Palestinian Christians, like many others in the West Bank, must navigate a complex system of Israeli-imposed movement restrictions to access holy sites and basic services. This system includes nearly 800 permanent checkpoints and barriers in the West Bank, along with thousands of temporary "flying" checkpoints, all enforced under the justification of Israeli security concerns.
After parking near the New Gate, Hani (who preferred not to disclose his last name due to personal reasons) and his family began walking toward the entrance — until he was stopped. Tension hung heavy in the air.
"You can't get in," said a policeman.
"I'm with my wife and kids," Hani replied. "They're already inside."
His 8-year-old daughter burst into tears, reaching for him. It was only her second time attending with the Orthodox scout group, and she wanted her father beside her. His wife stepped forward.
"He's my husband. We're all inside — he's the only one out."
They stood in the sun for half an hour, pleading. Eventually, the police let him through. He was lucky — at least he made it to Jerusalem. Others from the West Bank never got past the checkpoints, left standing outside the Old City behind barriers, watching.
Hani continued toward the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate but was stopped again — trapped between two checkpoints, unable to move forward or back.
The sun was relentless. The children were exhausted. Then things escalated.
A border police officer approached the children, shouting and demanding the spot they were sitting in. Hani stepped in, but the officer kept yelling and pushing him. Surrounded by Israeli border police, with his wife beside him and his daughter behind him crying, the situation grew tense.
And then — chaos.
Hani heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked. He turned to see the officer had drawn his weapon — aimed at Hani's head.
"I was terrified. I moved closer, tried to push his hand up so he couldn't fire."
Others rushed in, pulling the officer back and holding him. Then, quietly, several officers began removing their name tags. They scanned the crowd. People were filming.
Hani moved toward a shaded area. That's when the camera went off — and things got worse. Police, border police, soldiers — it was hard to tell who was who. One officer began hitting him, swinging like a boxer.
It was the members of the Orthodox scout group who intervened, forming a barrier between Hani and the police.
Again, he walked away — searching for someone, anyone, in charge. He found an officer who barely spoke English. Still, the man followed him.
"What happened?" he asked.
Before Hani could respond, another soldier cut in: "It's OK. Never mind. Go away."
Hani asked for the name of the officer who pointed the gun.
"Here's my name," the soldier replied mockingly. "Sue me. Take a picture."
But Hani couldn't. Other soldiers stood behind him, smirking. As if to say: "We can do anything. You can't stop us."
Hani's ordeal was documented on video and the individual, a reservist serving in an operational role, was removed from his assignment following the incident, the Israeli border police told the National Catholic Reporter in a written statement.
But this is not an isolated case. It reflects a larger crisis confronting Palestinian Christians in Jerusalem — a shrinking space for faith in a city that once celebrated its multi-religious identity.
Israel is a pantomime of a democracy, it is an apartheid state and it was bound to become one. And as the rot of apartheid develops, some who experienced South African apartheid said it's far worse in Israel and the occupied territories, apartheid is turning to state terror, expulsion and, in the place it has reached its end stage, Gaza, genocide.
All of those soldiers involved in that should be under international investigation for crimes against humanity as should the entire Israeli government.
"it is an apartheid state" Sadly, true. "and it was bound to become one..." Bullshit, and you're an anti-semite to make the claim. Fuck you.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't the one who defined what "Israel" was for or, rather "who" it was for. Nor did I choose where they were going to put it, that was a combination of the Zionist organizations of the early 20th century and the British imperial government. Since they decided to put it where a large number of Palestinians, Muslim, Christian and, by the way, Jewish had lived for many centuries, any Palestinians who weren't Jewish were excluded from the intended population of "Israel." Since the Israeli government was to be a government of a "Jewish state" it was bound to enforce that by the same means that the white supremacists in South Africa enforced their national intentions on land which belonged to others. As it was, the very founding of Israel as a country was conducted through he slaughter, terrorizing and forced emigration of a large number of Palestinians and the increasing displacement of those who remained. Its adoption of de-facto apartheid was inevitable. There's nothing inherent to the Jewish religion in that, in fact it is the focus of a number of Laws that the aliens living among Jews were to be treated as a member of the community. But Zionism, being just another flavor of 19th century European romantic nationalism, was always a largely and often anti-religious and, ironically, often blatantly antisemitic ideology. I've learned most of what I've found out about that from anti-Zionist Rabbis - though, as I always try to do, I fact check them like I do anyone else.
