In Occupied Palestine
Zionism in practice
Israel’s Daily Toll on Palestinian Life, Limb, Liberty and Land
08:00, 01 November until 08:00, 02 November 2024
[Source of statistics: Palestinian Monitoring Group]
Gaza Strip
Attacks: There are no safe places for the militarily-dominated population in Gaza, who find themselves subjected to airstrikes and other missile attacks on buildings, homes and many essentialfacilities, as well as constant gunfire and invasions by Israeli forces. The Israeli Navy continues to fire missiles, targeting facilities and buildings along the entire Gaza shoreline.
Victims: 55 more people have been killed within the past 48 hours, bringing the total number killed in Gaza since 7 October to at least 43,314. Another 192 have been wounded, bringing that total to 102,019. The daily average number of men, women and children killed in Gaza is at least 110 and, that of those injured, is now more than 260.
‘Free Palestine’: Gideon Polya’s Overwhelming Evidence
By Stuart Rees | 01/11/2024 | Counter Currents.org
At a time when Israeli’s military continues its genocidal slaughter of the people of Gaza, mostly women and children, when torture of Palestinian prisoners reaches the depths of barbarity, when Lebanese citizens are murdered, their towns and villages destroyed, a so called international community watches. At least one principled Australian citizen has done far more than watch. In response to decades of Israel’s unholy trinity : destroy, destroy, kill, kill, lie, lie, Dr Gideon Polya, a scientist, author, human rights activist, has crafted visions for a potentially socially just future for Palestinians as well as Israelis. He does so in the 761 pages of his voluminous books, ‘Free Palestine.’ This wide ranging work, marinated by scrupulously careful research, is a Wikipedia like achievement. It will therefore outlive the Israeli barbarities and the western world’s reluctance to hold Israel to account.
Gideon provides encyclopaedic sources to explain Israeli terror. Anyone delving into the book can identify Israeli colonialist aggression, their stealing of Palestinian lands and their determination to ethnically cleanse Palestine, a goal compounded by their macabre pride in slaughtering people whom their leaders do not regard as human. The book’s contents are so comprehensive as to be exhausting as well as exhaustive. Early chapters provide the detail of Israel’s genocidal activities long before the Gazan government, Hamas, revolted in October 2023 took over 200 hostages and killed more than 1000 Israelis.
Israeli leaders and their western supporters have spoken as though nothing happened before October 2023, as though everyone should be blind to decades of Israeli slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinians, as though Hamas are the only terrorists. Gideon mocks and disproves those claims.
A compelling feature of Gideon’s attention to history, concerns his comparisons between Australia’s genocidal policies towards First Nation peoples and the terrifying violence of Israeli military, police and settlers towards the Indigenous people of Palestine. In both cases, colonialist invaders committed war crimes.
In a project which seeks to free Palestine by showing Israel’s racist, apartheid policies, which wants to ensure that every reader knows of US military and financial support for this discriminatory one religion state, there are highly significant sections. Special and unusually brief attention to specific people and events comes from a smörgåsbord menu. Take your pick.
Engaging topics include Israel’s lying about their murder of renowned and loved Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, evidence showing Israel leading the world in killing children and journalists, plus revelations about cowardly, thoughtless Melbourne University adopting the IHRA’s sloppy, controversial definition of anti-Semitism. As befits a scientist scrupulous in attention to details, Gideon is careful to distinguish between aggressive, land grabbing, terrorist oriented Zionism and Judaism. As the yardstick for assessing Israel’s Zionist policies, he quotes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
Scrutiny of those documents leads to chapters on the similarities between racism and apartheid in Australia and in Israel, plus similar practices across the US and Canada. Gideon expresses the outrage which readers should surely feel, and does so with massive accumulation of evidence and in a few cases with his taste for a welter of adjectives. Not hidden by the characteristically empirical nature of his inquiries, Gideon nevertheless makes clear his concern with kindness, with non violence, with deep respect for human rights and for a common humanity.
