Immediately after the highly controversial U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem was opened, with Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner in attendance, Israel attacked Gaza, reports from the local health ministry indicating around 50 were killed, and upwards of 2400 were injured. The health ministry and local officials referred to the assault on a Palestinian protest, as a “terrible massacre”, as RT covers in this report.
That number climbed from over 1000, a number which even Israeli media reported on, therefore hinting Tel-Aviv doesn’t even care to cover up the details. Amnesty International has also confirmed that around 2000 people were injured.
We are witnessing an abhorrent violation of international law & human rights in #Gaza. 38 confirmed dead, including 6 children, with close to 2000 people injured. Many are reporting injuries to the head and chest. Over 500 injured with live ammunition. This must end immediately.
— AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) May 14, 2018
Reports say that half of the injuries were caused by live bullets, and hundreds more were targeted with tear gas.
Israeli forces showering Palestinians with tear gas grenades! #GreatReturnMarch pic.twitter.com/fdSE5jPUEK
— Great Return March (@GreatReturnMa) May 14, 2018
Among those injured were six journalists, according to the journalist support committee. It is worth noting that all comes after a very turbulent week, as we have reported of other Israeli bombings here.
The toll of injured Journalists in #Gaza so far amounted 6:Ettihad Press correspondent Mohammad Al DweikReuters Journalist Ahmad ZaqoutPhotojournalist Omar HamdanJournalist Farhan Abu HadayedAl-Aqsa Cameraman Ashraf ShamiyehAl Esteklal correspondent Abedallah Al Shourbajy pic.twitter.com/uK6kDrw0Gn
— JSCommittee (@jscommittee) May 14, 2018
Israeli forces have already bombed Syria several times, claiming to respond to Iranian missile strikes, without any proof.
Israel claims to strike Iranian positions in Syria, 23 fighters reportedly killed
Naturally, the typical response from Israel was a general denial of responsibility, and defection of attention onto the alleged action of three Palestinian terrorists. In their minds, the alleged actions, of three alleged terrorists permits them to kill thousands as payback. Is this a state talking, or the Mafia?
A tweet from the Israeli Defense Forces said:
A short while ago, 3 terrorists attempted to place an explosive device near the security fence in Rafah, under the cover of violent riots. In response, the IDF fired at the terrorists, who were killed.
A short while ago, 3 terrorists attempted to place an explosive device near the security fence in Rafah, under the cover of violent riots. In response, the IDF fired at the terrorists, who were killed pic.twitter.com/LFRRyfHDzl
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) May 14, 2018
In addition, IAF aircraft targeted Hamas military posts near the Jabalia area after IDF troops were fired upon from the northern Gaza Strip. No IDF soldiers were injured in the incident pic.twitter.com/EWHOAOzZcA
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) May 14, 2018
It was very kind of the IDF to inform us that none of their personnel was injured, as surely this was the main concern of the world, rather than the dozens of Palestinians confirmed dead.
The reality is, yes, Israeli lives do matter, but Palestinian lives matter equally, and its absolutely immoral, racist, and akin to Nazi ideology to indicate that the lives of one race matter more than the lives of another. This is essentially the Israeli thesis. If one Israeli combatant is injured, Israel will kill dozens of Palestinian fighters, with possibly hundreds of civilians injured in the crossfire.
Note that the tweets confirming Israeli bombings of Gaza, also contains information that this happened “under the cover of violent [palastinian] riots”. The Israeli forces always justify their actions on the basis that “The Palestinians attacked us first!”
This is nothing surprising, we all know what the official line is always going to be, say it with me:
Israel has the right to defend itself
The main issue, is when that “defense” involves a monumental disparity in force. A Palestinian throws a rock, and Israel drops a bomb. No one has the right to say: “You theoretically could have threatened us, so we had to carpet bomb your nation…you know…to keep the peace”.
While you could argue from the perspective of non-violence, following in the example Jesus Christ demonstrated on this same land, thousands of years ago, that both sides should not use violence, still, one has to note there is a massive difference between throwing a rock, and a carpet bombing.
Most civilized societies train their civil defense forces to understand that you DON’T shoot a man for disorderly conduct. Likewise, you don’t throw grenades at people throwing stones. Take this video, for example, when a man assaults a Russian police officer with a shovel.
The police officer at first tries to defuse the situation, and when the shovel comes out, he remarkably disarms the subject in hand-to-hand combat. In America, and certainly Israel that man would have been shot. Honestly, that could have even been a justifiable homicide, seeing as a shovel strike to the face could be lethal, just like a bullet.
The disparity of force was (roughly) even. Regardless, the Russian police are trained to respect civilians, and they understand they took the job to protect them, and as a result, they must risk their lives. That is how defenders of the peace are supposed to behave. Another example is this video, in which another Russian police officer shows tremendous patience after a man is shoving him, only taking him down after being kicked. Once again, no bullets were fired.
By comparison, the Israeli response in this situation is the polar opposite. If a Palestinian assaultS one Israeli, an entire neighborhood can be under sustained assaults and “counter-terrorism operations” for weeks, in which even children can be killed.
This is above all, the main issue with the way Israel operates. Those who point this out are not necessarily Palestinian allies or apologists, but simply pointing out the universal principle that all human life matters, and the lives of one group are not more valuable than those from another.
Israel clearly does not profess this belief, as we blatantly see on a daily basis.
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