DeleteThe modern Israeli state is a disastrous mistake. I see no prospect of correcting that mistake or even mitigating it without facing what it actually is ANYMORE THAN I THINK IT'S POSSIBLE TO REPAIR THE UNITED STATES WITHOUT ADDRESSING THE INDIGENOUS FORM OF FASCISM HERE, WHITE SUPREMACY AND, MORE GENERALLY, RACISM. I will not treat Israel or any other government more favorably than the government in whatever country I happen to be living in. Israel doesn't get special treatment, anymore. It never should have been given it.
"Israel doesn't get special treatment, anymore. It never should have been given it." Oh, I dunno -- something about the six million Jews slaughtered by the most civilized country on the planet, I suspect. It was in all the papers, Sparky. 😎
ReplyDeleteSo because the Nazis murdered six-million Jews in Europe, how may Palestinians does that means Israel gets to murder in Palestine and the surrounding region? How may do Native Americans get to murder due to the many times more number of them murdered in the European conquest of the Americas? Do the Irish get to murder People because of the English, then British murders and forced displacements of millions of Irish? And since you are claiming that "right" for Israel, to have its genocide waved away due to the Nazi genocide against them IN OTHER PLACES, do the Irish get to kill other People who never committed genocidal crimes against them here or in other places?
DeleteI have a feeling there are lots of victims of the Nazi genocide who would reject your claim made in their name, written in their blood and ashes, in fact there have been victims of it AND THEIR CHILDREN who have rejected exactly what you're claiming.
NO COUNTRY DESERVES SPECIAL TREATMENT BECAUSE THEY DO WITH IT WHAT THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT HAS DONE WITH THAT SPECIAL TREATMENT AS DID THE NAZI GOVERNMENT WITH THE SPECIAL TREATMENT IT CLAIMED WAS DUE IT. Not to mention the various other dictatorships, modern atheist ones due to their claimed scincyness or older ones which claimed a divine right of kings and the such bull shit. States don't have rights, governments don't.
You're pre-supposing I don't believe Bibi and company are monsters who have betrayed the Jewish people and need to be removed from power. Which obviously is incorrect, but not surprising given your deliberate obtuseness on this subject. As I said, you're an anti-Semite and go fuck yourself. 😎
ReplyDeleteWell, the voters of Israel put him in power for longer than any of the previous Prime Ministers of Israel, so it's clear a majority of voters in Israel haven't agreed with you. And I'm not the one who claimed that the genocides of the Nazis gave the Israeli government the "right" to special treatment, you did that. I was merely pointing out the consequences of that being a general rule. It's not my fault your claims fall apart when treated by the general rules of reason.
DeleteYou and the IHRA want the government of Israel to get special treatment, which is why they rigged their dishonest definition of antisemitism to shield it from the atrocities and anti-egalitarian democratic conduct it has committed, increasingly, since 1948. I could have included its policy re "settler" murder, terrorism, maiming, violence and theft which is clearly the tacit policy of that apartheid regime, just as it was in the American South and in virtually every other such racist regime. Clearly that doesn't bother IHRA or the figure I once had great respect for, Deborah Lipstadt or, you, for that matter. Otherwise you'd admit that it is what that government has done with the immunity from criticism it has been granted due to the actions of the Nazis before 1945 in a place Palestinians had no say in.
"I'm not the one who claimed that the genocides of the Nazis gave the Israeli government the "right" to special treatment, you did that." You don't think the Holocaust entitled the Jewish people for a homeland? THEN YOU'RE AN ANTI-SEMITE -- PERIOD!!!!! 😎 Jeebus, Sparky -- do you have any idea how utterly clueless you are?
ReplyDeleteThis is rather funny considering this started with us when you made a racist joke about a "homeland" for "gypsies" in an abandoned mall as you and some of your fellow Eschaton eejits yuked it up. I wrote about it at the time, I quoted your comment which was the one I answered:
DeleteSteve Simels
R. McGeddon, futilitarian My solution has always been to move Israel to Florida.
And while we're at it, the Gypsies need a homeland too.
I think there's an abandoned shopping mall in Jersey they could have.
However the question here isn't if Jews have a "right to a homeland," it's the reality that the modern state of Israel was founded on land occupied by Palestinians and the Zionists from well before the declaration of the state talked openly about using terrorism and violence to displace the Palestinians, in fact the strain of Zionism that has ruled Israel WITH THE VOTES OF A MAJORITY OF ISRAELI VOTERS for almost all of the half half-century.
I will say that it was one of the stupider results of that IHRA "definition" of antisemitism that apart from convincing a bunch of countries and institutions adopting the dishonest shield of Israel's crimes and crimes against humanity and war crimes, it has discredited that definition of antisemitism. I wrote extensively about that, too because I said it was dangerous to discredit the idea because antisemitism is very real and very dangerous.
