De
Palestijnse Great Return March die begon bij de ‘Land Day’ op 30
maart jl. en die zal eindigen bij herdenking van al-Nakba op 15 mei
a.s., heeft tot nu toe aan 45 mensen (inclusief 2 journalisten die
duidelijk herkenbaar aan het werk waren) het leven gekost, daarnaast
werden 7.200 mensen gewond (waaronder veel zwaargewonden) door
geweervuur van ‘heldhaftige’ Israëlische sluipschutters….. Kortom het zoveelste
bloedbad van de fascistische apartheidsstaat Israël…….

De
Palestijnen moet het leven blijvend onmogelijk gemaakt worden en wel zo lang
tot ze ten einde raad besluiten te vertrekken van hun geboortegrond,
waar hun families al honderden jaren hebben gewoond….. Ofwel:
Israël is bezig met een vertraagde etnische zuivering…….

Schieten
op ongewapende mensen, of het executeren van onwelgevallige
Palestijnen is in feite eenzelfde soort handeling, te vatten onder de
noemer standrechtelijke executies (al wordt daaraan voorafgaand
meestal nog een schertsproces gevoerd)……..

Israël maakt zich schuldig aan grootschalige terreur >> hoe lang kijkt de
wereld nog toe voordat het Israël sancties oplegt en haar politieke bestuur, top
van leger en politie worden aangeklaagd bij het Internationaal
Strafhof (ICC) voor:

• massamoord 
• misdaden tegen de menselijkheid 
• het schenden van mensen- en kinderrechten 
• martelingen 
• etnische zuivering 
• oorlogsmisdaden (van het vernielen van infrastructuur tot het bombarderen van huizenblokken)
• discriminatie (het voeren van een apartheidsbewind)
• ernstige schending van de persvrijheid (o.a. middels moord) 
• diefstal van land

In
het volgende artikel van Ramona Wadi wordt verder ingegaan op de door
Israël geplande en uitgevoerde moorden op bekende Palestijnen in
binnen- en buitenland, waaronder de moord op 421 Palestijnse studenten in 2014:

From
Targeted Assassinations to Sniper Fire, How Israel Eliminates
Palestinian Resistance   

Its view is that, for Israel to survive, Palestine’s possibilities must be wiped out, whether the means used are targeted assassinations, sniper fire, or precision targeting of a civilian population.

May
07th, 2018 

By Ramona
Wadi

Gaza
– Palestine’s Great Return March protests at the Gaza border,
which commenced with the commemoration of Land Day on March 30 and
are set to continue until the Nakba anniversary on May 15, have
propelled Israel’s penchant for killing Palestinians to the fore.
So far, 45 Palestinians have been killed by snipers and over 7,200
injured while demonstrating at
the border for their right to return as enshrined in UN Resolution
194.

As
the launch of the protests drew near, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu announced that over 100 snipers would be placed at Gaza’s
border. The rhetoric used was an attempt to distort the Return March,
which is about rights, into a security concern for Israel, and thus
legitimize, according to Israeli parameters, the killing of unarmed
Palestinians.

Framed
against the Great Return March protests at the Gaza border, Israel’s
Minister of Transport, Road Safety and Intelligence, Israel
Katz, warned that
targeted killings of Hamas leaders would be renewed if attacks are
launched against army commanders at the border.

No
soldiers were harmed at the border. Rather than an empty threat,
Katz’s statement reads as a veiled indication of premeditated
aggression.

A
day later, on Saturday April 21, 35-year-old Palestinian scientist
and Hamas member Fadi Mohammed al-Batsh* was gunned down by two
assassins in the vicinity of his home while on his way to dawn
prayers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Whether the Israeli intelligence
agency Mossad was behind the targeted assassination was neither
confirmed nor denied by Israel.

Last
week, Haaretz reported that
the assassins entered Malaysia by using fake Serbia and Montenegro
passports. It is also speculated that
both assassins absconded to Thailand.

In
response to al-Batsh’s assassination, Israeli Foreign Minister
Avigdor Lieberman attempted to downplay Mossad’s role, stating:

There’s
a tradition at this point among terrorist organizations of blaming
Israel for every settling of accounts.”

Israeli
media, however, promoted the narrative of the colonial state’s
policy of targeted assassinations and indicated the possible
involvement of Mossad, linking al-Batsh’s assassination to his
scientific research by citing a
co-authored paper titled “Challenges of Integrating Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles in Civil Application”. Five days after the assassination,
the Jerusalem
Post ran
an article titled “The
Mossad’s Greatest Hits: From Eichmann to al-Batsh.”
About al-Batsh, the article stated that the modus operandi “may fit
into the Tunisia operation pattern of assassinations of weapons
engineers who are threats to Israel and without leaving a trace.”

