Palestine Monitor, 17 August 2010

Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi said that the cruel and painful images that were published by one of the Israeli soldiers during the arrest of Palestinian citizens at a checkpoint in the West Bank reflects the inhumane behavior of the Israeli soldiers towards the Palestinian people. These actions, which disregard the most basic of human rights and tramples on International Law and the Geneva Conventions which primarily serve to protect civilians in times of war.

Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi said that the cruel and painful images that were published by one of the Israeli soldiers during the arrest of Palestinian citizens at a checkpoint in the West Bank reflects the inhumane behavior of the Israeli soldiers towards the Palestinian people. These actions, which disregard the most basic of human rights and tramples on International Law and the Geneva Conventions which primarily serve to protect civilians in times of war.

Dr. Barghouthi stated that this incident is a result of the hatred and racism that Israeli policy instills and is represented by the thousands of crimes that the Israeli Occupying Forces commit daily against the Palestinian people whether it be at the 600 military checkpoints that are scattered throughout the Palestinian Territory, the constant raids and arrests of Palestinian citizens, the brutality against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, and the truth of the Israeli policies that are yet to be unraveled.

This horrible crime reminds Dr. Barghouthi when Israeli soldiers released canine military dogs on a Palestinian women resident from Al-Abadiya in Bethlehem in 2007. She was left for the dogs to attack and prey on the flesh of her arm. Another incident in which 19 year old, Mohammad Al-Jabali was beaten and kicked profusely by 3 Israeli soldiers at Huwara checkpoint near Nablus. These reports have been documented and reported, however are a brief glimpse of the endless crimes that have yet to be documented.

Dr. Barghouthi stressed that the pictures of the Israeli soldier confirms that criminal violence against unarmed civilians that are weak, shackled and blindfolded, is the behavior that is practiced by the Israeli army without any type of supervision. This demonstrates that these practices are routine and that there should be investigations to bring them to justice for their crimes against humanity.

He also expressed his deep concern of the extreme settlers who uprooted hundreds of olive trees between the areas of Qasra and Jalout in Nablus. Dr. Barghouthi said that, “The settlers uprooted 250 olive seedlings under the protections of the Israeli Occupying Forces, which confirms that peace will not be possible without removing the settlements and settlers that are storming the Occupied Territories.”

Dr. Barghouthi called for a wider mobilization of international solidarity with the Palestinian people who are constantly subjected to repeated attacks by settlers and the Israeli Occupation Forces though settlement activities, arrests, and the practice of the Apartheid regime.

Barghouthi said that the actions of the Israeli Occupation Forces and settlers are truly obscene crimes that are illustrated through the daily attacks on the Palestinian people, their property, and land.