Topic: Suffer Palestine's Children - Conclusion

topic by
Sandra
11/29/2001 (16:52)

Counterpunch.org
Suffer Palestine's Children
Conclusion

Most of the replies that B'Tselem received state that the soldiers acted properly and that no action was taken against the soldiers involved.' ['Whitewash: The Office of the Judge Advocate General's Examination of the Death of Khalil al-Mughrabi, 11, on 7 July 2001,' B,Tselem, 11/13/01]

Given the well known history of the Israeli military's farcical self 'investigations,' don't hold your breath for an honest accounting of the killing of the five children in Khan Younis.

The message Israeli troops receive from the lack of serious investigation into and punishment for military criminality is clear: you can murder civilians -- even little children -- for no reason at all, and you can do it with impunity.

True to form, the US has also refused to condemn its client's murderous actions.

US State Department spokesman Philip Reeker expressed 'regret' over the latest killing of Palestinian children, saying the incident served as a 'strong reminder' of the consequences of the ongoing violence. 'The United States deeply regrets the tragic accidental deaths of five Palestinian children . . . when they came in contact with unexploded ordnance. It was a terrible tragedy.

We understand that the Israeli army has begun an investigation into the circumstances of these deaths and we expect that investigation will thoroughly determine what happened. This incident... is a strong reminder of why both sides should do all they can to end the violence, reduce tensions and resume negotiations,' he added.

And so it goes, the children of Palestine suffer, the occupation continues, Israeli state terrorism accelerates and the best that the Palestinians can expect from the US by way of Colin Powell is a PR performance that does nothing in substance to pressure our Israeli client from desisting.

Instead, the US puts the burden of responsibility for 'ending the violence' squarely on the Palestinians, while calling for an end to the Intifada, an uprising (however flawed) that is both a reaction to Israel's brutal occupation and the Palestinian Authority's corruption, incompetence and selling out of the cause.

To steal a quip from Palestinian writer Sam Bahour, US statements are 'equivalent to that of a policeman walking past a rape victim, still pinned under her assailant, and verbally scolding both parties by advising them to work out their differences.'

Israel has little to fear that its continuing rampages through the occupied Palestinian territories and the latest incident of child killings will jeopardize the staggering $3-5 billion of military and economic 'aid' it receives from the US annually. Nor should Israel fear that America's vaunted 'War on Terror' will extend to them. It's simply a matter of whose side you are on.

Our tax dollars at work as they say. And still we wonder why the US is the object of anger and resentment to many around the world.

Given the overwhelming US military, economic and diplomatic support for Israel, the moral imperative is on us to end our government's decisive role in Israel's ongoing colonial conquest and occupation of Palestinian lands and its people.

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Sunil Sharma is a musician, writer and activist based in Northern California. He is the editor of Dissident Voice, a semi-regular newsletter 'dedicated to challenging the lies of the corporate press and the privileged classes it serves.' He can be contacted at dissidentvoice@earthlink.net