PSNA has send an urgent message to the Foreign Minister telling Nanaia Mahuta the government must speak out against today’s Israeli army storming of the Al Aqsa mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem and attacking worshippers with rubber bullets and tear gas.
The attack was launched this afternoon, New Zealand time, and so far at least 150 Palestinians have been injured.
This is a replay of Israeli attacks on worshippers inside Islam’s third holiest site last year which led to the all-out 11-day assault on Gaza by Israeli forces.
It is a deliberate provocation by the racist, apartheid regime, which lost its parliamentary majority two weeks ago, and wants to appear tough to Israeli voters.
Israel’s attacks are part of an Israeli strategy to “Judaise” Jerusalem by escalating attacks to force Palestinian Christians and Muslims to abandon the city.
“We have told the government they must speak out. Silence is complicity.”
Last week the minister tweeted in support of the Israeli victims of the conflict:
Why is it that the New Zealand government is keen to condemn violence against Israelis but never calls out the Israeli regime for the ongoing murder of Palestinians.
“The government is strong in condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine but has been silent in defence of Palestinians resisting the Israeli occupation of their country.”
Israel has killed dozens of Palestinians in the last few weeks – and so far this year has killed seven Palestinian children. The latest to be riddled with bullets was Qusai Fuad Mohammad Hamamra killed yesterday.
Israeli forces shot and killed another Palestinian child last night—16-year-old Qusai Fuad Mohammad Hamamra, the second Palestinian child killed by Israeli forces this week and the seventh this year.
In Husan, a village near Bethlehem, Israeli forces shot Qusai multiple times with live ammunition and prevented Palestinian paramedics from providing aid.
Share Qusai’s story on Twitter »
Under international law, intentional lethal force is only justified in circumstances where a direct threat to life or of serious injury is present. Investigations and evidence collected by DCIP regularly suggest that Israeli forces use lethal force against Palestinian children in circumstances that may amount to extrajudicial or wilful killings.
From Defence for Children International – Palestine
We have told the minister it’s time to turn the heat on the leaders of Israel’s racist apartheid regime, condemn their racist attacks against Palestinians and the murder of Palestinian children.
Al-Aqsa Mosque Under Israeli Attack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhRlqlaYlUQ
seeding the ground for bombing Gaza ,,,, again.
Jake Johnson covers this recent attack, with video footage taken at the time:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/04/15/israeli-forces-accused-barbaric-premeditated-attack-palestinian-worshipers
Israeli forces on Friday launched a raid on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, injuring more than 150 Palestinians as they gathered to worship on the second week of Ramadan.
Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, the director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque—one of Islam’s holiest sites—told Middle East Eye that “what happened today is an attack on all peaceful worshipers.”
“This was a barbaric premeditated attack on worshipers,” he added.
Israeli police fired tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber-coated steel bullets as a small group of Palestinians hurled rocks, reportedly injuring three Israeli officers.
“The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said it treated 152 people, many of them wounded by rubber-coated bullets or stun grenades, or beaten with batons,” the Associated Press reported. “The [Islamic endowment that administers the mosque] said one of the guards at the site was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet.”
After firing tear gas and projectiles on the perimeter, Israeli police eventually entered the mosque and arrested hundreds of Palestinians.
According to Middle East Eye, “The buildings inside the complex were damaged in the attack, with some of its historical windows smashed by Israeli forces, according to eyewitnesses.”
“Medics, journalists, mosque volunteers, and women were targeted, according to Palestinian media reports,” the outlet reported. “Journalists Muhammad Samreen and Rami al-Khateeb were among those injured. At least one child was detained. Meanwhile, Israeli guards stationed at the mosque’s gate stopped Palestinians from entering the site ahead of Friday prayers… Worshipers coming from the occupied West Bank and within Israel were allowed to enter shortly after.”
You could have provided some context.
1. militant groups in Gaza called for “hundreds of thousands” of Palestinians to converge on the compound on Friday “to protect our nation and our mosque”.
