Adam posted this video last night. It's the most important thing on this site, and it's only 2-1/2 minutes long. What else is there to say, besides, Please watch it. And look at the soldiers' Centurionlike shields, and their black getup...
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I posted it on my blog. I usually get about 15-30 comments on a post, with this it seems only 6 people commented, more rated. I think we need to get such images beyond the people who have a primary interest in justice for the Palestinian people.
Stellaa – I’ve just discovered your blog and wanted to thank you for posting this long presentation by Dr. Mustafa Barghouti. It is so important to hear from Palestinians themselves without any filters. :-)
great video historical explanation from dr. barghouti;
worth watching for a refresher course.
Thanks for mentioning in Surcouf/posting it Stellaa.
Stellaa,
Thank you for your humanism. It seems that in this day and age, it’s not a characteristic to be taken for granted.
I think that silence is not an option anymore.
i posted it on dkos as soon as i saw it here. almost 400 comments but many less users. i also told my friends about it too. i’m still stunned.
note the comment of mine directly after the tip jar
did anyone notice those shields they held
interesting phil you noticed those too. very weird.
i wonder who makes those shields? they have an X on them. does that mean something? the symbol? don’t (sideways) cross us?
who makes those face shields? is that spit protection or were they anticipating pepper spay??
I posted this video on LJ and got one comment.
The paraphernalia drawn from the ancient world are indeed impressive. And this was supposed to be the new era of human rights.
Potsherd yesterday noted that the equipment used for the demolitions is made by Volvo.
I didn’t make the connection at the time, for some reason we humans overlook such obvious facts when they’re staring us straight in the eyes.
But, the difference between this case and the demolitions in the occupied territories is that here the police were executing the destruction, along with the civilian arm of the Israeli government. In the occupied West Bank such demolitions are carried out by the Israeli military with armored Caterpillar bulldozers.
Another key difference: THESE ARE ISRAELI CITIZENS!!!!!! Unlike the Palestinians in the occupied territories. Not only that — many of them have served in the army or in other branches of national service.
This is one of the differences between Israel proper and the occupied territories – whether atrocities are carried out by the police, the IDF or, worst, the border police. There are apparently still limits in Israel to the deployment of the IDF against citizens.
At any rate, this gives us a very useful model as to what a binational state would look like. Seems that the primary difference is that Palestinians would have their houses torn down by the police instead of the army. Progress.
a friend says: Director of External Communications for Volvo Construction Equipment: bill.law@volvo.com.
Just to make it clear: thank you Phil for posting this disgusting video, and your website for on which, which reminds me not by coincidence of the eighties reports about South-Africa. I must say sometimes I skip these videos. That says: I’m here and I skip one.
“the soldiers’ Centurionlike shields, and their black getup…”
For another ‘bad country’, google G20 protests Toronto.
Canada has never seen anything like this. Comparisons with police states, Nazis and fascism were abundant. One billion in security costs for some 10 000 storm-troopers protecting a summit that agreed on ‘austerity measures’ being the way of the future. Some of it actually reminded me of the flotilla raid: the provoked violence and disproportionate force (no casualties, but almost 1 000 imprisoned, most of them overnight for peaceful protests, without charges being laid), followed by a laughable display of the ‘dangerous weapons’ found on the ‘criminals’ (including water bottles, bicycle locks, Swiss army knives and swimming goggles) to justify police violence and arbitrary arrests. Add to this the clandestine revival of an old law that gave police (though illegally) unlimited power for the weekend, keeping Torontonians out of the downtown core and behind an enormous security fence. Downtown Toronto pretty much turned into the West Bank for a week-end.
Oh, and Netanyahu and Harper are BFF lately. Made me think of Naomi Klein’s articles on Israel’s security/insurgency/surveillance expertise that has become so attractive, and lucrative, for Western countries since the ‘war on terror’. Might come in handy for keeping the crowds down and away during the implementation of those ‘austerity measures’
ADL Trains Law Enforcement Officers
Antidote
Canada is another zionist occupied country with all the fascist extravagance such entails. Possibly their infestation is even worse than that of the usa.
I know. I live here. No Israel lobby, though, and not that much of a ‘Jewish vote’. Why then?
