martedì 16 ottobre 2007

Peace Now in the Checkpoint

Yossi B, anarchistagainstwall, 16.10.07. The general secretary of Peace Now, Yariv Oppenheimer, was doing his reserves duty in a checkpoint in the Jordan valley, deep in the occupied Palestinian territories, and was acting just like any other good Israeli soldier. Israeli peace activists who are fighting for the last years against the occupation can't be very surprised from this story. Peace Now and their male oriented leadership have always attacked the refuseniks movement and kept on proudly committing war crimes in the occupied territories in the name of national unity and law obedience. One can just hope that they will stop being seen by the world as a part of the peace movement in Israel.

In an article published today by the Israeli news-site NRG (http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/646/857.html), Two Machsom Watch activists report seeing Oppenheimer making his military reserve duty in a checkpoint inside the occupied territories, in an area that is slowly being ethnically cleansed from it's indigenous population mainly by the checkpoints who forbid almost any kind of transportation and access between the main cities of the west bank and the valley (see also Amira Hass article http://www.countercurrents.org/pa-hass160206.htm).

Oppenheimer together with the other soldiers in the checkpoint also refused a Palestinian family with seven children who was traveling to see their relatives in a near by village to go through the checkpoint. The Fact that this was the Muslim holiday Eid Elfiter that ends the month of Ramadan didn't seam to soften the Peace Now soldier.

The Machsom Watch activist tried to speak with the soldiers to let the family go through, arguing that an exception should be made because of the holiday and the young age of the children. The soldiers kept refusing the Taxi in which the Family was in to go through, claiming it doesn't have the right permits and said that they are following orders given to them from above.

Oppenheimer didn't deny the story and told the journalist that "When I am being called to do my reserve duty in the territories, I am doing my best to make my task successfully also if it is against my point of view and to act in a humanitarian way".

againstwall@lists.riseup.net

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