Netanyahu's Israel: Life in Occupied
Palestine Harsh - Cruel, Unjust And Ruthless
10 December 2012
By Stephen Lendman
He's made Israel more unfit to live in than any of his
predecessors. Palestinians have no rights whatever.
Israeli Arabs have few. Most Jews are losing theirs
incrementally.
Neoliberal harshness plans destroying Israel's safety
net entirely. Budget cuts target housing, healthcare,
education, employment and welfare.
Labor rights are eroding. So is public education.
Disabled Israelis find it harder than ever to find
jobs. Regressive taxes benefit business and wealthy
elites. Others least able to afford it face growing
burdens.
Poor Israelis are blamed for their own condition.
Increasingly they're left on their own sink or swim.
Judicial help is absent. Courts reject petitions
against cutbacks in income insurance and benefits for
the elderly. Others affecting education and healthcare
were denied. Even Israel's High Court is
unsympathetic.
Former civil service officials complain. Diminishing
social services harm growing numbers of Israelis.
Netanyahu prioritizes eliminating them altogether.
The problem borders on grave. It gets little public
attention. Waging war on Palestine and threatening
Iran matter more.
Israel's most disadvantaged face growing poverty,
homelessness, and hunger. Yad Eliezer addresses these
problems. It says over 700,000 Israeli children are
impoverished. It's many thousands more than that.
The gap between rich and poor increases annually.
Depravation accompanies it. Netanyahu cut welfare
instead of increasing it to help those most in need.
Ezrat Avot helps poor families. It says growing
numbers "are simply not making it. There is a large
proportion of society here who are working and don't
have enough money for food."
Some are low income workers. Others work part-time or
are partially disabled.
Israeli government data say one-fourth of Israelis are
impoverished. It's double the OECD average. It's the
second highest among OECD countries.
Food insecurity is a major problem. Families worry
about getting enough to eat. Others face homelessness.
Conditions are getting progressively worse.
Legislation systematically erodes social rights.
Business and military priorities let vital social
needs go begging.
In 2011, Israel had 442,200 officially poor families.
They comprise 1,838,600 people. They include 860,900
children. Israel's total population numbers about 7.5
million.
In October, Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics
(CBS) said one-third of Israelis risk impoverishment.
In the past few years, conditions deteriorated
significantly.
In 2000, 27% of Israelis risked impoverishment. In
2010, it was 31%. CBS said compared to EU countries,
conditions in Israel are very bad and worsening.
The combination of low wages and rising cost of living
affects growing numbers. Soaring home and rental
prices top Israeli concerns. Prices are rising
exponentially.
In some places like Hadera, they doubled in the past
four years. Other than prioritize settlement
construction, Netanyahu does nothing to address the
problem. Growing numbers of Israelis are being priced
out of house and home.
Unlike other parts of Israel's economy, housing is
dispersed among many government agencies. They
include:
o Interior Ministry planning bodies;
o Housing Ministry and Israel Lands Administration
involved in selling property;
o Bank of Israel directed mortgage and lending policy;
o Finance Ministry tax policy; and
o Interior Ministry and Industry, Trade and Labor
Ministry labor policies.
Systematic integrated policymaking is absent. Chronic
problems affect builders. Slow planning approval
creates bottlenecks. They last months or years. Land
is in short supply where demand is greatest.
Mass privatization of Israel's economy and
government-directed social safety net destruction
exacerbate crisis conditions.
Many Israelis can't find affordable housing, feed
their families properly, educate them, provide them
proper healthcare, and make ends meet overall.
In summer 2011, hundreds of thousands of Israelis
protested for social justice. Smaller numbers came out
last summer. Energy waned. Conditions haven't changed.
Overall they got worse.
Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) Social
and Economic Rights Department director, Tali Nir,
said most Israelis know problems they face reflect
"longstanding and systematic government policy."
Hardline Netanyahu governance toughened them. Doing so
violates former social rights. They're disappearing in
plain sight. What's most essential is heading for
availability only for those who can afford it.
Conditions are grim unless ordinary Israelis force
change. Nothing else will work.
Palestinians face much tougher harshness. It's
shocking how much they endure with so little support.
On December 5, Electronic Intifada contributor Rami
Almeghari suggested Israel's eight terror bombing days
included chemical weapons use.
Hassan Doghmosh suffered severe face and neck burns.
He's suffering horrendously from their effects. He may
never fully recover.
His home was bombed. He has numerous shrapnel wounds.
A neck artery was struck. Severe bleeding followed.
