Pence in Israel: Uncaring About Palestinian Suffering
by Stephen Lendman
Israel is a ruthless rogue state, inflicting enormous hardships on long-suffering Palestinians.
They’ve enduring decades of brutal militarized occupation, victims of Israeli state terror – supported and encouraged by Washington.
Pence is unwelcome in Occupied Palestine. A general strike was called during his visit, all sectors except health and education affected.
Fatah Central Council member Jamal Muheisen said the action is in response to Trump’s illegal Jerusalem declaration. Palestinians continue protesting against his outrageous action, mainly on Fridays after prayers.
Ahead of Pence’s arrival on Sunday, dozens of Palestinians burned photos of his image. Fatah secretary Mohammad al-Masri said “(t)he Palestinian people were counting on the Arab peoples in the countries visited by the US vice president to express their rejection of the American position.”
Their leadership offered tepid opposition alone, meaningless gestures, failing to support Palestinian rights, going along with US and Israeli ruthlessness.
During his visit, Pence was oblivious to daily Israeli state terror against long-suffering Palestinians.
Overnight Sunday into Monday, Israel forces terrorized Palestinian communities, raiding homes, making numerous arrests, including Palestinian Legislative Council member Omar Abdul-Razeq.
Ten other Palestinian legislators remain imprisoned. So was Razeq until weeks earlier, his ordeal about to repeat for belonging to the wrong political party – Hamas-affiliated Reform and Change.
At year end, around 6,300 Palestinian political prisoners languish in Israel’s gulag, according to the Addameer prisoner support group.
Their numbers include about 450 uncharged and untried administratively detained Palestinians, around 350 children, 58 women, 22 journalists, and 10 PLC members, now 11.
Addameer explained the number of Palestinian children lawlessly imprisoned doubled over the last three years, most often seized in pre-dawn raids on them homes, Ahed Tamimi one of them.
Her lawless arrest and brutal treatment is longstanding Israeli practice. Western media turn a blind eye to Israel’s ruthless persecution of an entire population.
So do US administration and congressional officials, supporting Israel’s worst crimes, ignoring Palestinian rights – Pence oblivious and uncaring about the horrors inflicted by Israel during his visit and virtually all other times.
On Sunday, Netanyahu outrageously said anyone rejecting Washington as a peace broker “does not want peace.”
Palestinians want what America and Israel reject, wanting them subjugated, not liberated.
Joint (Arab) List MKs intend boycotting Pence’s Knesset address, scheduled for Monday afternoon at 2:00PM local time.
Party leader Ayman Odeh called him “a dangerous man with a messianic vision that includes the destruction of the entire region.”
He called Trump a “racist” and “political pyromaniac,” slamming his Jerusalem declaration and no peace/peacemaking agenda.
Throughout Pence’s visit, ruthless Israeli persecution of Palestinians continues unabated, the vice president uncaring about how abusively they’re treated.
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