Mourners
carry the coffin of Palestinian scientist Fadi al-Batsh, after his
body crossed into the Gaza Strip from Egypt during his funeral April
26, 2018. (AP/Adel Hana)

The
reference to Tunisia concerned the assassination of aeronautical
engineer Muhammad al-Zawari, who was killed in Sfax in December 2016
outside his home. According to Hamas, Al-Zawari was part of the
resistance movement  and specialized in drone development. A
report by Al
Jazeera had
also stated that al-Zawari had developed the drones used by Hamas in
2014 during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge.

In
al-Zawari’s case, the identified suspects are of Bosnian
nationality. During a press conference organized by Hamas in Beirut,
the movement claimed the targeted assassination was the work of
“Mossad agents carrying Bosnian passports.” Tunisia
is reported to
be in discussions with Bosnia to extradite the suspect, who was
arrested in Croatia in March 2018. The suspect is currently detained
under extradition custody in Croatia, and Bosnia is seeking to impede
his extradition.

A
recently published book by Ronen Bergman, titled Rise and
Kill First: the secret history of Israel’s targeted
assassinations, reveals that over 2,700 operations carried
out by Israel since its inception have been classified as targeted
assassinations. 

An
ambiguous ruling by Israel’s High Court

In
December 2005, Israel’s High Court upheld the
“right” of the state to resort to targeted assassinations, in
response to a petition submitted in 2002 by the Public Committee
against Torture in Israel and the Palestinian Society for the
Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, which argued that the
practice was illegal and violated international law. The petition was
submitted within the context of the Second Intifada, when Israel
embarked upon a series of targeted assassinations of Hamas leaders.

The
concluding remarks of the court judgment ensured that Israel was
allowed to speculate and given the freedom to determine whether or
not a targeted assassination would be permissible:

It
is decided that it cannot be determined in advance that every
targeted killing is prohibited according to customary international
law, just as it cannot be determined in advance that every targeted
killing is permissible according to customary international law.”

Israel
enjoys further impunity in this regard based on the fact that there
is no standard definition of targeted assassinations in international
law. 

A
history of targeted assassinations

Many
targeted assassinations of Palestinian leaders have been attributed
to Mossad. On July 8, 1972, Mossad assassinated Ghassan
Kanafani,
a Palestinian writer and political leader from the Popular Front of
the Liberation of Palestine, by a car bomb in Beirut. His 17-year-old
niece, Lamis, also died in the explosion.

Mossad
is also said to be behind several assassinations of Palestinian
Liberation Organisation (PLO) members. In what was dubbed as
“Operation
Spring of Youth”
in 1973 in Beirut, Mossad raided the flats of three PLO members —
Muhammad Yousef al-Najjar, Kamal Adwan and Kamal Nasser — and
gunned them down. Adwan’s head was severed from the body as a
result of around 60 bullets fired into his neck.

On
October 26, 1995, Islamic Jihad founder Fathi
Shqaqi was
killed by two assailants in front of the Diplomat Hotel in Sliema,
Malta. Shqaqi was shot five times at point blank range.

In
1997, Mossad poisoned former Hamas leader Khaled Mesha’al in
Jordan. A diplomatic intervention by King Hussein saved his life as
Mossad turned over the antidote.

Since
the Second Intifada, Israel’s targeted assassinations of
Palestinian leaders have shifted towards Hamas. Salah Shehadeh,
leader of Al-Qassam Brigades, was killed on July 23, 2002 in Gaza
City, when the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) dropped a one-ton bomb
onto his house. Fifteen people were killed in the attack.

Sheikh
Ahmed Yassin was murdered upon exiting a mosque on March 22, 2004.
Missiles were fired from an Apache helicopter, killing him and seven
other bystanders.

Mossad
is also said to have been behind the assassination of Mahmoud
al-Mabhouh, one of the founders of al-Qassam Brigades, on January 20,
2010, in Dubai. Tests on blood samples confirmed he was electrocuted.

On
November 14, 2012, Ahmed Jabari, second in command of Hamas’s
military wing, was killed by a drone strike on his car in Omar
Mukhtar Street.