His upper left eye was injured. He has bad chest and
abdomen injuries.
Six-year old Abu Zour is in intensive care. His skull
is fractured. Five-year old Nesma Qalajs suffered
heart wounds. Normal blood flow is impaired. Another
450 children were injured. Some won't survive. Dozens
of others were killed.
Patients report abnormal symptoms. A mother trying to
protect her daughter during bombing fainted. She
required hospitalization. A man with abdomen and leg
injuries was admitted to Nasser hospital with a
strange chemical smell.
Burns suggest nonconventional weapons use. They
penetrate deeply and turn skin blue. During Cast Lead,
Israel used white phosphorous and other terror
weapons.
Generals tests new weapons in small and larger-scale
conflicts. It's virtually certain illegal ones were
used during Pillar of Cloud.
Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qedra said
"it appears that Israel used some explosive weapons or
ammunition that caused deep burns and deep wounds."
"In most cases of those killed, we have seen that
bodies were either torn apart or completely burnt out.
Also, many of those injured have had their lower or
upper limbs amputated."
At least 50 severely injured Gazans remain
hospitalized. Some were transferred to Egypt. Local
and international human rights groups are gathering
information on injuries sustained.
Experts will have final say on weapons Israel used to
terrorize Gazan civilians. Accountability won't follow
proof. Nor will grave war crimes be punished. Israel
freely gets away with murder and much more.
Overnight, hundreds of Israeli soldiers stormed and
ransacked 36 Barqa village West Bank homes. These type
attacks occur pre-dawn. Dozens occur weekly.
Families are terrorized. One resident said soldiers
forced family members in one room. Ransaking destroyed
personal belongings. The next day, children didn't go
to school. They had no clothes to wear.
One Palestinian said soldiers destroyed all their
home's contents. Even livestock was killed. At issue
is vengeful disregard for fundamental human rights.
Innocent civilians are assaulted. One observer called
what happened payback for Palestine's UN upgrade. An
IDF spokeswoman claimed weapons and Hamas affiliated
items were found. She lied.
The attack reflected racist occupation harshness. They
occur multiple times daily. Media scoundrels report
nothing. Imagine the reaction if Palestinians
assaulted Jewish communities this way.
On Thursday, Israeli soldiers attacked central Hebron
civilians. Over 20 Palestinians were hurt. Residents
said soldiers tried to detain an on-duty Palestinian
police office.
Why wasn't explained. He resisted. Other Palestinian
police officers tried to help him. Witnesses said IDF
troops fired indiscriminately. Youths threw stones.
Soldiers responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and
live fire.
Three ambulances were needed to transport wounded
Palestinians to a local hospital. Later reports will
say other communities were attacked on the same day.
So many happen, it's hard keeping track of how many
and where.
Worst of all, no one is held accountable. At best,
rhetorical hand slaps substitute for meaningful
punishment.
Netanyahu and other hardliners believe punishing
Palestinians isn't enough. They want real suffering
inflicted. It comes in many forms.
In late summer 2011, forced Bedouin evictions began.
Thousands in Israeli-controlled Area C were affected.
They were ordered to leave. They were threatened with
force if they refused.
They were displaced to a regional garbage dump. Their
homes were demolished. They had no say. Israel wanted
their land for Jewish development.
Most Bedouins were expelled from the Negev in 1948.
Some lived on Israeli declared land. Others lived on
private Palestinian land.
It doesn't matter. Palestinians Israel wants
dispossessed get moved whether or not they agree. Few
wish to go. Soldiers and bulldozers have final say.
Twenty Bedouin communities living in the E1 corridor
now face likely eviction. Whether or not construction
begins, Israel wants them out.
About 2,300 people are affected. They have no say.
Israel freely violates their rights. A local Bedouin
group hopes EU nations will intervene. Expect little
more than rhetorical support.
Around 80% of Bedouins on Jerusalem's eastern
periphery are refugees. Israel exiled their families
from the Negev. Since Israel's occupation began, their
rights have been repeatedly comprised.
They're moved at the whim of Israeli authorities.
They're prevented from building permanent housing or
connecting to essential infrastructure.
They're dispossessed on their own with no rights.
Netanyahu enforced harshness inflicts greater
punishment. Much goes on out of sight and mind.
Most Israelis don't know or care. Life in Occupied
Palestine is harsh. Under Netanyahu, it's cruel,
unjust and ruthless.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached
at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book is
titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized
Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit his
blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to
cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on
the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive
Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and
Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are
archived for easy listening. http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
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