This is a work to consult as much as to read, to use as basis for future research not just ponder the past. But Free Palestine is a powerful present indictment of Israel’s horrific, end of time atrocities.
‘Free Palestine’ invites protest and outrage at Israeli genocide and at the connivance of powerful governments, the US, UK, Germany, Australia who aid and abet Israel. I waded through Gideon’s analysis at the same time that 1000 writers, including Arundhati Roy and Sally Rooney, have commented on the seriousness of the events which Gideon Polya describes. Those writers state that in regard to Israeli slaughters, ‘We face the most profound moral, political and cultural crisis of the 21st century.’ Gideon must have anticipated that judgment. In his painstaking presentation of evidence to explain why Palestinians should be freed, he teaches that when witnessing the overwhelming oppression of Palestinians, no one should remain silent. Each of this book’s 36 chapters will tell you why.
Stuart Rees AM, is Professor Emeritus, University of Sydney, founder of the Sydney Peace Foundation, recipient of the Jerusalem (al Quds) Peace Prize and author of the recent Policy Press book ‘Cruelty or Humanity.’
https://countercurrents.org/
Additional articles:
Deadly Israeli strikes on ‘apocalyptic’ north Gaza
Israel on Saturday again carried out deadly air strikes on north Gaza, where the UN calls conditions “apocalyptic”, as Israel continues its deadly assault on Lebanon. Since late September Israel has been engaged in full-scale war on Lebanon while it continues its devastating war on Gaza. The war has threatened to spiral even further after Israel initiated tit-for-tat strikes with Iran over the past few months. Iran’s supreme leader vowed on Saturday a further response to attacks against the Islamic republic and its allies.
Since 6 October Israeli forces have carried out a major air and ground assault on north Gaza, centred on the Jabalia area, destroying what remains of the camp and blocking aid into it. “The situation unfolding in north Gaza is apocalyptic,” said a joint statement by UN agency heads.”The area has been under siege for almost a month, denied basic aid and life-saving supplies while bombardment and other attacks continue,” the heads of the humanitarian, health and other agencies said. “The entire Palestinian population in North Gaza is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence.”
Ilan Pappe on the birth of Israel and the death of Zionism
Can Zionism survive the current war in Gaza? Israeli historian Ilan Pappé believes it can’t. In fact, he argues that the liberation of Palestine is an inevitability. Pappé is the author of 24 books on the Israel-Palestine conflict, and most recently published two books: ‘Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic’ and ‘A Very Short History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict’.
This week on The Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with Ilan Pappé to talk about where the Zionist project originates, why it embraced settler colonialism and why he believes it will ultimately fail to achieve its goals. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
Haaretz publisher: ‘Palestinians are freedom fighters’
Speaking at the London conference, Schocken delivered a stark critique of the ultra-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu while describing the Palestinian resistance as “freedom fighters”.
“The Netanyahu government doesn’t care about imposing a cruel apartheid regime on the Palestinian population,” said Schocken. “It dismisses the costs to both sides for defending the [illegal West Bank] settlements while fighting the Palestinian freedom fighters that Israel calls terrorists.” Schocken described the current situation in the occupied territories and in Gaza as “a second Nakba”, referencing the mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians during Israel’s establishment in 1948. He also called for international pressure on Israel, arguing that “the only way to establish a necessary Palestinian state is to apply sanctions against Israel, against the leaders who oppose it, and against the settlers.”
Spanish MP: Israel must be treated like Nazi Germany
Spanish MP, Ione Belarra, says Israel must be handled like Nаzi Germany instead of like Apartheid South Africa, ‘Israel must be punished instead of reintegrated.’ She emphasised that Israel’s actions must be stopped and measures put in place to ensure they do not happen again, with its leaders put on trial for their crimes.
Lawmakers send letter to Biden questioning US role in Israel’s regional war
Some lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden questioning the involvement of the US armed forces in the Israel’s expanding regional war across the Middle East, Anadolu Agency reports.
