Border Police Violence

Today, February 3, 2012, a French woman was seriously wounded after being hit by a gas grenade in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. The grenade was thrown by a Mishmar HaGvul soldier. Before that, on December 11, 2011, Mustafa Tamimi, 28, was shot in the face by a teargas grenade. He died next day. The grenade had been fired at close range by an Israeli soldier sitting inside a patrol jeep. Despite the IDF’s rules of engagement prohibiting to fire tear gas grenades from a rifle pointed directly at demonstrators, or from a distance of less than 40 meters, the situation is often different...

Many years before, nearby…

Halamish - Neve Tzuf | Oasis of Hatred and Violence

Today’s brutal attack is related to a Jewish settlement built nearby. Halamish (“flint” in Hebrew, the official name), also known as Neve Tzuf (“oasis of nectar,” the name used by the settlers), belongs to Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, one of the most extremist Jewish organizations in the West Bank (see Mattot Arim and the Jewish Extremists Clockwork). This is a mixed settlement, housing both orthodox and secular Jews, and is closely related to the IDF. Testimony of the latter is the religious pre-army Mechina Elisha, a school preparing Orthodox Jews for service in the IDF, which is placed within Halamish. The prophet buried nearby is shunned by the settlers.

The Palestinian village “Nabi Saleh” is named after Shela, the youngest brother among Judah’s first three sons (see Genesis 38). Islam recognized him as a prophet, thus the Arabic name means “Prophet Shela;” in Hebrew, the similar “navi” means “prophet.” This West Bank village features the tomb of the prophet within a blue-domed building built in the 19th century during Ottoman rule. It was situated on the remains of a Crusader structure, which was built atop the ruins of a Byzantine-era church. Much later, in 1977, the State of Israel confiscated much of the village land for the sake of one of the first Jewish settlements in the West Bank. At least a third of the land upon which the settlement was constructed is owned by Palestinians living in Nabi Saleh.

This land theft reached Israel’s Supreme Court (on its partiality see 1264 New Testimonies and Netanyahu buys Justice) and generated a controversial precedent. Residents of the nearby Palestinian village Deir Nidham went to the Supreme Court and claimed ownership of the Havlata Hill, which is now in the centre of Halamish (see picture above). Based on aerial photos from end of the 20th century, showing the hill to be barren, and Ottoman Empire land law specifying that land not worked for over ten years becomes state land, the land on that hill was declared state land and freed for settlement constructions. (Israel’s law system is incomplete. Where laws do not exist, Israeli courts often refer to British Mandate and Ottoman Empire laws)

The answer of the cheated villagers was the organization of weekly protests. Ever since, during the Friday’s protests, there are regular clashes with the IDF. The latter tries to disperse the events with tear gas grenades, while Palestinian youth responds by hurling stones. The IDF has launched several crackdowns, which include night raids against houses and arresting alleged stone throwers. This is the setup which led to the assassination of Mustafa Tamimi in December and the wounding of the French citizen today.

Nabi Saleh | Heroic Opposition to Israeli Crimes

Israel gasses? Weren’t those the Nazis?

IDF Stun Grenade

Mishmar HaGvul (“Guard of the Border” in Hebrew) is a mixed police-army unit. Its members are soldiers, but the unit activity is under the command of Israel’s police. This trick allows Israel to deploy it in places where the army or the police would be seen as acting beyond their jurisdiction (army within the Green Line, police in the West Bank). This is where many minority soldiers (Bedouins, Circassians, Druzes, and others) and new immigrants are sent to. They often are sent to disperse protests in the West Bank. In the two incidents abovementioned, the transgressors were soldiers from this unit.

Due to the nature of the unit, its soldiers are armed with a variety of what is supposed to be non-lethal weapons. Mainly, plastic bullets and a variety of gassing devices, including gas rifle grenades. Formally, the IDF prohibits the use of these weapons in a way they would kill. However, reality is obviously different.

Despite its formal regulations, the IDF has a well established mechanism for what is called “vidui ariga” (see Corroboration of Killing). “Vidui Ariga” translates as “Corroboration of Killing” and is a term referring to a procedure performed by IDF units while in combat. It characterizes mainly commando units like Shayetet 13, Sayeret Matkal, and Shaldag, but regular and parachuted infantry units like Golani (Brigade 1) and Tzanhanim (Brigade 35) are not shy of using it. The idea is simple: during their attacks soldiers advancing wouldn’t leave wounded enemy soldiers behind in order to avoid being attacked from behind. Military doctrine worldwide recommends disarming the wounded enemy and putting them under guard. This is seen as a waste by the IDF doctrine, which teaches to perform a “corroboration of killing.” This is done by shooting a bullet in the head and another one in the chest, or back, depending on the circumstances. Afterwards, the soldier may advance. Many times illegitimate types of weapons—like hollow-point bullets—are used during this type of operations to ensure the killings. Israel produces these bullets in the Taas-Natzrat factory in Nazareth. In the Freedom Flotilla Massacre there clear evidence of this procedure was found (see Freedom Flotilla and Corroboration of Killing).

This extrajudicial assassination practice exists beyond the “corroboration of killing” procedure. IDF soldiers, Mishmar HaGvul ones among them, are taught with a wink. They are presented with the formal regulations, and then explained how it is possible to kill with the non-lethal weapon. They know they would be automatically exonerated by a martial court in the unlikely case the event would be formally prosecuted. This is the basis for the ongoing terror. So, how can an IDF soldier kill with a non-lethal gas grenade? Simply, he shots it on the face of the victim at point blank. It seems, Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum is nothing more than Israel’s School of Military Crimes.