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Clarifying The Occupation LexiconThe Oldest Soul, Jueves, Junio 12, 2003 - 13:47
Amira Hass
Israeli political discourse relies on terms that have become so distorted in meaning that the understanding of the reality behind them has also been distorted. Here are some examples... Israeli political discourse relies on terms that have become so distorted in meaning that the understanding of the reality behind them has also been distorted. Here are some examples: Closure: There are "ordinary" closures that cover travel from the territories to Israel and from Gaza to the West Bank. And there are "internal" closures, which in the last two and half years have been very tight. Hundreds of checkpoints and blockades prevent travel from city to city, village to village. There are places where people are allowed to cross by foot, to walk one or two kilometers from one vehicle to another. Sometimes, in certain places, people are prohibited from leaving a village or city. People get through in roundabout ways. Often, they are caught by soldiers and, as punishment, are held for hours on a hilltop, at an intersection, in the sun, in the cold, throughout the entire West Bank. Palestinians are not allowed to travel on the main highways of the West Bank, which only settlers are allowed to use. Checkpoints: On Monday afternoon, an IDF squad made the men going home line up in two rows on both sides of the checkpoint. Those coming from Ramallah were checked and allowed to pass, at a slow pace. Those coming from the north, particularly students, were made to line up for an hour without anyone checking them. According to an eyewitness, a university professor, one soldier moved constantly along the line pushing them to "keep order." The atmosphere was actually relaxed. It wasn't too hot, the students chatted. One chuckled. The soldier got angry for some reason, jumped at the student and stuck the rifle butt into the student's stomach. The student looked him straight in the eyes. The soldier made a fist and hit him in the face. (The IDF did not respond by press time.) Illegal outposts: We don't want to control the Palestinian population: Ariel Sharon said that to correct the impression left by his statement that the occupation must end. There's nothing new in it. Already, at the start of Oslo, it was clear Israel didn't want to be bothered by the annoying responsibility of controlling a civilian population that has no electoral rights and does not want to be ruled. Therefore, Israel transferred to the PA all the civic responsibilities, without granting the PA any authority over land in the West Bank. Would Jews agree to live in self-governing "Jewish Councils" in closed enclaves without any land reserves? Obviously not. Why should Palestinians agree to that, without land, water, and freedom of movement - the raw materials necessary for the development of any human community? So why regard the Sharon statement as a great achievement for the peace project? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Amira Hass is an Israeli living and working in the occupied territories. She is a journalist whose work appears in the Israeli daily Ha'aretz and is author of Drinking the Sea at Gaza: Days and Nights in a Land under Seige (2000).
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