I DIDN'T MAKE ANY OF THAT UP. Here's part of an article from The Guardian
American citizens have been at the forefront of the rise of settler violence in the occupied territories, and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their land, but as US passport holders they cannot be barred from their own country.
Many of the estimated 60,000 Americans living in the West Bank outside of occupied East Jerusalem moved to settlements for the lifestyle and have little to do with the Palestinians on whose land they live. But a core of ideologically driven US citizens were at the forefront of building religious settlements on land expropriated from Palestinians while others have led the rise of what has been described as “settler terrorism”.
The US announced the travel restrictions as settler violence against unarmed Palestinians escalated in the wake of the Hamas cross-border attack in October, including shootings, the destruction of Arab homes and entire communities driven out at gunpoint. The UN estimates that about 500 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year including dozens of children. While Israel claims many of the dead were associated with armed Palestinian groups, the UN said the army frequently works with settlers attacking Arab civilians.
Hadar Susskind, president of Americans for Peace Now, said these settlers militias draw inspiration from two Americans infamous as the godfathers of the campaign of violence against ordinary Palestinians.
An American doctor from Brooklyn, Baruch Goldstein, murdered 29 Muslim worshippers in the West Bank city of Hebron in 1994. Goldstein was a follower of another American, Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the far-right religious Kach party that was eventually banned in Israel and the US under anti-terrorism laws.
“If you asked who are the most prominent examples of literally murderous violent settler extremism, the two answers are Goldstein and Kahane. Those people are the prophets of the settler movement,” said Susskind.
“Earlier this year I led a trip to Israel and Palestine. We went to Hebron and stopped in Meir Kahane park where they have a shrine to Baruch Goldstein. His grave is there. It’s shocking that they have a public park named after an American whose party was declared so racist that it was not allowed to be in the Knesset, a person who espoused violence and hatred. And then a shrine to Baruch Goldstein who took those lessons from Kahane and actualised them in murdering a group of people at prayer.”
The spokesperson for the Hebron settlers who maintain the memorials to Kahane and Goldstein was for many years an American from New Jersey, David Wilder.
A lot of that settler violence is as American as apple pie. And it's increased in frequency and severity since that article was written, yet the Israeli government has passed laws specifically targeting Palestinians with the death penalty. Which defines it absolutely as an apartheid, racist, fascist government.
As for the complaint that I mentioned Israel's part in bringing on this disastrous war with Iran and either suckering or bribing (DOES ANYONE BELIEVE FOR A SECOND TRUMP DOES ANYTHING WITHOUT SOMETHING IN IT FOR HIM?) the Trump regime into bringing on, you act as if there's something wrong WITH POINTING OUT A FACT THAT EVERYONE KNOWS AND THE TRUMP REGIME HAS CONFIRMED. And we know that Israel was far from alone in that, Saudi Arabia's ruling family and those of other autocratic governments in the region were, as well. Paying money to Trump, his family and his cronies to get the war against Iran they thought they wanted but, for at least some of them, they are having some serious buyers remorse.
The time to play let's pretend in regard to Israel OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD is over. The stakes are too high to make exceptions. They always have been.
I've got a family member who joined the military last year, he'd almost certainly get sent to fight Trump's war of whim, Israel, the Saudi's etc. to order war. I haven't mentioned him yet but he's been on my mind even before the start of the war. Send Eric (who would now be allowed to enlist under their changed age limits), send Tiffany and Baron and Little Donnie's brat, Kai, who for some reason has Secret Service protection. Let the military provide that for her.
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