“American military involvement in these wars has not been authorised by the United States Congress, as required by the Constitution and US law. “The American people have made it clear that they want to see an immediate ceasefire, an end to these wars and the return of hostages, not deepening American involvement in potentially endless regional war,” the lawmakers wrote. “The Executive Branch cannot continue to ignore the law without Congressional intervention. In the absence of an immediate ceasefire and end of hostilities, Congress retains the right and ability to exercise its Constitutional authority to direct the removal of any and all unauthorised Armed Forces from the region pursuant to Section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution,” they said in the letter.
Activists warn Canada’s IHRA antisemitism handbook silences Israel criticism, Palestinian voices
The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau published a new handbook on antisemitism on Thursday that Palestinian rights activists say could stifle criticism of Israel and lead to the persecution of pro-Palestine activists. The Canadian Handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism is described by the government as “an educational resource as part of its commitment to combating antisemitism”. However, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), claims that the handbook “will have a chilling effect on pro-Palestine speech and activism”. Much of the controversy stems from the involvement of the IHRA, which stands for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and whose definition of antisemitism is widely seen as conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitic rhetoric.
One of the most contentious elements of the handbook, based on the IHRA definition of antisemitism, is the idea that criticising Israel as a racist “ethnostate” is antisemitic. Critics say this ignores the historic and contemporary role of Zionism in the dispossession and oppression of Palestinians, such as the Nakba, Israel’s current illegal occupation of the West Bank and the war on Gaza. “This anti-Palestine, pro-censorship handbook poses a direct threat to civil liberties and will target the critics of Israel’s atrocities, especially Palestinians. We urge Canadian institutions to reject the use of the handbook,” he added. The CJPME claims that over 11,000 Canadians have emailed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling for him to scrap the handbook.
Only Israel joins US to vote for continued embargo on Cuba
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked in a press briefing ‘At what point are you guys going to realise that the entire world, with the exception of you and Israel, thinks that the embargo [on Cuba] is a really bad idea and should be stopped?’ This comes after the UN General Assembly once again almost unanimously passed a resolution calling for the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by Washington to come to an end. The motion passed with only Israel and the US voting against and Moldova abstaining.
West Bank
[Palestinian Monitoring Group]
Israeli Army attack – woman wounded in her home: Jenin – 08:10, Israeli Occupation forces, firing live ammunition, stormed the town of al-Yamoun and wounded a woman while invading her home.
Israeli Army attack: Nablus – 06:35, Israeli forces, firing live ammunition, invaded the city’s eastern neighbourhoods.
Israeli Army attack – on refugee camp – 1 person taken prisoner: Nablus – 06:35, the Israeli Army, firing live ammunition, stormed the Balata refugee camp, taking prisoner one person.
Israeli Army attack – olive harvest sabotage: Hebron – 12:15, armed Israeli Occupation settlers opened indiscriminate fire towards working olive harvesters, and forced them off the land west of al-Majd village.
Israeli Army arson attack – home set on fire: Hebron – 15:30-17:00, armed Israeli settlers opened fire towards people’s homes and set fire to one of them.
Home invasion and forced personal demolition: Jerusalem – the Israeli Occupation forced a resident, Muhammad Nazmi Al-Tawil, to destroy his home in the Silwan neighbourhood – or otherwise be forced to pay an extortionate sum to the Israeli Occupation demolition squads, who would be sent in to do it.
Home invasions – 2 taken prisoner: Jerusalem – 14:15, Israeli Occupation forces raided al-Ram and searched two houses, taking prisoner two people.
Home invasions and population–control: Ramallah – 04:40–17:55, Israeli forces raided the town of Abwein, invaded a number of houses, taking prisoner four people, as well as using a nearbycafé for use as a post to interrogate people.
Home invasions: Hebron – 01:30, the Israeli Army raided the town of Idhna and invaded a number of homes.
Israeli Army olive harvest sabotage – 1 taken prisoner: Jenin – 15:15, Israeli Occupation forces stopped one person, Ahmed Fahmi Muhammad Abu Bakr, from harvesting olives in Yabad and took him prisoner.