They chose the weekend of Jewish Passover for this. Last year this happened and Hamas fired rockets towards Jerusalem following clashes at the mosque – what followed was an 11-day war with Israel.
2. Islamist groups have mounted a number of attacks on civilians within Israel in recent weeks. Thus condemning Israel for policing actions on locations of investigation afterwards has a context also.
In this context there have been two provocations – of a design by those who do not recognise the state of Israel’s existence. Of a design to enable those who lie in wait to condemn Israel for any response – and label it a racist and apartheid state to de-legitimise it.
One can note how Putin has done the same to Ukraine before attacking it.
Look when terrorism there increases
1. After Arafat rejected the land for peace offer of 2000, an intifada.
2. With disengagement (withdrawal from Gaza and proposals for the same on the West Bank), rockets out of Gaza
3. Now after the inclusion of an Arab Israeli party in a government coalition for the first time – the attempt to reprise the events of last year (provoked by the former government of Likud and its hardline policies -emboldened by support from the Trump administration for its control over East Jerusalem).
It’s hardly consistent to be concerned about NATO’s failure of diplomacy leading to war, and being a sock puppet for Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Islamic State.
Is there anything really unique about this states (Israel) (Jewish) nationalism apart from its occupation of territory beyond its agreed borders?
Instead of protesting Israel’s actions, how about promoting something constructive – UN occupation of Gaza and the West Bank areas beyond Jewish settlement. That would end Israeli policing actions of Arab settlement areas and also any response to rocket attacks. Or would UN occupying the Arab population territory and disarming terrorist groups be wrong?
The killing of 16 year old Qusai Hamamra:
Hamamra, local sources added, sustained critical injuries from Israeli military gunfire during confrontations in the vicinity of the town’s main entrance.
The confrontations erupted after Israeli occupation soldiers sealed off the town entrances, preventing the residents from exiting and entering it.
Israeli soldiers prevented Palestinian medics from providing first aid to Hamamra, leaving him to bleed to death.
Hamara’s body was briefly withheld by the military before being eventually released to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The town mayor, Mohammad Sabatin, said that the killing triggered renewed confrontations, which saw the soldiers opening fire on local youths, wounding four with live ammunition and causing dozens of others to suffocate. https://www.palestinechronicle.com/palestinian-teenage-boy-killed-by-israeli-forces-near-bethlehem/
@AlaaFuad00
Hamamra was 14 years old, not 16: https://www.palestinechronicle.com/palestinian-teenage-boy-killed-by-israeli-forces-near-bethlehem/
Six Palestinians were killed by the Israelis in 24 hours (Haaretz), with many wounded.
“It’s a killing spree pure & simple. Israel’s occupation regime deliberately kills & destroys Palestinian lives with impunity. Enough! JUST STOP IT!” – @DrHananAshrawi
During Ramadan, Israeli police deployed tear gas and stun grenades at the holy site, injuring dozens and arresting hundreds of Palestinians.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) denounced Israeli police’s violent storming of Al Aqsa mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, calling the actions “wrong” and “cruel.”
Early Friday, as thousands of worshippers were gathered at the holy site for morning prayers, Israeli police fired tear gas and stun grenades on the mosque compound and entered the building and arrested hundreds of Palestinians, The Associated Press reported.
Israeli authorities said young Palestinians had thrown rocks toward a gate leading to the Western Wall, a sacred Jewish prayer space. Palestinian witnesses told the news outlet a small group had thrown rocks at Israeli police who then went on to attack the compound.
Medics with the Palestinian Red Crescent said over 150 Palestinians were injured, reports Al Jazeera. Israeli authorities said over 300 people were detained.