Oh fuck you. It's not like the Palestinians wouldn't be doing to the Israelis what Bibi and company are currently doing to the Palestinians -- i.e., trying to drive them into the sea -- if they had the chance. Here's a clue, shithead --- there are no good guys in the current situation. Except that the Jews have a right to Israel as their homeland. Period.
ReplyDeleteWhat you're claiming only means that the establishment of Israel on Palestine was a bad idea guaranteed to produce what would become an anti-egalitarian and, so, anti-democratic apartheid state. I thought you didn't like it when I pointed that out.
DeleteMuch as I don't want to get into such claims, where does that "right" come from? When did it start being a "right?" Where does that "right" reside. Rights don't exist out in the atmosphere floating around on their own, they exist attached to something which possess that "right." I will point out something that I was interested to note that Rabbi Yakkov Shapiro has pointed out, according to the Supreme Court of Israel, a "right of return" is owned by a Jew who converts to atheism but it isn't owned by one who either by their own or their parents conversion, becomes a Christian (I would guess it would as much not adhere to a Jew who converts to other religions other than atheism or, maybe agnosticism, as well). Who removed that "right" from someone who, according to that theory of such a "right," would have to have been born with it. It is also a "right" which the Israeli government denies to all Palestinians whose families owned property in Palestine, sometimes for as many generations as anyone could account for, many speculated to have a lineage that would have, by the Law of Moses, meant they were Jews. How come someone like you, who, from what I gather, never put his ass in any danger to go to Isreal, has such a "right" but those who lived there all their lives as their ancestors had for untold generations, doesn't have that same "right.?"
I could have entitled this comment Questions That Simps Won't Answer because you won't.
Re-reading this, I noted that I failed to credit that point about "rights" not existing as some disembodied abstract entity floating around somewhere, as I've attributed it here in the past. I first heard that point made by Representative Barney Frank during one of those PBS roundtable Fred Friendly discussions when he was refuting the putrid Henry Hyde claiming that legalized suicide was a violation of the right to life. Frank logically pointed out that that right could only belong to the person who had chosen to commit suicide, it was them violating their own right, under Hyde's claim. I was a huge Barney Frank fan, I loved his sister, Ann Lewis, too. However I suspect we would disagree about American's right to be critical of the Israeli government based on some of the things she has said in the past. Though I still respect her.
DeleteIn the immortal words of Tom Lehrer in "National Brotherhood Week" -- "...and everybody hates the Jews." 😎 Sorry, Sparky -- if you don't think Israel has a right to exist, you're an anti-Semite by definition. Stop digging. Also, get back to me when you have something critical to say about the massacre of the Israeli athletes at the Olympics. 😎😎
ReplyDeleteAs I said, Simels wouldn't answer the questions because, as superannuated a lazy slacker as he is, as ignorant as he is, as ever ready to spout a cliche as he is, he's just smart enough to know that he can't answer those questions honestly or even logically and have it come out the way he wants it to.
DeleteWe've been over that slogan invented by those who want it to always be rigged in favor of Israel, NO STATE AS "RIGHTS" NOT EVEN TO EXIST. If I said Israel had that right I'd have to say that the Third Reich, Stalin's regime, the Italian and Spanish fascist regimes, the GRD, the Kim regime in North Korea had a right to exist and I won't even say that the American government holds that right. To say so leads to morally atrocious lies. Which, by the way, is the position of international law, states don't have rights, People have rights. Among those who have rights THAT ARE ENTIRELY UNRELATED TO WHERE THEY HAPPEN TO LIVE, were he Israeli athletes who were killed by terrorists at the goddamned Olympics fifty-three years ago. I have yet to see you admit that every single Palestinian child murdered by the terrorist army, the Israeli "Defense" Forces, the "settler" terrorists, various other Israeli criminals, most of them shielded by the Israeli government even as their policies encourage such violence, especially of the "settler" variety. You see, Simps, unlike you, I apply one standard in every case, as I did when it was the IRA committing such crimes, AS WHEN THE UNITED STATES COMMITS SUCH CRIMES. I don't recall if I ever wrote anything about those killings which happened decades before I started posting pieces online. I went to your blog and typed in several searches on the topic and found you had mentioned it a total of one times under those searches and it was a throw away line about some random pop song. You carried no criticism of it that I could find, show me where you've done what you insist I must do
I wonder if Tom Lehrer has ever taken a position on the massacres, the murders, the "settler" or Israeli government terror against, violence, governmental theft of property, etc, against Palestinians or, as that article I posted to pointed out, non-Palestinian Christians who have had a presence in Israel dating to the conversion of the first Jews to Christianity during the lifetime of Jesus and his earliest followers. His claim that "everybody hats the Jews" in a cutely and dishonestly cynical song is certainly a lie. In the United States Jews have had pretty much the same privilege given to all white skinned People, except those of Color. I wonder if he ever addressed the veracity of that claim in the many years since he gave up writing his cutely cynical songs. Some of them have stood this far in the test of time but some of them were never more than cutely cynical. I have enormous respect for his integrity as a musician and creative artist, especially when he stopped as he figured he had no more to do in that field. Unlike Mick and his old Stones.