Israeli Army armed robbery: Tulkarem – 14:10, Israeli forces robbed al-Nazlah al-Sharqiya villager, Samih Amir Katana, of his bulldozer.
Israeli Army population–control: Qalqiliya – 20:15-20:40, the Israeli Army closed the main road under the Azzun town bridge.
Israeli Army olive harvest sabotage – population–control: Nablus – Israeli troops prevented the olive harvest from continuing, on the outskirts of Qaryut village, and forced harvesters off the land.
Occupation settler terrorism: Tubas – 20:00–21:20, Israeli Occupation settlers invaded the al-Farisiya area in the North Jordan Valley, roaming between houses and threatening residents.
Occupation settler pastoral sabotage: Tubas – 20:05, Israeli Occupation settlers poisoned the Ein al-Bayda village‘s Nora spring, sickening more than 13 sheep.
Occupation settler arson and agricultural sabotage: Tulkarem – 11:20, Occupation settlers invaded Ramin village farmland and set fire to crops.
Occupation settler violence – olive harvest plunder: Tulkarem – 14:10–16:00, Israeli settlers invaded an olive harvest in the village of al-Nazlah al-Sharqiya, assaulting harvesters and plundering the harvest.
Occupation settler violence – olive harvest sabotage: Qalqiliya – 10:45-12:00, Israeli Occupation settlers invaded an olive harvest in the village of Immatin and assaulted harvesters.
Occupation settler violence – olive harvest sabotage: Qalqiliya – 14:30–16:00, Occupation settlers invaded an olive harvest, in Jit village, and assaulted harvesters.
Armed Occupation settler violence – olive harvest sabotage: Nablus – 10:45, an armed guard, from the Magdolim Occupation settlement, forced working olive harvesters off Qusra town land and prevented the harvest from proceeding.
Armed Occupation settler violence – olive harvest sabotage: Salfit – morning, an armed Israeli settler, accompanied by a dog, invaded the olive harvest, west of Deir Istiya, and forced harvesters away from the land, threatening to shoot them.
Occupation settler racist vandalism: Salfit – morning, Israelis, from the Western Ariel – Industrial Zone Occupation settlement, sprayed racist messages and images on vehicles parked on the nearby main road.
Occupation settler land-grab: Hebron – 12:15-16:00, Occupation settlers set up camp in the Khirbet al-Butm area, east of Yatta.
Raid: Jerusalem – 21:00–02:15, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Mikhmas village.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades fired: Jerusalem – 22:30–02:15, Israeli forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided the town of Anata.
Raid: Jerusalem – 23:30–02:30, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Kafr Aqab.
Raid: Ramallah – 10:40-14:10, Israeli troops raided and patrolled Beit Liqiya.
Raid: Ramallah – 14:10-17:55, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the village of Burqa.
Raid – on refugee camp: Ramallah – 15:45-17:55, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the Jalazone refugee camp.
Raid: Ramallah – 16:10, Israeli Occupation forces raided al-Bireh.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades fired: Ramallah – 16:10, Israeli forces, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided Dura al-Qar village.
Raid: Ramallah – 16:10-17:55, the Israeli Army raided the village of Dura al-Qar.
Raid: Ramallah – 20:05–02:10, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the village of Shuqba.
Raid: Ramallah – 22:20, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the town of Beit Liqiya.
Raid: Ramallah – 23:20–02:20, Israeli soldiers again raided the city of al-Bireh.
Raid: Ramallah – 00:35–04:25, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Deir Abu Mash’al.
Raid: Jenin – 13:35-16:30, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the town of al-Silah al-Harithiya.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades fired: Jenin – 16:55, the Israeli Army, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided the town of Ya’bad.
Raid: Jenin – 18:50-20:50, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the village of Anin.
Raid: Jenin – 20:30–01:25, the Israeli military raided the village of Jalboun.
