forces) are a matter of Israeli domestic criminal law, not subject to the Investigative Military Police. It was the identity of the "victims" and "perpetrators" as Israelis and the relatively minor nature of the offense that determined the venue. Settlers charged with "security offenses" are often subject to administrative detention and military courts in the territories, when the government wants to send a message.

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