Israeli State Terror Crowd Control Weapons: Justice Denied Far Too Long
16 January 2013
By Stephen Lendman
State terror is official Israeli policy. Community
incursions, assaults, and other violent incidents
occur daily. Palestinian suffering follows.
They have no rights. Peaceful demonstrators are
attacked. In August 1967, Israel issued Military Order
No. 101 ("Order Regarding Prohibition of Incitement
and Hostile Propaganda Actions," as later amended).
Public or private political gatherings, assemblies,
processions, or vigils of more than 10 Palestinians
without permission are prohibited.
Any attempt to "influence public opinion….in a manner
liable to harm public safety or public order" is
considered lawless.
Publications "contain(ing) material with political
significance" are banned. They include printed,
photographed, recorded, filmed, online, or other
materials.
Displaying national symbols is prohibited. Military
commanders have full authority. They "may empower any
soldier or police officer….to exercise his powers in
accordance with this order."
"(A)ny soldier shall have the authority to use the
force necessary" for enforcement.
Violators face up to 10 years imprisonment, a heavy
fine, or both. Palestinians have no legal right to
demonstrate, express views freely, or engage in
nonviolent peaceful protests.
Police state terror confronts those who try.
Palestinian rights are systematically denied. On
February 10, 2010, Israel's OC Central Command issued
sweeping a priori orders.
They prohibited Bil'in and Ni'lin demonstrations. With
or without other orders, they apply throughout the
West Bank and East Jerusalem. They called peaceful
gatherings illegal.
B'Tselem addressed the issue. Its new report is titled
"Crowd Control: Israel's Use of Crowd Control Weapons
in the West Bank."
Background information was provided. Palestinians,
supportive Israelis, and foreign activists regularly
protest. They oppose Israel's Annexation Wall and
other occupation abuses.
Israel responds violently. Private Palestinian land
becomes closed military areas. It's declared off
limits. Anyone entering is attacked.
According to B'Tselem, "Israeli security forces make
extensive use of crowd control means, even when
demonstrations have been restricted to a populated
area and are not permitted to leave its boundaries."
At times, lethal force is used. Young children are
attacked like adults. Arrests follow. So do injuries
and deaths. Palestinian lives, welfare and rights
don't matter.
"Crowd control weapons are supposed to be non-lethal,"
says B'Tselem. Endangering human life is prohibited.
Israel willfully uses dangerous terror weapons. Severe
injuries, deaths, and property damage follow.
Tear gas is Israel's main weapon of choice. It's a
chemical irritant. Grenades are used to disperse it.
Eyes and respiratory systems are affected.
Several types are labeled "Made in USA." A rubber tear
gas grenade (called "400" or "skittering grenade") can
be hand thrown or fired from rifle launchers. They
also fire 40mm aluminum canisters (called "gas
rockets").
Splitting tear gas grenades are used. Some are
40mm-caliber canisters. Several types of launchers
fire them. They can be used one at a time or in
multiples up to six in quick succession.
Security forces also use jeep-mounted systems. They
enable salvos of grenades. They cover large areas.
Stun grenades are diversionary. Their explosions emit
bright light and loud noise. Use is designed to cause
panic. Doing so lets security forces overpower
demonstrators more easily.
Two types of rubber-coated bullets are used. Core
metal is either rubber or plastic coated. Launchers
mounted on rifles fire them.
Israel's Military Industries Ltd. manufactures them.
Israel's Orr Commission investigated excessive force
in October 2000. It was the beginning of the second
Intifada.
It largely blamed Israeli security forces. It said
Israel should "act to erase the stain of
discrimination against Arab citizens in all its
various forms and expression."
It prohibited rubber-coated bullets use inside Israel.
Military commanders use them inside its borders and
throughout the Territories with impunity.
It's a popular weapon of choice. It's powerful enough
to cause serious injuries or death. Firing them at
close range is especially harmful.