Uri
Brodsky, believed to be a Mossad agent involved in the assassination
of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, is to a court in Warsaw, Poland, Aug. 5, 2010.
(AP/Czarek Sokolowski)

Changing
history by scarring society

In
an interview with
the Times
of Israel,
Bergman states:

I
want to say, that from the very beginning of the state, Israeli
leaders thought that secret operations and assassinations far beyond
enemy lines were a useful tool to change history, or to do something
to reality, without resorting to all-out war.”

The
statement is revelatory on several grounds. Apart from indicating
Mossad’s worldwide operations, it also closes in on two main issues
which are central to the current context of Israel’s resorting to
targeted assassinations. The targeting of individuals who, if allowed
to work in anti-colonial struggle, can embark upon building a
resistance movement that goes beyond mere resilience, should dispel
mainstream depiction of Israel’s aggression on Gaza as “war”.
By Israel’s admission and actions, there is no war, but rather a
premeditated action against a population by targeting individuals who
can contribute to Palestinian security and, as a result, capacity to
further their cause and their rights.

Second,
changing history and reality, as stated by Bergman, can also be
applied to the Gaza context. It is not only the fact that Israel is
choosing strategy over diplomacy, as Bergman says within the context
of his research. Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza are
actively involved in resistance. However, the periodical Israeli
assaults upon Gaza, and Hamas’ attempts to defend the enclave, have
propelled the movement’s visibility when it comes to armed
struggle. The movement also prioritizes education as a revolutionary
goal. During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, Israel directly
targeted higher educational facilities, prompting UNESCO to release a
report documenting the
damage done to infrastructure — 14 educational facilities were
significantly damaged. In addition, 421 students were murdered during
the operation, making up 27.4 percent of Gaza’s death toll.

Eliminating
possibilities of Palestinian resistance

To
eliminate Palestinian resistance, Israel has made it a point to
target segments of Palestinian society, or individuals, that have
potential to develop continuous anti-colonial struggle. It is a
strategic decision for Israel to focus on the link between education
and resistance — hence the high number of students murdered during
Operation Protective Edge, the Palestinian youths murdered by snipers
at the Great Return March, and the targeted assassination of
Palestinian intellectuals and scientists who have the potential to
lead a structured and continuous resistance.

Al-Batsh’s
assassination can be seen as merely another strike against Hamas —
the latest in a series of targeted killings that seek to weaken the
movement’s capacity to develop its own potential for defense in its
limited circumstances.

Yet
it is the limited circumstances that should provoke further insight
into al-Batsh’s assassination. Since 2014, Palestinian Authority
leader Mahmoud Abbas has not ceased calling for Hamas to hand over
complete control of Gaza, including relinquishing armed resistance.
As this appeal was refused repeatedly by Hamas, Abbas retaliated
through sanctions and withholding of financial assistance, piling
further hardships upon the entire enclave that is still reeling from
the damage and displacement as a result of Operation Protective Edge.

There
is no option for Palestinians other than resistance to the
collaborative efforts by Israel and the Palestinian Authority to push
Gaza into an irreversible deterioration. Al-Batsh’s assassination
is part of the former’s plan to reduce the possibilities of
resistance for Palestinians. For Abbas, who has ridiculed resistance
even when Palestinians were being massacred in 2014, the loss of
al-Batsh might trigger other attempts at fostering political disunity
among Palestinians. Apart from the political isolation enforced upon
Gaza, it is the lack of opportunity to develop its military
capabilities further that has derailed resistance. It is clear that
Israel will not take any chances of permitting Hamas to alter the
current implosion. Its view is that, for Israel to survive,
Palestine’s possibilities must be wiped out, whether the means used
are targeted assassinations, sniper fire, or precision targeting of a
civilian population.

Top
Photo | Mourners chant slogans while carry the coffin of
Palestinian scientist Fadi al-Batsh, after his body crossed into the
Gaza Strip from Egypt, during his funeral at Al Emari mosque in
Jebaliya on Thursday, April 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Ramona
Wadi is
an independent researcher, freelance journalist, book
reviewer and blogger.
She writes about the struggle for memory in Palestine and Chile,
historical legitimacy, the ramifications of settler-colonialism, the
correlation between humanitarian aid and human rights abuses, the
United Nations as an imperialist organisation, indigenous resistance,
la nueva
cancion Chilena
and Latin American revolutionary philosophy with a particular focus
on Fidel Castro, Jose Marti and Jose Carlos Mariategui. Her articles,
book reviews, interviews and blogs
have been published in Middle East Monitor, Upside Down World,
Truthout, Irish Left Review, Gramsci Oggi, Cubarte, Rabble.ca, Toward
Freedom, History Today, Chileno and other outlets, including academic
publications and translations into several languages.

