Ranjan Solomon
Israel’s pogrom to ob-literate the Palestini-ans from the land is o-ngoing with a vigor and r-evenge that is picking po-litical momentum. Whet-her that will work in its intent is another question.
Domination, suppression and control are the strategies that Israel is employing. In a new position pa-per, Adalah, an Israeli hu-man rights organization, la-ys out how the guiding pr-inciples and coalition agre-ements of the new Israeli government intend to deepen Jewish supremacy and racial segregation as the underlying principles of the Israeli regime. Adalah proposes that Israel’s initiativ-es and policies necessitate urgent intervention by int-ernational bodies, includ-ing by the International Cri-minal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Jus-tice (ICJ), and the recon-stitution of the UN Special Committee against Apar-theid.
At the level of civil society, we read reports of tens of thousands of Israelis taking to the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities to protest what they see as an erosion of their country’s democracy. But this huge protest and rally is not about ending apartheid and colonialism in Palestine. Israelis are not demonstrating for j-ustice. Democracy in Israel would mean an end to apartheid. That is not what the Israeli protesters want.
In yet other shocking co-nditions, we read how the Israeli army promised to a-void arresting kids at night. It never ever happened. Despite committing to new procedures to reduce the practice, the army is still using night arrests as a default against Palestinian children. It only gets worse.
Read on. A study shows that 57 percent of Israelis opposed blocking the Supreme Court’s authority in halting legislation from the Knesset, as proposed by Israel’s new government, if the essence of those laws is anti-democratic.
Some consolation, if this is deemed as such – “The Harvard Kennedy School reversed its decision and said it would offer a fellowship to a leading human rights advocate it had previously rejected, after news of the decision touched off a public outcry over academic freedom, donor influence and the boundaries of criticism of Israel.” Only goes to show global advocacy works. Another success story: “More than 90 countries have expressed “deep concern” at Israel’s punitive measures against the Palestinian people, leadership and civil society following a U.N. request for an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice on the legality of Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. More positive news: From Brazil to Chile, Palestinians have good reason to be excited for left-wing victories. But the new governments’ many challenges may temper those hopes.