“It is simply wrong + cruel to attack a people in their sacred place of worship,” Tlaib, who is Palestinian, said in a tweet later on Friday. “I am tired of our country enabling violence & violations of int’l human rights w/ silence & unconditional aid.” Full article at https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rashida-tlaib-israel-police-al-aqsa-mosque_n_6259b7afe4b052d2bd61cca8
The iconic stained glass windows inside the al-Aqsa mosque: https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/palestine-al-aqsa-mosque-windows-stained
It is not the fault of the Palestinians that the dopey Anglo/American idiots thought that Palestine was a bit of spare dirt the jews could have (after all their Zionist terrorism to achieve that goal). Just like the way the Poms and French fucked up the Middle East divisions after WW1. And we’re expected to believe we Britishers are civilized?
A Palestinian women killed last week by Israeli forces was Ghada Sabateen. She was 47, partially blind and the widowed mother of six. https://www.albawaba.com/news/israeli-soldiers-shoot-dead-partially-blind-palestinian-woman-ghada-sabateen-1473089
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/10/israel-army-launches-new-raid-in-jenin-after-tel-aviv-attacks
https://www.timesofisrael.com/unarmed-palestinian-woman-killed-by-israeli-troops-near-bethlehem/
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/palestinian-woman-shot-dead-by-israeli-troops-after-suspicious-approach-1.10732592
They have done it again.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/17/israel-police-enter-al-aqsa-mosque-arrest-two
Israeli police have entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as worshippers gathered for early morning prayers, two days after detaining hundreds at the site in another raid at the mosque.
Israeli authorities said they entered the compound on Sunday to facilitate routine visits by far-right Jews to the holy site and that Palestinians had stockpiled stones and set up barriers in the compound.
The police cleared Palestinians out of the sprawling esplanade outside the mosque, while dozens remained inside.
Palestinian medical workers said at least 19 people were injured. Three people were transferred to the hospital after being beaten or hit by rubber-coated bullets, according to The Palestinian Red Cross. The organisation said it was prevented from accessing the compound but managed to assist the injured near Bab al-Asbat. Full article at the link
More from that article:
“Tensions had been high after the far-right Jewish group Return to Temple Mount offered a cash prize to anyone who went into Al-Aqsa Mosque and sacrificed a goat – a Jewish religious ritual that is prohibited inside the mosque and that would constitute a further provocation.”
“This didn’t happen but it went viral on social media,” Ghoneim said, adding that it contributed to a rise in tensions.
The Palestinian Authority on Sunday laid the blame on Israel for the consequences of the current tension at Al-Aqsa.
“We call on the US administration to break its silence and stop this aggression that will inflame the entire region,” authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement carried by state news agency Wafa.
Infographic, How many Palestinians are imprisoned by Israel
Israel holds some 4,450 Palestinians – including 160 children, 32 women, and 530 administrative detainees – in prisons.
On April 17 every year, Palestinian Prisoner’s Day is commemorated to highlight the plight of those held in Israeli jails and their struggle for freedom against the Israeli occupation.
Over the course of 2021, the Israeli military arrested nearly 8,000 Palestinians, including more than 1,300 minors and 184 women.
Israeli authorities also issued more than 1,500 administrative detention orders – holding Palestinians without charge or trial, according to prisoners’ rights group Addameer.
As of April 10, 2022, there were 4,450 Palestinians held in Israeli jails in Israel and the occupied territory.
For Palestinians, they are political prisoners fighting to end Israel’s illegal occupation. Of those:
530 are held without charge or trial
160 are children
32 are women
549 are serving life sentences
499 are serving a sentence of more than 20 years
Child prisoners
Israel is the only country in the world that tries children in military courts, often denying them their basic rights.
The Israeli army has imprisoned more than 12,000 Palestinian children since 2000, according to Addameer.
Most of these children were charged with “throwing stones”, a crime punishable under military law by up to 20 years in prison.
Currently, 160 Palestinian children remain in Israeli prisons, most are in pre-trial detention and have not been convicted of any offence. Full article, with even more disturbing details, and infographic, at the link
By our silence, we are complicit.
I used to feel proud that Nanaia was representing us on the international stage.
Now, after reading the post above, not so much.
@mehdirhasan
Comments are closed.