Settler violence and more batshit excuses

Mohammad, KABOBfest

July 7, 2008

Just a few days after B’Tselem video captured masked Israeli settlers brutally beating a Palestinian shepherd and his wife, another Israeli human rights group, Ta’ayush, has captured more evidence of the daily abuse suffered by Palestinians at the hands of these fanatic colonists.

Midhat Abu Karsh, a teacher from the Hebron area, was out with his cousins farming land in the village of Samoa’ when they were attacked by settlers from the illegal settlement of Eshael. Midhat was beaten, then led away and tied to a telephone pole by the hands and neck. The video captures Israeli soldiers surrounding Midhat. With absolutely no danger posed to them by the shackled and beaten man, they still refrained from untying him. A settler (dressed in white) is seen speaking to the soldiers, before another settler walks right through them and kicks Midhat in the face.

That the soldiers did nothing to protect or free Midhat should come as no surprise. Even after being kicked, they still refused to untie him until the Israeli police arrived on the scene.

Last week’s attack on the shepherd family was justified by the Israeli authorities because supposedly the Palestinians had provoked the settlers by not wearing 'Arab clothes’. I don’t know just what it is the settlers and Israeli authorities smoke when they get together to come up with excuses for their brutality, but its some strong shit. They defended this beating by claiming that Midhat set fire to some fields in the area.

Lemme break it down:

Israeli settlers steal Palestinian land and resources and build illegal colonies on said land.
Israeli settlers actively engage in the abuse and mistreatment of Palestinians, particularly those who try to defend their land from confiscation or try to farm the land they are left with that lie near the settlements. Burning farmland is not uncommon.
I don’t want to say Israeli settlers set fire to the field, but, that’s what they do. Then, apparently deciding they want peaceful coexistence with the Palestinians whose land they have usurped (and burned), they attempt to defend Palestinian lands, beating up a Palestinian farmer burning his own field.

I guess we should commend them for trying though.