Raids: Jenin – 20:55–01:25, Israeli soldiers raided the villages of Arbouna, Faqua and Beit Qad.
Raid: Jenin – 22:25–02:50, Israeli Occupation forces raided the town of Jaba.
Raids: Tubas – 00:55–02:55, Israeli forces raided and patrolled Tamoun as well as the village of Atouf.
Raids: Tulkarem – 13:40–17:55, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled Baqa al-Sharqiya as well as the villages of Nazlat Abu al-Nar and Nazlat Issa.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades fired: Tulkarem – 14:30-17:55, Israeli troops, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided the village of Farun.
Raids: Tulkarem – 21:30–00:45, the Israeli military raided and patrolled Anabta and Kafr al-Labad, as well as the villages of Ramin and Shufa.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades fired: Qalqiliya – 12:15-14:05, Israeli soldiers, firing rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades, raided Kafr Qaddum.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Qalqiliya – 20:00–06:05, Israeli Occupation forces raided the city, taking prisoner one person.
Raids: Qalqiliya – 20:30–23:50, Israeli forces raided the towns of Azzun and Kafr Thulth, as well as the village of Saniriya.
Raid: Nablus – 11:15-15:20, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the village of Deir Sharaf.
Raid – rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades fired: Nablus – 11:15-13:00, Israeli troops, firing rubber-coated bullets abd stun grenades, raided the town of Beita.
Raid: Nablus – 18:40, the Israeli military raided the town of Beit Furik.
Raid: Nablus – 21:10–02:10, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of Yatma.
Raid: Nablus – 21:40–00:10, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Burin.
Raid: Nablus – 23:15–02:10, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the town of Qusra.
Raid: Nablus – 05:30, the Israeli Army and patrolled the town of Beit Furik.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Nablus – evening, Israeli troops raided Tal village, taking prisoner one person.
Raids: Salfit – 15:05–18:35, the Israeli military raided and patrolled the town of al-Zawiya as well as the village of Rafat.
Raid: Salfit – 15:25-18:35, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the town of Bruqin.
Raids: Salfit – 15:30-18:35, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled Qarawat Bani Hassan and Bidya, as well as the villages of Masha, Sarta and Haris.
Raid: Salfit – 20:30–23:55, Israeli forces raided and patrolled the town of Bidya.
Raids: Salfit – 22:00-midnight, the Israeli Army raided Bruqin and Kafr al-Dik.
Raid: Salfit – 00:10, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the village of Marda.
Raid – 1 taken prisoner: Bethlehem – 13:50, the Israeli military raided al-Khadr, taking prisoner one person.
Raid: Bethlehem – 15:20-21:40, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of Harmalah.
Raid: Bethlehem – 15:30-18:50, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the village of Umm Salamuna.
Raid: Bethlehem – 17:30, Israeli forces raided the town of Tuqu’.
Raid: Bethlehem – 21:40, the Israeli Army again raided Tuqu’.
Raid: Bethlehem – 22:25–04:10, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the village of Artas.
Raid – population–control: Bethlehem – 01:30–02:55, the Israeli military raided the village of al-Jab’a – and ordered two residents to report for interrogation at Israeli Military Intelligence.
Raid: Hebron – 15:30, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the village of Khallet al-Mayya.
Raid: Hebron – 18:00, Israeli Occupation forces raided the town of al-Samou.
Raid: Hebron – 23:20–07:55, Israeli forces again raided the town of al-Samou.
Raid – on refugee camp: Hebron – 01:30–04:10, the Israeli Army raided and patrolled the al-Arroub refugee camp.
Raid: Hebron – 23:20–07:55, Israeli troops raided and patrolled the town of Dura.
Raid: Hebron – 23:20, the Israeli military raided and patrolled al-Dhahiriya.
Raid: Hebron – midnight, Israeli soldiers raided and patrolled the town of Bani Naim.
Raid: Hebron – midnight, Israeli Occupation forces raided and patrolled the town of Yatta.