IPNOT PICTURE OF THE DAY for June 21: Collective punishment by Israel in the West Bank

Israel's occupation forces destroyed the family home of Bashar Masalha(22) in the village of Hajja on Tuesday morning. Hajja is situated near the town of Qalqilya on northern part of the occupied West Bank. This was an act of collective punishment and is a war crime forbidden in the international law.

Masalha was murdered on March 8 while laying on ground wounded in Palestine 1948's Jaffa after having carried out an attack which killed a former United States' soldier on holiday and injured 10 Israeli citizens.

At the time, the Israeli media and part of the United States' media made much of the death of the US man, Taylor Force(28), who had taken part in the occupation of Iraq. Force, a West Point graduate, must have understood that he had made a decision to visit an occupying country during a time increased violence.

Although we don't condone Bashar Masalha's action, we understand the circumstances driving him to do it. He could not just decide to take part in an occupation, like Taylor Force had decided to do in Iraq. All his life was lived under an occupation. Taylor Force could take part in occupation and leave it behind him, and then fatefully decide to visit an occupying power.

Force was no 'innocent abroad' somehow ending up a victim in a situation he didn't know of or understand. Parts of US media did try their best portray him as such, leaving his military past unmentioned and instead describing him merely as a student of Vanderbilt University, as he was by the time of his death.

None of these representatives of the press made the obvious recommendation that US government should advice its citizens against travel to Israel as long as the occupation goes on. There is no safe occupation. Neither for Israelis themselves or American tourists.

Taylor Force would be alive if he wouldn't have visited an occupying state and both he and Bashar Masalha would be alive if the United States government would have been more eager to achieve end to the occupation in peace talks than to try to secure as much of the occupied areas to Israel as possible.

When Taylor Force and Bashar Masalha met, it was a bloody collision resulting from decades of failed United States' policies and unconditional military and political support to Israel. All those who had by then played a part in keeping up the occupation dipped that day their hands in both young men's blood.

These Israeli and United States did not have any problem with the murder of the wounded Masalha, or with the crowd around him goading a police volunteer to commit the murder, with sentences like: “Give it to him in the head, don’t be afraid, give it to him in the head. Good, you’re a king." and "Son of a bitch! ... Give it to him in the head.”

SOURCE:

3 Palestinians shot dead after multiple attacks kill tourist, wound 12

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=770613

Israeli Soldiers Demolish A Home Near Qalqilia

http://imemc.org/article/army-demolishes-a-home-near-qalqilia/

Israel demolishes home of Palestinian slain after carrying out deadly Jaffa attack

http://maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=771954

Israel to Probe Whether Police Volunteer Lawfully Killed Assailant Behind Jaffa Attack

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.708047

Israel Razes Home of Palestinian Who Killed U.S. Tourist in Jaffa Rampage

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.726162