If you live there, Antidote, you must be buried alive. The Israel lobby network in Canada is the #1 influencer of Canadian foreign policy, with Israel itself not far behind: link to kanan48.wordpress.com
Citizen, we are all ‘buried alive’ here, and the article you posted (thanks, btw, good one) also points out why:
“The biggest difference in the tactics followed by the two lobbies lies in their degrees of openness and use of threats. Because the role of Congress in making foreign policy is much greater than that of Parliament, and party discipline is weaker, the American lobby focuses on individual members of Congress, none of whom can take refuge behind a party line. Because cabinet solidarity matters more in Ottawa, the Canadian Lobby makes a greater effort to focus on every minister. Lobbying, moreover, is more acceptable in the American political culture and can be more open and hard hitting. A reputation for wealth, ruthlessness and success is in fact an asset whereas in Canada lobbies operate more discreetly and softpedal their influence. ”
So yes, as hayate put it, the Canadian infestation with Zionism is possibly even worse than in the USA — precisely because the Canadian version of the Israel lobby / Jewish organizations is not constantly in our faces to the extent it is in the US. Their efforts have increased (but also frequently backfired) since Netanyahu’s speech was cancelled due to student protests in 2002, and Harper, of course, is the arch-Zionist. Maybe it’s his ties to the Evangelicals (no formal connections to the lobby, as in the US), or business, or both. I would also say that the disconnect between Canadian Jews, the various Jewish organizations, the ‘new lobby’ (over the past 8 yrs ) and the pro-Israel government stance is more visible than in the US. Sure, the various Jewish groups come out when Netanyahu is in town, and Harper caters to them — practically nobody else still applauds Harper, so this is about the only photo-op he gets surrounded by cheering flag-waving crowds, even if it’s not the Canadian flag. However, Canada is not a ‘melting pot’ but a multicultural society, and even Harper is careful to schedule some Muslim event during the same week Netanyahu pays a visit. So it looks more balanced, even though it isn’t. But most Canadians buy this, as well as the argument that suppressing pro-Palestine demonstrations on campuses is just ‘pacification’. Canadians are generally averse to conflict and controversy — they rather not get involved in the I/P issue (among others) in order to maintain peace at home. So in some ways the situation may be worse, in other ways it’s better. B’nai Brith doesn’t always get away with their hyperbolic and unfounded charges of anti-Semitism, and I don’t think the Helen Thomas-affair (is she still alive?) could have been played out as brutally here than it did in the US.
Isn’t this destruction of property focused on Bedoins in the Negev?
What is Israel’s reason to destroy their property? They justify destroying Gaza, based on the claim that there are terrorists hiding within buildings. Not the case here.
Israel bonds will also help fund development of the Negev desert, Israel’s largest remaining open area, comprising approximately half the country’s land mass. In addition, plans are underway for industrial parks in the Galilee to further expand Israel’s hi-tech sector.
Half the US states invest in Israel bonds.
They didn’t apply for building permits. Arabs in Israel can build anywhere they like, as long as they follow the legal system. Look how well it works in Jerusalem!
If, before they founded the village, they had made the tiny effort of building a time machine, going forward to 1948, and lodging a planning application, there would be no problem.
link to jnoubiyeh.com
Chu – Oh! But these Bedouins are the worst terrorists of all. They practice the most insidious form of terror don’t you know. Their WMD (Weapon of Mass Delivery) is called a womb and there is very little Israeli can do against such a high-tech weaponry. The only thing left to be done is to try to prevent them from using their WMD, hence the necessary destruction.
Move along, there is nothing to see here!
Chu, here’s a good scholarly paper on Israeli policies toward the Bedouin people in the Negev.
(PDF link) Bedouin Arabs and the Israeli Settler State. The most relevant information starts at page 30.
Please note that the article is dated 2003 and that the author, Oren Yiftachel, has published a more recent book on the subject in 2006, as noted by Shmuel in a previous post.
Oh this bad bad country that Israel is. How finally resolve this long-standing and insidious “Zionist question”?
…. Trying to get the full picture of reality in Israel and Middle East ….
“In recent years, some of the Bedouin residing in the dispersed areas have started claiming ownership of land areas totaling some 600,000 dunams (60,000 hectares or 230 square miles) in the Negev – over 12 times the area of Tel Aviv!
The Israel Land Administration (ILA) is doing everything in its power to resolve the problems of the landless Bedouin in the Negev. Although this matter is exceedingly complex given the large number of claimants (15,000) who represent the clans of the original claimants, investigation of all land ownership claims has been recently expedited… Instead of prosecution, Israel proposes to settle the conflict by offering extremely generous settlements in return for the withdrawal of the Bedouin’s ownership claims. By 2006, the ILA’s efforts to reach compromise agreements with Bedouin land claimants had resulted in agreements regarding 150,000 dunams out of the 800,000 dunams under dispute.
In addition:
* Israel is currently building 13 new villages or towns for the Negev
Bedouin.
* The government of Israel has allocated more than NIS1 billion for
the benefit of this population.
* The State of Israel is offering far-reaching benefits to Bedouin who
leave the dispersion and move into permanent villages.”
www.mmi.gov.il/static/HanhalaPirsumim/Beduin_information.pdf
That doesn’t make sense seeing as short a time ago as February, the Ministry of Plenty had issued a promise (a ‘categorical pledge’ were the official words) that there would be no reduction of the chocolate ration this year.
