With mass protests roiling Lebanon and Iraq,
unsettling developments in Syria and Yemen, and the latest episode of
the continuing soap opera that calls itself Israeli politics, little
attention is being given to the plight of the Palestinians. One
consequence of this neglect is that both Israel and US President Donald Trump’s administration feel they have been given a free hand to accelerate the oppression of the beleaguered Palestinian people.
Two reports passed my desk this week, both of which make
this point and require our attention. First, as a result of the loss of
US aid to UNRWA, the agency reported that it has been forced to make
drastic cuts in programmes and personnel. I will quote freely from the
UNRWA report in order to fully establish the magnitude of the loss.
In Gaza, “in order to protect food assistance [UNRWA]
provides to one-half of the population, other critical programmes were
cut.” These included: All housing subsidies for those still rendered
homeless from the 2014 war; drastic reductions in in the “cash for work
programme”, cut by 59 per cent, and the community mental health
programme, cut by 40 per cent. In addition, UNRWA was forced to end all
repairs to the refugee camps’ water and sanitation systems and to end
“programs supporting students whose education was impacted by conflict.”
In the West Bank, funding was slashed by 67 per cent,
resulting in: Ending the community mental health and mobile health
clinic programmes; ending the “cash for work program for 90,000
refugees”, and limiting food assistance to only 30 per cent of eligible
refugees. In addition, as a result of cuts to educational programs, the
average class size in the West Bank has been expanded from 30 to 50
students. Even more desperate were the cuts to UNRWA programmes serving
refugees in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
All of this has been compounded by the Trump
administration’s decision to cut funding to American non-governmental
organisations that provide important development and humanitarian
support to Palestinians throughout the occupied lands.
In addition to being denied essential services by these
cruel decisions, Palestinians living under military occupation have been
forced to endure continued acts of repression and brutality at the
hands of the Israeli military and vigilante settler groups, both of
which operate with impunity throughout the West Bank. This brings me to
the second report, a weekly cataloguing of human rights violations
compiled by Mondoweiss. While these Israeli behaviors are reported only
occasionally in the press, seeing them collected, in full, each week
presents a horrifying picture of life under Israeli military rule.
Because this last week witnessed the celebration of Jewish
holidays, there were a number of incidents directly related to hostile
measures taken to allow Israelis to visit holy sites in the West Bank.
For example, on October 17, busloads of Israeli settlers, escorted by
Israeli army personnel, entered Nablus without permission to pray at the
site Jews believe to be the burial place of the prophet Joseph. Since
Nablus is within Area A, it is supposedly under the full control of the
Palestinian Authority. As Palestinians gathered to protest this
incursion, they were fired on by Israeli soldiers. Four were shot and
wounded with live ammunition, 17 were injured by rubber bullets and 34
were hospitalised suffering from smoke inhalation.
The Israeli occupation forces also used the holy days to
close Hebron’s Ibrahim Mosque to Muslims for two days, giving Jewish
worshippers full access to the Mosque. They also closed several major
arteries in the West Bank to allow for settlers to travel freely and to
hold a “settlers’ marathon race”.
During this same period, the Israeli military invaded at
least 14 Palestinian villages, shot and injured nine young men and
detained over four dozen. These raids included a number of home
invasions, which resulted in extensive property damage and theft, and an
attack on a wedding party that witnessed beatings and injuries to some
of those present who objected to the soldier’s behaviour.
A continuing reality of daily life in the West Bank are
attacks by settlers on Palestinians farming their land located near
Israeli settlements and outposts. The most notorious of these occurred
in the village of Burin where settlers have engaged in numerous attacks
disrupting villagers harvesting their olive crop. This past week,
settlers uprooted olive trees, set fires that consumed hundreds of acres
of farmland, and beat Palestinians who attempted to stop this
vandalism. Settlers also attacked and beat Israeli volunteers who had
come to assist and protect the Palestinians of Burin during the harvest.
Settler attacks occurred not only in villages but on roads
as well, harassing Palestinians on their way to work. These assaults
and the Palestinians’ response to them prompted a bizarre warning issued
by the military to some villagers, cautioning them against taking
action to resist the settlers’ vigilante behaviour. This was most likely
prompted by a warning made by the Palestinian mayor of Sebastia, who
threatened to shoot or arrest settlers who might break into the town
during the Jewish holidays, or the story of an elderly man who
confronted Israeli settlers stealing his olive harvest and was beaten so
badly he had to be hospitalised.
The above is only an excerpt of the many instances of
abuse encountered by Palestinians during the week covered in the report.
Also mentioned were: The shootings by Israeli snipers of 73 Palestinian
protestors during the weekly “March of Return” protests that took place
at five locations along the Gaza border; a number of home demolitions
done either as an act of collective punishment or to limit Palestinian
population growth in Jerusalem; continued repressive actions designed to
increase Israel’s control of Jerusalem; unprovoked attacks on
Palestinian fishermen operating within the three mile limit allowed to
them by the Israeli authorities; and the announcement of the
construction of 251 new Jewish-only settlement units on Palestinian
land.
What is most concerning about all of these horrors is how
little coverage they receive not only in the US press but in the Arab
World’s press, as well. With events in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen
dominating the news, the plight of the Palestinians has taken a back
seat. When news related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict receives
coverage at all, it is driven by the drawn-out drama of Israel’s
dysfunctional political system.
Accounting for this, to be sure, is some weariness with
the century-old plight of the Palestinians and some justifiable
frustration with the Palestinian leadership, which has lost its ability
to inspire confidence. But, while all, of this may be true, it is
imperative that Palestinian people not be forgotten. In this context I
am reminded of a moving moment in Arthur Miller’s powerful play “Death
of a Salesman”. Willy Loman, the salesman in question, is a tragic
figure who has done little to earn the support of his two sons. As he
nears his final breakdown, his wife speaks to her sons about the respect
owed to their father. She says, “… he’s a human being, and a terrible
thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He’s not to be
allowed to fall in his grave … Attention, attention must finally be paid
to such a person.”
And so, my dear readers, I urge you to consider that as
you focus on all of the other conflicts unfolding across the Arab World,
do not forget what is happening to the Palestinian people under
occupation. Put aside your weariness and your frustrations and give
attention to what they are enduring every single day. “Attention must be
paid” before it’s too late.
*
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James J. Zogby is president of the Washington-based Arab American Institute.
The original source of this article is The Jordan Times
Copyright © James J. Zogby, The Jordan Times, 2019
