by Stephen Lendman

Israeli military orders alone control virtually all aspects of Palestinian life. Making it intolerable for millions.

Depriving them of fundamental rights. Persecuting, brutalizing and terrorizing them. Including:

No. 92: Giving Israel control of all West Bank and Gaza water.

No. 158: Prohibiting Palestinians from constructing water installations without (nearly impossible to get) permit permission. Any built to be confiscated or demolished.

No. 1015: Requiring Palestinians get permission to plant trees on their own land.

No. 128: Authorizing the IDF to take over any Palestinian business not open during regular business hours.

No. 107: Prohibiting Arabic grammar, Crusades history, and Arab nationalist publications.

No. 101: Banning gatherings of more than 10 people without advance notice with names of participants.

Nos. 811 and 847: Letting Jews buy land from Palestinian owners with or without their consent.

No. 998: Requiring Palestinians get permission to withdraw funds from their own bank accounts.

No. 818: Authorizing how Palestinians can plant decorative flowers.

No. 329: Preventing the right of return.

Nos. 1649 and 1650: turning West Bank residents (including native born ones) into potential illegal "infiltrators." Subjecting them to possible deportation, fines or imprisonment without IDF-issued permits.

Imagine daily life under these conditions. Imagine what citizens of democratic states would never tolerate. Imagine what Palestinians endured for nearly half a century.

Israeli repression is longstanding. On December 21, the International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) headlined "94 Israeli Ceasefire Violations Since August."

Nearly one a day on average since Operation Protective Edge ended. The latest incident involved Israel bombing Khan Younis.

Along with regularly attacking Gazan fishermen. In their own waters. Doing their job Threatening no one.

On August 26, ceasefire terms were agreed on. Hamas scrupulously observes them. Including halting all hostilities.

Israel violated them straightaway. Blaming Palestinians for its crimes. Including dozens of IDF attacks on Palestinian civilians. Peaceful protesters. Farmers. Fishermen. Children.

Killing one. Injuring 16. Israel considers Palestinians fair game for assaults. Attacking them at its discretion.

Raiding their communities. Terrorizing their residents. Making near-daily arrests.

Targeting Palestinians for not being Jews. Suffocating Gazans. Making life in Occupied Palestine intolerable.

IMEMC quoted Haaretz saying "barely any progress has been made in rebuilding the shattered territory, despite donors pledging $5 billion…"

"The cement and gravel are being regulated as if they were nuclear weapons."

So-called Cairo ceasefire talks accomplished nothing. Resolving longstanding conflict got nowhere.

Israel bears full responsibility. Holding its 1.8 million people hostage. It's just a matter of time before more dirty war on Gaza.

Perhaps exceeding anything Israel unleashed before. Israel operates unaccountably.

Gaza remains besieged. Isolated. Pledged construction materials aren't arriving.

Except in small amounts too little to matter. Despite $5.4 billion pledge in October.

Oxfam saying "reconstructing of Gaza has barely begun and the Israeli blockade remains firmly in place."

"The needs are greater than ever, yet even fewer construction materials are now entering Gaza than before the conflict."

"Around 100,000 people - more than half of them children - are still displaced as their homes have been destroyed."

"Vital water and sanitation infrastructure, schools and health facilities also urgently need rebuilding."

"Such massive reconstruction will require hundreds of thousands of truckloads of essential materials as soon as possible."

"However, in November just 287 such truckloads entered Gaza. At this rate, reconstruction and development could take decades."

Oxfam regional director Catherine Essoyan adding:

"It is deplorable that such little progress has been made given the enormous scale of needs and massive destruction."

"People in Gaza are becoming increasingly and understandably frustrated at the lack of progress."

"The international community has repeatedly failed the people of Gaza. It must not fail them again at such a critical time."

It's happening in real time. Including deadly force against Gazans. Targeting farmers. Children at play. Anyone potentially within hundreds of meters from Israel's border.

Gaza remains a virtual free-fire zone. Blockade conditions are worse than ever. Suppressed from MSM reports.

Gazans suffer out of sight and mind. Rights everyone deserves violated systematically.

According to noted Israeli academic, author, journalist and novelist Amos Oz:

"There is a growing sense that Israel is becoming an isolated ghetto, which is exactly what the founding fathers and mothers hoped to leave behind them forever when they created the state of Israel."

"Unless there are two states - Israel next door to Palestine - and soon, there will be one state."

"If there will be one state, it will be an Arab state. The other option is an Israeli dictatorship, probably a religious nationalist dictatorship, suppressing the Palestinians and suppressing its Jewish opponents."

Earlier Oz criticized Netanyahu's apartheid government. Calling it "the the most anti-Zionist (one) Israel has ever had. (D)oing everything so there will be not two states here, but one."

"Perhaps that is the intention, to stop the chance for two states. They believe that Jews can rule over an Arab majority for a long time."

"No apartheid state in the world has lasted without collapsing after a few years." Oz isn't the only concerned Israeli.

Last year, six former Shin Bet heads criticized Netanyahu's government. Others believe March 2015 elections won't change things.

No matter what coalition government emerges. Perhaps more extremist than now. Repeating incidents like Tuesday's in Bethlehem.

Israeli soldiers used tear gas and stun grenades against journalists. Participating in a peaceful "Santa" demonstration.

Injuring them. Along with local residents and activists. Requiring hospitalization. The event called for Palestinian rights at the most Holy Land celebratory time.

Israeli brutality persists year-round. Days earlier, 100 Jerusalem bus drivers quit their jobs. Fearing Zionist attacks.

One driver perhaps spoke for others saying "(i)t's better to earn less money (than) come home in a body bag."

Recent Jerusalem violence includes attacks on Arab bus drivers. Nearly every day. Besides cursing, spitting and racist remarks.

Attorney Osama Ibrahem represents over 40 drivers. Ones who've been attacked. Calling "(t)he situation catastrophic."

"Not a day passes without a physical assault," he said. "I'm not talking about verbal assaults. They don't even count those. That's something they've learned to live with."

Yusuf Hassan al-Ramouni's November hanging death was a breaking point. Israeli autopsy results lied.

Claiming he hanged himself. Not according to other drivers. Blaming extremist settlers. Getting away with cold-blooded murder.

Including harassment. Intimidation. Beatings. Sexual assaults. Torture. First-degree murder.

Like Israeli soldiers. Police. Other security forces. Palestinians are fair game for whatever abuses they have in mind. Israel's longstanding war on Islam continues unaccountably.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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