For the second successive Friday, Israeli occupation forces fired fusillades of bullets against unarmed and unprotected Palestinian protesters as they gathered at the barrier that separates the Gaza Strip from the rest of their occupied land. And for the second successive Friday, those Israeli occupation soldiers exacted a bloody toll on the protesters, with hundreds more Gazans again wounded. The death toll from these murderous Israeli actions is now close to 30 — and not one single occupation soldier has been held to account. One can only imagine what must not be running through the brainwashed minds of these conscripts as they deliberately sight protests down their barrels, take deliberate aim, and steadfastly pull the trigger to shoot an unarmed Palestinian civilian.
The events at the Gaza crossing simple reinforce the apartheid-like policies of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an immoral and illegal administration that is engaged in deliberate acts of violence against civilians. The use of such overpowering force is, and as United Nations human rights spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell pointed out on Saturday, likely a breach of the fourth Geneva Convention through the unjustified recourse to live fire in the wilful killing of civilians.
The empirical evidence from the events of these past two bloody Fridays suggests that trained snipers are being used, and the number of protesters with gunshot wounds to their backs suggest that they are being deliberately targeted as they run away from the entrenched and protected occupation forces.
These protracted assassinations and shootings amount to open season on Palestinians. This is a dark chapter, one that sees unarmed civilians used as target practice by a military occupation force lacking any moral oversight — and it serves as a justification for any acts over violent counter-protests that may follow.
The UN itself has tried time and again to hold an inquiry into these atrocities, only to be rebuked at the Security Council by officials under orders from Washington to remain blind, silent and steadfast in using the United States veto to back the murderous Israeli regime.
That is a reprehensible and unforgivable position that flies in the face of the very principles of the UN itself. Shame on Washington for putting narrow Jewish lobbying interests above the blood of Palestinian protesters. Shame on every Israeli for allowing its military to be used as butchers and murderers. And shame on Netanyahu for lacking a scintilla of conscience.
