OPINIONS

Tue 19 Sep 2023 9:10 am - Jerusalem Time

Forced deportation and impunity

In the midst of the Israeli political dispute and the ongoing protests for more than 8 months against the so-called judicial reform plan to weaken the judiciary, change the nature and identity of the occupying state, and undermine the status and powers of the Supreme Court, which is used as an instrument of control against the Palestinians, and implements the policy of the Israeli government.


The claim that this has affected the resilience of the Israelis, signs of the disintegration of the Jewish community, talk about the collapse of the judicial and economic institutions and apparatuses of the occupying state, the decline in the efficiency of the Israeli army and the capabilities of the air force, and other issues.


The occupying state is implementing a policy aimed at expelling the Palestinians and reducing the areas on which they live, in order to transfer the land into Jewish hands, through a long series of restrictions, harassment, and abuse practices against the residents of the Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Leaving their place of residence did not come out of nowhere. Rather, it is a direct result of the Israeli policy, which has always relied on this policy. The occupying state works diligently to make the lives of the Palestinians in the West Bank in general, and the residents of the communities in particular, miserable and bitter.


According to the report of the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem, which was published today, Monday, it is being implemented in two parallel ways: The first method is made by military orders, legal advisors, and the Supreme Court. The occupying state itself expels the Palestinians from their lands. The second method, parallel to the first, is that the settlers practice terrorism against the Palestinians, with the help of the Israeli army, which provides support and protection to the settlers.


This policy led to the forced displacement of seven Palestinian communities, but many other communities throughout the West Bank continue to live in this reality of terrorism and violence by settlers and the Israeli army, and are exposed to the risk of immediate deportation at all times.


There is almost consensus on implementing these policies from the current government and successive governments towards the occupied Palestinian territories, and there is no impact to hinder the accelerating plans and policies to annex the West Bank and impose Jewish supremacy and sovereignty.


The occupying state continues to displace the Palestinians from their lands, continue the plunder of the Palestinian lands, and build more settlements, not only in the West Bank, but also in the Negev and Galilee to Judaize them. The implementation of the policies is supported and facilitated by the right-wing, racist, fascist coalition, and with the blessing of the Israeli democratic opposition, which is protesting the government’s judicial plan.


According to the decisive plan drawn up by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, it is moving rapidly to subjugate the Palestinians and surrender them, or voluntarily deport them outside of Palestine. Targeting internal Palestinians with more racist laws and mass killing according to the fascist and racist plans and decisions of the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, against Palestinian prisoners.


For years, the occupying state has been taking a series of measures to make the lives of dozens of Palestinian communities across the West Bank miserable and bitter, with the aim of forcing their residents to leave their places of residence, to achieve its ambition to seize land.


Acts of violence carried out by settlers, which the occupying state uses as a tool to make the lives of residents of the communities more miserable. These acts have greatly worsened since the fascist far-right government came to power. In some places, terrorist acts by settlers have turned the lives of residents of the communities into a daily nightmare, and they have been deprived of From any possibility of living in dignity, even if it is minimal.


According to B'Tselem's report, the occupying state almost completely prohibits any construction or development work for Palestinians in Area C. This area constitutes about 60% of the area of the West Bank, and between 200 and 300 thousand Palestinians live there, thousands of whom are distributed among dozens of communities that earn their living from livestock herding and agriculture. In order to prevent Palestinians from building in this area. The occupying state defined about 60% of Area C as areas in which Palestinians are prohibited from building, by setting different legal definitions for large areas (sometimes overlapping with each other), “state lands”, about 35% of Area C, areas Military training (firing zones), about 30% of Area C, nature reserves and national parks, about 14% of Area C, or areas of influence affiliated with settlements, about 16% of Area C.

In fact, the policy of forced deportation of Palestinians from their areas of population is not just a daily occurrence, but rather a structure and an oppressive environment that forces residents to leave, and represents a war crime under international law. The occupying state prevents, under any circumstances, the expulsion of residents of occupied territories from their places of residence.


At a time when the Israeli opposition, and army officers, especially military pilots, express their concern about harming the Supreme Court, which constitutes immunity for them, and the fear of accelerating investigation procedures by the International Criminal Court in some files submitted to it, related to crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, or the file Settlement.


Despite some optimism on this issue, I do not see on the horizon that the Prosecutor of the Court has the ability to make bold and serious decisions to open an investigation, or to accuse the occupying state of practicing the policy of apartheid in the West Bank, or to accuse officials of committing war crimes in the West Bank. Israeli army. For many reasons, the court’s authority and ability to confront the United States and European countries, and to be complicit in supporting the occupying state, protecting it and helping it to escape punishment, exceeds it.


This is even if some files were moved, but in light of the talk about the Israeli-Saudi normalization deal, and what may be provided to the Palestinians, in terms of some crumbs and economic support, and the fear of a list of trading rights for promises, and the illusion of an empty political solution that does not recognize the rights of the Palestinians.

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Forced deportation and impunity

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