Skunk is a foul-smelling liquid. It's sprayed from
truck-mounted water cannons. The odor is offensive
enough to get demonstrators to back off.
It doesn't wash off easily. It stays on clothes for
years. Experts disagree on whether Chemical Weapons
Convention provisions imply prohibition. CWC bans
toxic riot control agents in warfare.
Civilian riot control use raises disturbing questions.
Toxicity isn't limited to lethality. Skunk water is
physiologically harmful. It enters homes and stays.
Elderly and ill civilians are most vulnerable.
B'Tselem criticized Israel's crowd control methods,
saying:
"First, the wording of the open-fire and safety
regulations is ambiguous, and in some cases the
regulations cannot be properly followed."
"Second, when security forces in the field violate the
regulations, even systematically, practically no
action is taken to put an end to this wrongful
conduct."
Investigations rarely address illegal actions. When
conducted they're whitewashed. Unaccountability is
policy. B'Tselem's report said the following:
Soldiers and border police "systematically violate
standing orders."
Tear gas grenades, rubber-coated bullets, and other
weapons are fired "directly at demonstrators with the
aim of hitting them." Other times they're used
"carelessly." Doing so contravenes regulations.
Security forces fire weapons "at a closer range than"
permitted. Doing so makes them potentially lethal.
Young children are targeted. Passersby are
indiscriminately hit. Everyone nearby is endangered.
Live fire is used. B'Tselem documented its use "in
circumstances that were not life-threatening."
Hardened assembly and free expression prohibitions
follow crowd control measures. Demonstrators are
arrested. Organizers are most vulnerable. Foreign
nationals involved are deported. Israeli participants
are treated harshly.
Disproportionate force is policy. So is
unaccountability. Security forces operate with
impunity. Nothing too harsh is off limits. Rules,
regulations, and international laws are systematically
violated.
Police states operate that way. Palestinians suffer
most.
A Final Comment
On December 10, the Palestinian Center for Human
Rights (PCHR) headlined "Palestine to the ICC." It did
so on Human Rights Day.
It commemorates the day General Assembly members
adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
in 1948.
World leaders pledged to "complement the UN Charter
with a road map to guarantee the rights of every
individual everywhere." Fulfillment never followed
promise. PCHR launched its own campaign.
It "aims to encourage the relevant stakeholders,
namely the State of Palestine, the Prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court and the international
community, to fulfill their responsibilities in
ensuring justice and redress for Palestinian victims
on violations of international law."
Ten years after the ICC's creation, PCHR "demand(s)
accountability for the countless Palestinian victims
who have been denied access to justice for so long."
Rome Statute drafters recognized that "all people are
united by common bonds, their cultures pieced together
in a shared heritage."
Rights this important are universal. Article 2 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights states "no
distinction shall be made on the basis of the
political, jurisdictional or international status of
the country or territory to which a person belongs,
whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing
or under any other limitation of sovereignty."
Sixty-four years later, countless millions await
justice, "simply because of the political status of
the land into which they are born."
Palestinian discrimination is longstanding. Their
rights are systematically denied. Conditions worsen
annually. Expanding settlements steal their land.
Police state ruthlessness targets resisters.
Besieged Gazans are collectively punished. They're
isolated and "forced into de-development." Relentless
attacks target them. Civilians suffer most.
Crimes of war, against humanity, and slow-motion
genocide continue. International leaders turn a blind
eye. Israeli criminals go unpunished.
PCHR wants them held accountable. The ICC is a
permanent tribunal. It was established to prosecute
individuals for crimes too important to ignore.
"Palestine to the ICC….aims to encourage the relevant
actors to fulfill their responsibility in ensuring
that Palestine gains access to the ICC."
It should sign and ratify the Rome Treaty. It should
"lodge a declaration with the Court's Registrar under
Article 11(2) and 12(3) of the Statute."
Investigating Israeli crimes and accountability should
follow. Justice has been denied far too long.
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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