Republish
our stories! MintPress
News is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

Read
more by Ramona
Wadi

• The
  Artwork of Palestinian Cartoonist Mohammad Sabaaneh

• Guatemala’s
  Israeli Ties Drive Decision to Move Embassy to Jerusalem

• Despite
  State Policy, Chile is Well Placed to Further the Palestinian
  Struggle

• The
  Consequences of the Symbolic Recognition of Palestine

=================================

* Fadi Mohammed al-Batsh, wiens achternaam in Nederland al-Batash luidt (waarom is me een raadsel >> waarom niet de schrijfwijze die het grootste deel van de wereld gebruikt?)

Zie ook: ‘Israël vermoordde minstens 16 ongewapende demonstranten tijdens grootschalig protest‘

        en: ‘Pro-Israël propaganda in de reguliere westerse media, amper aandacht voor Palestijnse protesten‘

        en: ‘Nederland voorzitter VN Veiligheidsraad, maar heeft tegelijkertijd geen commentaar op Israëlische moorden op ongewapende demonstranten………‘

        en: ‘Gazastrook 2018 – Sharpeville 1960 >> terreur tegen vreedzame demonstranten‘

        en: ‘Schieten op ongewapende vreedzame demonstranten volgens Israël uit zelfverdediging……..‘)

        en: ‘Israël gebruikt nieuw chemisch wapen tegen Palestijnse demonstranten in de Gazastrook‘ (Wel aandacht voor ‘Syrische gifgasaanval’ in Douma, maar als Israël daadwerkelijk dit wapen inzet, blijft het doodstil….Israël, samen met Egypte, de twee landen die nog steeds chemische wapens ontwikkelen, produceren, opslaan en…. exporteren!! Wellicht leveren deze landen ook aan de terreurgroepen, ofwel de ‘gematigde rebellen’ in Syrië, die met instemming van het westen over voorraden gifgas beschikken…… Zowel Israël als Egypte staan achter de psychopathische terreurgroepen in Syrië, groepen die, zoals gezegd, in het westen ‘gematigde rebellen’ worden genoemd…..)

       en: ‘Palestijnen en groot deel wereld rouwen om tweede door Israëliërs vermoorde journalist……….‘

       en: ‘VS ambassade Jeruzalem gedompeld in Palestijnenbloed……..‘ 

       en: ‘Canadese arts neergeschoten door ‘heldhaftige’ Israëlische sluipschutter…..‘

       en: ‘Israel: White Phosphorus Use Evidence of War Crimes‘

       en: ‘Israël schiet 20 raketten af op openluchtgevangenis Gazastrook na wanhoopsdaad Palestijnen…….‘

       en: ‘Israël test nieuwe smerige technologie op demonstrerende Palestijnen‘

       en: ‘Palestijnse slachtoffers Israëlisch bloedbad in Gazastrook krijgen schuld in schoenen geschoven door VS massamedia……..‘

       en: ‘‘Hooggerechtshof’ Israël keurt vermoorden van ongewapende Palestijnen goed…….‘

       en: ‘Israëls wil tot vredesoverleg met Palestijnen’: 2.500 nieuwe huizen op West Bank…………..‘

       en: ‘Gazastrook: waarom vooral jongeren demonstreren en daar zelfs hun leven voor op het spel zetten‘

       en: ‘Israëlische ‘heldhaftige’ scherpschutters vermoordden 21 jarige verpleger, die bezig was eerste hulp te verlenen………‘

        en: ‘Netanyahu misbruikt geheel hypocriet de Holocaust voor oorlogshitserij tegen Syrië en Iran……..‘     

       en: ‘Nikki Haley (VS ambassadeur bij de VN) UNHRC heeft commentaar op een land met een goede mensenrechten reputatie, t.w. Israël…. ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha!‘

       en: ‘At Least 525 Palestinians Wounded by Israeli Troops on Gaza Border‘

       en: ‘Israëlische advocaat benoemd tot voorzitter van het Mensenrechtencomité van de VN…….‘

       en: ‘Gaza Freedom Flotilla tegen de blokkade van de Gazastrook, met een overlevende van de USS Liberty‘

       en: ‘Israël verbiedt nu zelfs Palestijnen uit de Gazastrook het land te verlaten als zij een medische behandeling nodig hebben……‘