For years, Palestinians have complained about the use of force at roadblocks by the Israel Defense Force. This week a tragedy has highlighted those concerns for the Israeli populace after the IDF killed a 55-year-old Israeli rabbi and settler, Dan Mertzbach, after he failed to stop. Notably, according to reports today, “[t]he Defense Ministry announced to the National Insurance Institute on Friday that Mertzbach will be recognized as the victim of a ‘terror event.'”
The designation of the victim of a “terror event” will allow payment to the family.
Soldiers opened fire after he failed to stop at a temporary checkpoint in the southern West Bank. The roadblock was set up after reports of a suspicious car on the road. The two passengers were wounded. In addition, the soldier who fired the shots was injured when he ran toward the car and was hit by a passing Palestinian truck.
This tragedy follows the killing of the nephew of the Israeli Culture minister after reportedly trying to run a Palestinian roadblock.
The United States has also been accused of the unjustified use of force at checkpoints and near convoys.
Source: Global Post
Diogenes,
that would seem to be the elephant in the room.
If a Rabbi is killed by friendly fire without troops taking the time to confirm whether he was truly an insurgent or not, you’d have to think that any Palestinians who vaguely resemble an insurgent, don’t have much of a chance. I think both sides have valid arguments, But Israel continues to elect hawkish leaders, whose response to failed peace negotiations is saying “screw it, lets build more in Gaza.” I don’t see how that is helping things, and it seems irresponsible on the part of leadership.
If Israel can act more responsibly and not kill 100 Palestinians anytime an Israeli is killed (which is less effective than our death penalty taken to the extreme), they would have less trouble getting international support, be less reliant on the US, and have more of a chance of getting assistance from the World on a peace process, which may have some chance of success. It’s easy to say the Palestinians should be more responsible, but they aren’t the ones recognized and expected to behave as a 1st world nation.
Israel generates little sympathy from nations that would otherwise be sympathetic because they do things without regard for whether it will cause them to be viewed as an oppressor, with the thought that it doesn’t matter. But just as the US sees the importance of the cooperation of a Unilateral coalition in its dealings in Afghanistan and Libya, so too should Israel value having more allies who recognize their true aim for peace (and if the UN vote showed anything, its that the US is pretty much their only ally).
How sad,
Not even one response here relates to the sufferings of the subjugated Palestinians who have to cope with erratic (temporary?…) roadblocks which are not properly marked and visible. Their innocently killed under-aged are pegged as terrorist etc. etc.
It is the Israeli Governments which prefer to prolong the conflict until “Deus ex machina” will be seen. Sorry, meant to say Messiah.
No, Roger, it is not Israel, it is the Israeli government. But they will never catch up to the U.S. government, the leader of the pack.
The government is the 1%, the people, the 99% are not in accord with the plundering warmongers here, but my guess is that the Israeli people aren’t either.
Government is a group of people soaked in the toxins of power. which makes them more prone to toxic behavior.
“…the perpetual war party”
Oh, so it is Israel that is perpetually at war, is it? It is Israel that elects governments that are self-avowed terrorist organizations, is it? It is Israel that is constantly lobbing thousands of missiles at Arab children, is it?
It is Israel that is constantly rejecting real solutions to the problem, is it? It is Israel that is accepting billions of dollars of payments earmarked for the palestinian arabs and then not spending it on them, is it? It is Israel whose school systems teach that palestinian arabs are dogs, pigs, and shall and must be erased from the Earth, is it?
If Israel is perpetually at war, it is because the arabs of the entire middle east hate them for being Jewish, not because of any border policies they may have.
“I think we have to also look at ourselves and admit that maybe, just maybe, like the Israeli people, we have been had … conned …snookered … cheated … and like the Israeli people, are now the casual targets of our own government.”
Blouise,
I think you draw the proper analogy. Given that there are only 6 million Israelis the killing of 210 is rather equivalent to the killing of 2,100 in the US.
Over Israel’s history this has occurred multiple times and it has caused the Israeli’s to support those who would talk tough, feeling the would be better protectors. Unfortunately, Likud is a party rather like that which would be supported by teabaggers over here. The trade-of Likud makes is that they project “toughness” in order to be able to support Israels corporate elite. They simply can’t understand that holding on to the occupied territories is not only impractical, but is also potentially disastrous for the maintenance of a Jewish State. A state of apartheid, no matter how it is justified, is a poor strategy in the long run and an insurer of instability.
It seems though that the use of fear and religion to control populaces is an old human trick, that works time and again. Combating this trick with reason, has little effect because our fears are on the most visceral consciousness levels. to me the hope for Israel will come from the economic inequality fostered by Likud, which will end their power. At that point it may well break the hold the religious right Orthodox faction holds on Israel and allow more realistic people to come to power.
It seems to me that the only way to say that this killing was the result of a “terror event” is to admit that the Israeli forces are terrorists.
A tragic reminder that when you give the government the power to do something to other people, you also give it the power to do this to you.
Speaking of genes, an official, permanent roadblock on a major American highway experienced some genes of the American type.
They went for their guns but the American had the antidote to the toxins that were torquing their cognitive abilities.
It is a revolting situation of the good gene kind. Expand your gene pool.
What Gene and Blouise said. The fear mongering that started after 9/11 has continued unabated to this day. Hell, the Republicans even complained when it was announced that the troops would be leaving Iraq by the end of the year. I guess 8 years of killing for a lie just wasn’t enough for them.
What Gene said with one small caveat …
We allowed ourselves to be stampeded by fear during the 45 days after 9/11 (remember the Anthrax letters going out to all those different places during late Sept and Oct 2001) right into the arms of our own Perpetual War Party when the Patriot Act was signed on 10/26/01.
I have never understood … didn’t understand it then … how taking a bunch of incompetents out of their small rooms and putting them all together in a large room was going to magically produce competency.
I think we have to also look at ourselves and admit that maybe, just maybe, like the Israeli people, we have been had … conned …snookered … cheated … and like the Israeli people, are now the casual targets of our own government.
Okay … the caveat wasn’t so small and not even, really, a caveat. But, I do agree with Gene.
Some of the Rabbi’s are insurgents, as they should be.
The fog of religious wars is the densest of all. It makes a certain cosmic sense.
Friendly fire is still deadly fire. At least they admitted if.
Frankly,
At least Likud admitted, albeit indirectly, that they condone state sponsored terror events (which are non-euphemistically and simply called “terrorism” by most people not concerned with political sophistry). Part of overcoming a problem is admitting you have a problem in the first place. I feel seriously bad for the Israeli people. Much like America, they deserve a much better government than they get at the hands of the Perpetual War Party.
Lets all keep blindly supporting the Likud, I’m sure it will work out well for everyone.