"Jews have had pretty much the same privilege given to all white skinned People, except those of Color." Oh god, Sparky, you're hilarious, by which I mean crazy and pathetic. The only thing you left out is "Some of my best friends are Jewish." I should add that bringing the Rolling Stones into this discussion out of fucking nowhere is the cream of the jest. 😎
ReplyDeleteSo you think Jews in America have had the same kind of treatment as Native Americans, Black People, other Brown People and Asians?
ReplyDelete"The only thing you left out is "Some of my best friends are Jewish."
See what I mean about Simps' practice of latching on to any well worn cliche when he has no argument to make, as he never does because it would be too much like work to research or reason one out?
I do respect an artist who stops when they know there's nothing left for them to contribute, there's nothing more annoying in an artistic career than one who keeps milking the same teat time and time again after it has dried up and even after the cow died. You know, like Mick and his old Stones or so many of those others you've been milking, what you made a career of doing second-hand.
"So you think Jews in America have had the same kind of treatment as Native Americans, Black People, other Brown People and Asians?"
ReplyDeleteTranslated from Sparky-ese, that should read "So you think Jews in America are a secret cabal who actually run everything?" 😎
As always, Simels, you immediately go to the dishonest refuges of those who like to lie about such things, an entirely irrelevant characterization so as to avoid the question put to you.
DeleteI'd say your doing that says more about your conception of Jews than anything I've ever said supports your conception of things. As I said, I have taken many lessons in life from rabbis. The one who I read say "reality is real" converted me from the quasi-Buddhism I was swayed by to taking the Jewish assumptions about reality being real as what I chose to believe. I have credited the former Chief Rabbi of Dublin for converting me to veganism and I have cited Rabbi Yakkov Shapiro as having been the decisive influence in my thinking on Zionism and Israel and the dishonesty of the common required thinking on those topics.
What I am not convinced by is a liar and idiot like you,
It's obvious you do figure Jews in America have been the victims of the same practices as those who were the focus of the genocide that happened and continues in the Americas, Native Americans, Black People kidnapped and enslaved, THEIR ENSLAVEMENT BEING INSERTED DIRECTLY INTO THE U. S. CONSTITUTION and after nominal emancipation the objects of American apartheid, Jim Crow, lynch law, the non-stop object of vilification and stereotype by the media, especially the entertainment media. You figure you, parading around in that garment of privilege in the United States, a white skin, are as liable to discrimination and violence, including police violence with impunity as someone having a Black or Brown skin, as liable to be the object of violence as Asians have been, which proves you are pathetically delusional. White gay men, so long as they can pass as not-LGBTQ+ have access to the full measure of white privilege and male privilege whereas LGBTQ+ People of Color are doubly subjected to violence, discrimination and prejudice, which is one of the reasons that Transwomen of Color have one of the highest murder rates in the country. You as you have lived a life of privilege figure you have it as bad off as they do, clearly. You are an ass, Simps.
"As I said, I have taken many lessons in life from rabbis. "
ReplyDeleteOr in other words, some of your best friends are Jewish. 😎😎😎😎
Jeebus, this is like shooting ducks in a barrel.
BTW, here's a clue, you anti-semitic shitweasel -- goyim don't get to determine the comparative level of prejudice against ethnic groups that happen to include Jews.
What an assinine thing to say, Stupy. Rabbis are TEACHERS, YOU HORSES' ASS. If you're not supposed to learn something from them their entire life is a waste of time.
DeleteUnlike you who drops more names than appears in the white pages of a phone directory, I would never claim that I knew any of these Rabbis, that they would know me from Adam or that they were my personal bestest friends, as you are always claiming every minor celebrity you name drop is.
What you're doing is using cliches to not answer questions about genocide, apartheid and racism of a kind you clearly hold with.