Passable joke, Avi …. (for a true Israel-basher and -hater)
Israel proposes to settle the conflict by offering extremely generous settlements in return for the withdrawal of the Bedouin’s ownership claims.
Another generous offer! Where have we seen that before?
Israel just can’t stand the thought that non-Jews would own any land. All our lands is belongs to Jews.
“Israel just can’t stand the thought that non-Jews would own any land. All our lands is belongs to Jews.”
Exactly so. Very cute from you, postherd:
link to avoicefrompalestine.wordpress.com
They missed the Negev on Land Day, left a bunch of Arabs on land they didn’t want. Now trying to correct the oversight.
jonah is to be commended for being brave enough to come and present his ‘black is white-day is night’ version of the atrocious Bedouin reality..Few would have enough chutzpah to do that..
Jonah,
There were Bedouins on their lands before there was Israel, ancient or new!
Excuse me if I opt out of the commendation. jonah is in no danger in consequences of his posts. He gets his kicks out of being a shit, and it takes no courage.
For a peanut gallery hobbyist Zionist you’re not bad yourself.
I keep thinking how Israel must be in deep trouble if it relies on teenage clowns like you to improve its image in the eyes of the world community.
But, as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Keep up the lousy job.
Sarcasm, Potsherd, sarcasm…
I need my ration of Victory-Gin!
Not quite correct Avi.
The truth is probably pretty different from what you think. The insults and sarcasm that supporters of the Palestinian cause flaunt at every opportunity against divergent views – not only expressed by “teenage clows” like me, eloquently shows a lack of primary culture of dialogue and search solution on their part. If this is the way to claim the moral right and the truth, this does not bode well at all for resolving the conflict and the very Palestinian interests.
But perhaps this is not what you want, rather every day to vent your disgusting hatred against the Jews of Israel (and not just Israel). On this trail of radical ideology and daily vulgarity for what does not fit into mainstream Mondoweiss comments, this site is doomed to remain a marginal element in the general discourse around a solution to the Middle East conflict. The truth is held hostage by intollerance. Regrettable.
I wonder what a dialogue with an asshole who believes that the name Palestinian was created in 1964 looks like!!
Not that we didn’t have a peek, mind you..
No thanks..
Jonah,
The blatantly racist and discriminatory Israel Land Administration (Minhal Mekarke’ei Yisrael) – primary instrument of the dispossession of Israel’s non-Jewish population – is just about the least reliable source you could possibly cite on this subject. For background on the makeup, policies, goals and methods of the ILA, please do read ch.6 in Yiftachel’s book (Ethnocracy: land and identity politics in Israel/Palestine). The legalistic, neutral, seemingly fair (generous!) account offered by the ILA is a propagandistic sham that in no way reflects the true situation, which is that Bedouin and other Palestinians have been stripped of virtually all of their land rights, in the name of “Judaisation”, often couched in dishonest legalistic discourse.
Nice try, Shmuel, but easily rebutted.
Yiftachel isn’t for sure a objective reliable source, he is an staunch tireless and militant Marxist and anti-Zionist, who benefits of tolerance and freedom of expression in Israel (he is professor for political geography, urban planning and public policy at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev ) to attack Israel very right to exist as a state. He is in fact in good company: there is a entire bunch of far left scholars in Israel who make anti-Zionism / anti-Israelism to the mission of their life: the so-called post-Zionist scholars.
Read on the issue (you can find it online):
Essay
OUR INNER SCOURGE:
THE CATASTROPHE OF ISRAEL ACADEMICS
by Shlomo Sharan
and:
“TENURED RADICALS IN ISRAEL:FROM NEW ZIONISM TO POLITICAL ACTIVISM”
by Ofira Seliktar
Jonah,
Don’t read Yiftachel, for all I care, but do some other homework on why the ILA was established and by whom , who sits on its board, what function does it serve in creating and implementing Israeli land policy (especially that of Yihud-Judaisation), what resolutions has it made in the past, etc.
The bottom line is that the ILA serves as Israel’s proxy to ensure maximum Jewish ownership of land, without appearing to violate the principles of equality for all citizens under the law. As Yossef Weitz (first director of the ILA) put it:
True, Yiftachel dissents from the dominant, nationalist discourse in Israeli academia, and has been vilified for that. He is however, a serious academic (professor of political geography, urban planning and public policy at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) who employs academic sources and methodology – as opposed to a government agency engaged in baseless and self-serving PR.
Wow! Shmuel..nice tree felling here..
Hey, jonah, do you consider yourself such? seems to me that the coarse sentiments you express – complete with denounciations of “jew-haters” (cf, people who disagree), thread-bare “opinions” and half-formed thoughts obviously borrowed – would argue againt you being properly of the tribe. Didn’t you learn how to do pilpul properly? didn’t you look through the Talmud, if only for a day – or an hour? didn’t they teach you anything in shul? how about a debate class in high school?
