Netanyahu Regime Declares Sheikh Jarrah a Closed Military Zone

Netanyahu Regime Declares Sheikh Jarrah a Closed Military Zone

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)

Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah residents of East Jerusalem are under illegal Israeli siege.

The Netanyahu regime wants them expelled from their homes on their own land to make way for exclusive Jewish development and use.

Israel’s Supreme Court will rule on this issue in June as things now stand.

On the phony pretext of protecting and preserving public order and security, Israel deprives Occupied Palestinians of their rights to speech, media, academic, assembly, worship, and other fundamental rights — in flagrant violation of the UN Charter, Nuremberg Principles, Fourth Geneva, and other international laws.

Governed by military orders instead of civil laws for Jews, a state of emergency imposed by Israel from inception remains in place as a tool of oppressing long-suffering Palestinians.

Military order 101 is one of many oppressive examples. 

It criminalizes participation in public gatherings of more than 10 people without permit permission — punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.

Publishing politically related material is also prohibited, as is displaying flags or political symbols with official approval.

Military Order 1651 imposes a 10-year prison sentence on any Palestinian who “attempts, orally or otherwise, to influence public opinion in the (West Bank or East Jerusalem) which may harm public peace or public order (or) publishes words of praise, sympathy or support for a hostile organization, its actions or objectives” — called “incitement.”

Any number of alleged offenses risk up to life imprisonment for “act(s) (that allegedly) harm, damage (or) disturb (Occupied Palestinian) security.”

The above applies to Palestinians who enter areas close to state or military controlled territory.

Numerous Israeli military orders flagrantly breach core international laws.

They deprive Palestinians of their fundamental civil, human and political rights.

Orders that designate areas closed military zones are usually issued for six-month periods.

They’re imposed for total Israeli control over all activities in the targeted areas.

Days earlier, the Netanyahu regime declared Sheikh Jarrah a closed military zone.

It limits movements of its residents — in stark contrast to how settlers illegally occupying Palestinian land are treated.

Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah resident Abdelfatah Iskaf said the neighborhood is “under siege” by the Netanyahu regime.

Security forces keep non-residents out.

Sheikh Jarrah residents are forced to stay home, fearing if leave they’ll be prevented from returning.

“Settlers are allowed to move freely. They move in groups of 20-25 together, armed,” Iskaf explained, adding:

“We don’t sleep at night because we are concerned about what these extremists might do.”

Last Sunday, police locked him, his family members, and neighbors in their homes.

“They put three to four soldiers at the door of each of our houses to keep us locked inside.” 

“Whenever we tried to get out they said to us: ‘You stay inside or we will beat you.’ ”

Last Tuesday, Israeli incited neighborhood “confrontations were heavy and at least 36 (residents) were injured,” said Iskafi, adding: 

“The same day, we were as usual peacefully protesting in our neighborhood when the police arrived and beat us.”

“I was injured in my head. They don’t care. They target anyone even a 71-year-old man like me.”

Neighborhood resident Mohammed el-Kurd posted photos and video evidence on social media of Israeli security forces spraying toxic skunk water on Sheikh Jarrah streets.

Netanyahu regime hardliners are going all-out to make neighborhood conditions intolerable for their residents — to force them out one way or another regardless of how the Supreme Court rules in June.

For over a week, a heavy Israeli security force presence has controlled the neighborhood oppressively.

It’s cordoned off and isolated from surrounding areas.  

Residents are harassed by intimidation and terror tactics that include forced entry into homes by security forces, beating and otherwise abusing residents.

Others venturing out risk being shot with rubber-coated steel bullets and/or otherwise assaulted.

Ongoing Israeli state terror against Sheikh Jarrah residents is repeated throughout the Occupied Territories daily.

The world community of nations includes many repressive ones that are contemptuous of the rule of law.

None match the consistent viciousness of Israeli oppression against millions of long-suffering Palestinians.

Instead of enforcing accountability against its criminal class by world leaders and international courts, they’re free to commit virtually every imaginable high crime with impunity.

Perhaps it’ll never end without sustained large-scale Palestinian intifada rebellion — staying the course no matter the cost because the alternative is the abysmal status quo no one anywhere should tolerate.

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

My two Wall Street books are timely reading:

“How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion, and Class War”

https://www.claritypress.com/product/how-wall-street-fleeces-america/

 

“Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity”

https://www.claritypress.com/product/banker-occupation-waging-financial-war-on-humanity/

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