"Israeli settlers in the West Bank vandalized an Israel Defense Forces base on Wednesday, carrying out a "price tag" operation against the army for the first time since adopting the policy in recent years"
"Unknown perpetrators infiltrated a base in the Binyamin region and snuck their way to a mechanics workshop on site, where they slashed the tires and cut the cables of 12 army vehicles."
"The vandals sprayed the word "price tag" on the walls, as well as other graffiti referring to the three illegal homes demolished by the IDF in the outpost of Migron on Monday."
This is the second price tag incident this week in the Occupied Territories, following an act of arson against a mosque near Nablus earlier in the week. Ostensibly, the tactic is a form of retaliation against percieved Palestinian threats to the settlers, but, for the most part, the acts of vandalism, arson and assault that constitute "price tagging" follow unpopular Israeli government actions in the West Bank, such as the demolition of settler homes built without proper permits and construction halts (which are sometimes the result of legal challenges brough forward by human rights groups).
This first-of-its-kind "price tagging" comes at an time when the IDF is arming and training settlers in the Occupied Territories to prepare for possible Palestinian demonstrations in response to the Palestinian Authority's UN recognition bid. The IDF fully expects the demonstrations to turn into "mass disorder," while Palestinian leaders assert that they are nonviolent protest marches.
The settlers have infiltrated the IDF to the point where it is powerless to act against them.
link to jta.org
“Yossi Klein Halevi, a journalist and a fellow at Jerusalem’s Shalom Hartman Institute, says support for Jewish settlers in the West Bank has gone mainstream in a way that support for settlements in Gaza never did. “Two generations have grown up in Israel who see the settlements not only as part of Israel but as the heart of Israel,” Halevi told JTA. “Any withdrawal from the West Bank would involve mass refusal of soldiers to follow orders, and I am deeply worried about the ability of the army to continue to be an effective fighting force.”
Halevi estimates that Jewish settlers and their supporters make up 40 percent of some combat units ; an Israeli army spokesman said the IDF does not release figures “on such a sensitive subject.”
The settlers are the political equivalent of the cordyceps fungus
link to guardian.co.uk
“The question now is, what are the triggers that push a parasite not just to kill its host, but to take control of its brain and then kill it”.
from joseph dana’s report on this settler attack on the idf base:
thanks for covering this paul, i really appreciate your many excellent articles for the site.
All the different elements within Gaza are armed to the teeth.
Are settlers firing rockets daily into the WB? As usual Dana is delusional.
DBG said: “Arabs are inherently violent. Especially Palestinians, who carry weapons at all times, even in their mouths, between their teeth. This is why we kill Palestinian children. Once Palestinians are old enough to have teeth, they are legitimate targets.”
Haytham: I just have one suggestion, something valuable I learned from Richard Witty. If you use double quotation marks, that means you are quoting the person directly, word for word. But if you use single quote marks, then you are providing a service by conveying the GIST of what they really mean. You will notice that I try scrupulously to use single quotes when I am rendering Richard’s GIST.”
James:
Here’s the thing: The way I see it, everything I say is true. Any quotes that are obviously outrageous are just that, and by definition cannot be libelous.
Learned from…what? Oh. Never mind.
Single quotes you say? Interesting.
Haytham said ‘F&ck you Witty for saying you are more human than I am.’
Also, Witty said ‘I assumed Haytham can’t be Israeli because the name Haytham sure doesn’t sound Israeli but also he referred to himself as an Arab and we all know there are no (d&r^y) Arabs in Israel.’
James North said ‘Haytham, stop, you’re giving me and my method a bad name…’
All the different elements ? yeah right. whatever. i’ve been there, have you?
The Israeli civil war is started. I declare it. And it is WITHIN the army! What if part of the army of Egypt had fired on the people and part had not? But, here, the people who need firing upon are “price tag” settler pogromist anti-government terrorists.
Wow!
well it depends on who breaks rank and who doesn’t. Technically a superior officer can shoot and kill a subordinate who does not obey a direct order.
If the Egyptian commanders had stayed completely loyal to Mubarak and ordered the lower ranking soldiers to shoot on the protestors, if they had disobeyed- they could have been shot. In Syria and Libya, there was evidence of soldiers being killed for refusing orders. In the Egyptian revolution, shooting conscripts for refusing to fire would have been a huge problem. Keep in mind- the protests only really centered in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, and Mansoura. Upper Egypt was quiet. There was no way the army could have dealt with Upper Egyptians rising up because they were angry about relatives in their families being killed.
You know there’s a book by Max Brooks, son of Mel Brooks, about a fictional zombie apocalypse where just this happens – “World War Z.” The Israeli government is the only world government to take the zombie sightings seriously at first and does the following things:
1. Withdraws to the 1967 borders because they are deemed too much effort to defend against an undead “swarm.”
2. Announces that the right of return will be extended to all Palestinians who can demonstrate refugee (or descent from refugee) status (this is actually honored – the fictional narrator for Israel in the book is the son of a refugee).
3. Builds a wall around Israel to keep the zombies out (which means giving up East Jerusalem, but allowing its residents to enter Israel if they so choose).
Israel is not overrun by zombies like every other country in the world, but is almost destroyed anyway by a civil war between orthodox Jews and loyal IDF forces (basically, the orthodox were willing to risk zombies overrunning Israel to get back East Jerusalem). The orthodox rebels are defeated, though, and Israel is implied to have becomes a binational state by the war’s end.
Hamas tries to take advantage of the situation, but it is implied that Hamas’ leadership spent so much effort trying this that were unable to properly defend themselves from the zombies.
It’s being made into a film in Glasgow of all places!
link to maxbrooks.com
Second item, posted Aug 26 this year, on his visit.
how strange paul. wiki has a page on the book . A film based upon the book is in production, and is set for a December 2012 release..
RE: “This first-of-its-kind ‘price tagging’ comes at an time when the IDF is arming and training settlers in the Occupied Territories’.
MY COMMENT: In other words, the IDF is arming and training zealots and vigilantes. I wonder if Israel is familiar with the concept of ‘blowback’?
Well since no one else wants to say it, isn’t this a “more power to you, Settlers” moment and keep up the good fight? What a more deserving target than an IDF base.
As I mentioned in a previous post, when the idf does something to piss off the settlers, the most extreme and dangerous section of Israeli society, all those tear gas canisters and stun gernades the idf provided will surely be hurled at the IDF in response.
More importantly, supporting the settlers in this fashion will only serve to legitimize their cruel behavior against Palestinians and encourage more price tags. Essentially giving state approval for settlers’ violent attacks against another population while providing them the means to carry them out. Utterly reprehensible!
Sounds like standard Israeli behaviour to me.
Show no gratitude to your protectors and benefactors.
Attack and vilify them.
Demand that they do more for you.
Repeat ad nauseum.