I say you should go and learn, before trying to engage the truly knowledgeable around here. There are, you know, other blogs, where you may meet greater success (Haaretz and ynet talkbacks? rotter forum?).
Or, having been schooled by Shmuel and Avi, you could go and read a little more – both about Judaism and Israel. Then come back and tell me how a country that was supposed to be a refuge for the Jews became possibly the worst place in the world to be Jewish in.
No wonder they are so busy reclaiming “the land”. What else is there when the spirit is all but gone?
thx avi, always appreciated.
And here’s a little more about life for the Bedouin in the West Bank.
link to jnoubiyeh.com
…just wathced this barghouti video where he explained Al-Hadidiya as a giant prison camp (from your link) that has a 8 meter fence that the Israelis lock. If Israelis could genocide these bantustans and not get caught by the international press, I believe they would kill them in a second.
The US government needs to providing an opt-out option per person/family, when providing foreign aid to Israel. That must be about ten bucks a year per person. I think I can spend that money sending it to Palestinians. The key is to destroy the money funnel that feeds this corrupted zionist country.
link to open.salon.com
“If Israelis could genocide these bantustans and not get caught by the international press, I believe they would kill them in a second.”
They definitely would. True disciples of nazi type thinking, the israeli. It’s what makes them so “special”.
They are not Jews.
Gee, bijou, what would Goldhagen say?
If there ever was an artifact that was crying out to go viral this is it. Lets brainstorm to see how we can make it happen. We should go nuts, like those Save Darfur folks. I will get the ball rolling on the brainstrom:
we set up a website called beduinOfIsrael.com. put up this video and a few history links. The we start a chain letter. Force 10 of your friends to watch it.
Any ideas?
Go for it. The only problem with your idea is, you don’t want to give the impression that it’s only a “beduin” issue. It’s not. It’s a Palestinian issue. Or more accurately, it’s the issue of anyone who is a non-Jew (ie, non-entity) in Israel — but of course the Palestinians first and foremost, because their ancestral claim to the land makes them the most “threatening” of all. And they are the people that has been dispossessed and that Israel is targeting with sociocide everywhere they can reach them. If there are Palestinians, then their development is to be actively undone, not just benignly neglected.
It’s a racism issue.
Steve Biko: “Those who know, define racism as discrimination by a group against another for the purposes of subjugation or maintaining subjugation. In other words one cannot be a racist unless he has the power to subjugate.”
“Black souls in white skins?” I Write What I
Like, Stephen Bantu Biko (1978). [South Africa]
It’s a subjugation issue.
Either Middle East or Israel Eviction Central Videos. That can thus include the West Bank evictions as well as the Wall protests (since that both steals land & obviously evicts people from it as a source of their income from farming).
Maybe judaizingpalestine.com
I’m only half joking…
Mass emails.
Email your friends, your acquaintances. Ask them to share it on facebook/twitter/etc. Ask them to forward it.
We can draft an email to send out, something that starts out like the following:
Israel claims to be the only democracy in the middle east…
IDK. Jawad, maybe you should email Phil to draft something together and send it to all of us to forward.
I should ‘ve known! Now it makes sense. It’s the trees!
Israel : We Choose Trees
So did the Germans; they chose their traditional oak tree. Maybe the Israelis need a tree inside for their special holiday? Should we ask Adam Sadler?
This is so effing draining.
I couldn’t immerse myself the way you do in all the terrible news day after day after day. At least I can take myself away from it. I read the Israel Shahak “Jewish History, Jewish Religion” that I think potsherd linked to, while it clarifies what appears to be the mindset in Israel, even some of the terminology we hear, it’s left me losing hope of any kind of justice. The house has been “redeemed” for Jews. I expect the courts will sanction the theft.
The land. The EJ house is on another thread. Ouch.
If it’s any consolation, some of us don’t get drained by this, some of us get enraged. I occasionally feel remorse for subjecting the Mondoweiss commentators to the worst of my reactions (mostly because they have to read it and ever not the intended recipient).
This will stop, soon, Seham. I promise you. This cannot last, and the world isn’t silent about this.
Mondoweiss moderators, I meant. (Also, thank you guys for putting up with me.) :)
Seham,
I feel your frustration.
You keep this issue alive in our hearts and minds.
Thank you Seham.
From the Mustapha Barghouthi that I just watched @ Stellaa’s site:
I don’t think those are in fact soldiers; I think they are members of something called Yasam (special riot police):
link to en.wikipedia.org
The shields appear to me to be plexiglass. This is why you can see the X-shaped metal clamp for the handle through them.