Why do they throw stones?

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

http://972mag.com/why-do-they-throw-stones/111788/

Only in Israel can one speak about an intifada without mentioning the occupation. Only here can one change the IDF’s open-fire regulations without addressing what soldiers are doing on Palestinian land, with who sent them to walk around neighborhoods and cities, and for what purpose.

Stone throwing has made headlines once again this week, and the entire establishment went into a craze over the question of “how do we deal with this?” Facebook was filled with creative answers, such as punishing judges who refrain from sentencing teenager stone-throwers to life. Any judge who shows mercy will not be promoted. The only thing lacking from this proposal was how to forcefully deal with these kinds of judges who also happen to be Arab. I suggest establishing a new investigative committee to look into how on earth these judges were appointed in the first place.

On the first day of the Jewish New Year, the cabinet held an emergency session following the death of a man who crashed his car after Palestinians threw stones at it. This, of course, is a tragic story, and far be it from me to diminish its severity. But before someone repeats the mantra that you were taught by politicians — “You Arabs must condemn, decry, and swear that you are against this despicable act of violence…” — I will say that I refuse to give you even that moment of ease, just so I can talk about the issue. You will need to suck it up and wait until we properly discuss it.
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I listened for hours to the news broadcasts and interviews on the topic of stone throwing. Not a single journalist mentioned the ongoing attacks or what Jews are doing to Palestinians. Not a single word on the settlements in occupied territory. In fact, they didn’t even use the word settlements: “We are five minutes from Pisgat Ze’ev, that is, Jerusalem,” said one of the interviewees on Israel Radio, “why do they throw stones?”

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

1. More...

Al-Murabitun and Al-Murabitat are groups of Palestinian men and women — citizens of Israel and Jerusalemites — who volunteer to be present at Al-Aqsa Mosque, to pray, and guard the mosque from extremist Jews at all hours of the day.

The Israeli government, which does an excellent job at outlawing anything and anyone when it starts losing control, decided last week to ban the two groups.

Still unidentified extremists who burn down churches and homes with sleeping babies do not bother anyone in the government. On the other hand, the government continues to abuse hundreds of worshippers at Al-Aqsa.

This is how a diabetic, 50-year-old woman from Lydd who goes to Jerusalem on weekly basis to pray describes it: “Every time they want something else. They change the hours of entry, or they limit the age of entry. Sometimes they let my son in, other times I go alone. Lately they started taking our IDs. We gave them to the soldiers, who is going to argue with them? In the end they took the IDs to the Russian Compound jail, telling all the women to walk there in order to retrieve them. For no reason. We waited for three hours and then went home. They want to teach us a lesson so that we do not come back here.”

[oberliner]

2. "You are living in a place that does not belong to you — where you will never, ever feel safe..."

The author is saying that Jerusalem (the part that includes the Jewish Quarter) is a place where Jews will never, ever feel safe.

[leveymg]

3. That could just as easily be said of the Palestinians.

They also feel the same way in the Arab quarter and on the West Bank. It's an impasse, a dilemma, and a mutual affliction that can't be broken by the immediate parties. Only the entire world can impose a settlement to the settlement crisis. Even the world can't do that without the United States, so the burden is on us to decide, and the blame if we don't do so wisely and justly. And soon.

[oberliner]

4. It's depressing that anyone would say that about anyone else

I agree that it goes both ways, but it's just such an awful sentiment in any context.

[geek tragedy]

5. The U.S. has no productive role to play there.

Our political system is such that only one policy is possible--maximalist support of Israel even if it enables self-destructive behavior.

[oberliner]

6. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about

And I mean that with all due respect.

Do you know how many hundreds of millions of dollars the US has sent the Palestinians?

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

9. How many Billions has the UN given to the Israeli war machine which

then finds it's way into the West Bank to suppress the population?

Give it a rest for tonight, ober.

[oberliner]

12. Quite a few

The US administration is definitely a strong ally of Israel, however, they have also done probably more than any other country in terms of financial support for the Palestinian Administration. They have also devoted a great deal of time and energy and resources in trying to bring Israeli and Palestinian leaders together to work towards a peace agreement. President Obama has always publicly and vociferously expressed strong disagreement with Netanyahu and his policies on repeated occasions. It has certainly not been "maximalist support of Israel" by any stretch of the imagination.

[Israeli]

11. I completely agree leveymg.....

......dont look to us for a " settlement to the settlement crisis. " it wont ever happen , not without pressure from the rest of the world .

[MisterP]

7. by now I can't tell if we're talking about Palestinians or settlers

ditto indefinite "administrative detention"--but beyond this Frankenstein's monster Israel's accidentally fused itself to the West Bank and can't be "a Jewish country" like it's pretended it could be

Jerusalem can't play both the "foreign territory" and "settlements" at the same time

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

8. Unless Israel is planning another Nakba then it might just be a 1-state solution

regardless if it likes it or not.

I'm curious as to what Abbas plans on saying at the UN in a week.

[MisterP]

10. a naqba requires 1. the ability to move to "elsewhere,"

a radius which was under 200 miles 1947-9 and 2. complicit countries next door: Amman, Cairo, and Damascus never cared too much about Palestinians per se, but now they're all basically aflame or about to be