[LifeStyle] UN 'neutrality' means protecting Israel at all costs while ignoring Palestinian suffering.

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Israeli settlers have increased their harassment of Palestinian worshippers during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The Israeli extremists usually carry out their attacks with the full protection of Israel's occupation security forces after the Palestinians have performed the night prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.

Such violence is ongoing within the context not only of the occupation but also of statements by Israeli officials who incite against the indigenous po[CENSORED]tion. Last week, for example, the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Aryeh King, called on Israeli police to execute Palestinian protesters who take to the streets of the holy city at night. Israeli TV Channel 7 reported King as saying that shooting the Palestinian protesters "is the only way which can end the night protests phenomenon."

The Palestine Information Centre (PIC) reported last week that the Jewish Kahanist far-right group Lehava was planning to organise a rally of settlers in Jerusalem's Old City "to defend Jewish honour." According to Haaretz, the Jewish extremists patrolled streets within the occupied city and attacked Palestinian passers-by physically and verbally. Yedioth Ahronoth was also reported by the PIC as saying that a group of armed Jewish settlers planned to storm into Jerusalem's Safra Square and Jaffa Street wearing combat clothing and carrying weapons to attack Palestinians.

This actually happened. Hundreds of extremist — and illegal — settlers marched to the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem's Old City chanting "Death to Arabs… Death to terrorists". They attacked the Palestinians, most of whom had been worshipping in Al-Aqsa, and wounded more than 100 of them, said the Palestinian Red Crescent. This prompted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to urge the international community to protect the Palestinians from the settler attacks. Abbas pointed out that such harassment and attacks were encouraged by the Israeli government, but it was to no avail.

The international community remained silent and did nothing to stop or put pressure on the Israeli occupation authorities to stop the daily settler violations against the Palestinians in Jerusalem. Certain countries only expressed "concerns", which is next to meaningless. They clearly didn't want to upset their influential pro-Israel lobbies, and so incidents were referred to not as settler violence or aggression, but "clashes" between settlers and the Palestinians, effectively blaming both sides.

As the suffering of the Palestinians in Jerusalem continued without any effective deterrent, the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip decided to take a stand on their behalf and to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Jerusalemites. A warning was issued to Israel about the settlers' aggression. When this was ignored they launched several rockets targeting open areas near illegal settlements, sending a message to the Israelis that Jerusalem is a "red line".

 

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