Looking around for coverage at places like the New York Times or the Washington Post, or even this morning’s Haaretz newspaper and pretty much you find lack of it or any follow-up of the new Israeli/IDF law announced yesterday that will permit the further ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the West Bank.
With this new law, Israel has turned its military occupation into a legal enterprise, even an art. Palestinians now need a permit to live in what’s left of their own country, lest they be considered “infiltrators.” Considering that half the population in the Palestinian territories are refugees ethnic cleansed in 1948 from their villages and towns in what is now Israel, the order essentially intends to make a considerable number of Palestinians, refugees once again.
The Latuff cartoon above depicts the ramifications of this new law for what it is. Yet, the world seems oblivious to it and there is yet to be any reaction from the White House. Talk about house bulldozing in East Jerusalem being “unhelpful (Clinton),” this new law enacts what right wing Israelis like Avigdor Lieberman have always proposed: the “transfer” of Palestinians out of Israel and “Judea and Samaria,”
Is anyone listening?
Yesterday’s Jerusalem Post stated,
The IDF Spokesperson said in response to the report: “The laws in Judea and Samaria have in the past permitted the expulsion of Palestinians who are illegally residing in the West Bank.”
“The objective of changing the order to prevent infiltrations that will go into effect on April 13 and was signed a half-a-year-ago and was publicized is to allow for a legal process on the deportation procedure of Palestinians illegally in the West Bank by a committee which is headed by a judge and to enable additional oversight of this procedure,” the IDF added.
Just how can you “infiltrate” your own country? The implications of course is that the West Bank is not Palestinian territory, but belongs to Israel, a part called Judea and Samaria. There does not seem to be any quibbling any more about the distinction as to what is Palestinian territory and what is Israeli territory. Furthermore, it makes a distinction between the West Bank and Gaza which are seen as separate entities, a strategy Israel has been employing for several years since it withdrew its settlements from Gaza.
In response, Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad responded:
“[This new order] threatens the emptying of large areas of land from its Palestinian inhabitants… [and] aims at deepening the hold of the occupation in the West Bank and facilitating more Israel land-grab
“The order targets thousands of Palestinians from Gaza who work and live in the West Bank and could lead to their forced deportation to the Gaza Strip.” (snip)
“The new order violates international humanitarian law as well as UN Security Council decisions condemning forced deportations,” Fayyad said.
It was reported that ten Israeli human rights organization appealed to Ehud Barak, Israel’s defense minister, to freeze the orders, originally issued October 13, 2009. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa also condemned the new order, saying that it undermines the peace process. “It is hard to establish real peace,” Moussa said, “in the region due to the Israeli measure. We reject such measures and we call on the international community to bear responsibility.”
According to the provisions of the order, “a person is presumed to be an “infiltrator” if he is present in the area without a document or permit which attests to his lawful presence in the area without reasonable justification.” Such documentation, it says, must be “issued by the commander of IDF forces in the Judea and Samaria area or someone acting on his behalf.” The new order is said to provide Israeli field commanders huge deferential power in regard to deportation. And to add to the insult, those found in violation of the new order will be required to pay for the cost of their own “detention, custody and expulsion.” Talk about adding insult to injury.
But imagine the situation here: an illegal military occupier appealing to the law in order to transfer out indigenous citizens from their own lands. Is Netanyahu just poking Obama in the eye again? When will he wake up?
