A grenade here, a grenade there – so they’ll learn

[azurnoir]

A 21-year-old Palestinian student was killed by Israeli army fire last week. ‘I suppose that just like myself back then, today too, soldiers shoot because that is what their sergeant ordered them to do: to teach a lesson, to remain in charge.’

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It was late 2001, shortly after the assassination of “Ghandi” (Israeli cabinet minister Rehavam Ze’evi). We were assigned to secure a section of the road near the Jewish settlement of Karmei Tzur. We were told that the road must be “clean” in the mornings and afternoons when the Jewish settlers from Karmei Tzur drive to and from Jerusalem for work. “Clean,” meaning devoid of Palestinians.

So, what’s the problem? The problem is that 15,000 Palestinians live in the nearby refugee camp of Al Aroub and the village of Beit Ummar. At the time, Palestinians were not permitted to travel on Road 60, except for taxis and vehicles with special permits. But they still had to go about their everyday lives, getting from home to school, to work and to the hospital, which they did by walking along the side of the road. Life, you know.

So how does one keep the road “clean”? Gunfire.

http://972mag.com/grenade-here-grenade-there-so-theyll-learn/64894/

[bemildred]

1. Yeah. but what is it that they learn?

Do any of these morons ever think about that?

[Jefferson23]

2. How I Learned to Love My Occupier Through Deterrence. n/t

K&R

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

3. From the article.

“Sandak, shoot at that taxi over there.”

The first few times I would ask myself, “How come?” “Why?”, but I would still shoot, because it didn’t feel right not to. After all, the He-Man platoon commander or sergeant ordered it, so we did it. Again and again. Every day, twice a day. Drive, throw a grenade here, a grenade there, some rubber bullets into someone’s ass, so they’d learn not to be there when they shouldn’t be.

How many times have human rights atrocities happened with the excuse that "I was just following orders?"