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Rolling their eyes

by Open-Publishing - Monday 16 January 2006
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Wars and conflicts International Agriculture - Fishery - Animals

By Haaretz Editorial

It is difficult to know what eventually led the government to discuss the chopping down of Palestinian olive trees by thugs from the settlements. Perhaps it was the media coverage, or the change of guard at the head of the cabinet table. Or maybe it was the complaints filed by the Yesh Din human rights organization on behalf of the Palestinian victims that ended up on the table of the attorney general, or the fact that the chopping down of olive trees - as opposed to other injustices done in the territories - is perceived by the public as an absolute evil, without extenuating circumstances.

On Sunday, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert condemned the action, but added that he was "not familiar with its origins." But on Tuesday, the head of the Shin Bet security service revealed that his organization had handed over a list of tree-choppers from among the settlers to the army and police. However, these two entities were "rolling their eyes" and not doing anything about it.

The chopping down of olive trees by state representatives, just like the appropriation of private agricultural land and the exploitation of every inch of non-private ground for the purpose of expanding the settlements, is a routine matter in the territories. The difference between the injustice caused by the state authorities and the damage done independently by groups of settlers lies in the fact that the latter is an indication of the depth of anarchy and abandonment that characterizes the way of life of the settlers in the territories.

For years, the state has allowed Jewish thugs to mistreat their Palestinian neighbors undisturbed, while investing much effort in undermining and preventing Palestinian attacks on Jews. In most instances in which a settler is caught vandalizing Palestinian property or physically harming a Palestinian, he is released from custody almost immediately, his personal weapon is returned to him, and he goes back to being a threat to his neighbors and proof that filing a police complaint does not pay. And it is not just a matter of the chopping down of trees, but also the vandalizing of property, disturbing farmers who are trying to work their land, and setting fire to agricultural plots, as well as physical attacks.

Settlers have chopped down thousands of olive trees - more than 2,000 according to the defense minister’s count - since April, and all the Yesha Council had to say about it was that it could be provocation. A response such as this from an institutionalized settler body is an indication that these are not the actions of a group of renegades or loose cannons, but ideological vandalism backed by the settlers and the authorities. The awakening of the government and attorney general, who said the Palestinian victims should receive compensation, is late and unconvincing. It is difficult to believe that such talk will lead to indictments.

The government next week is supposed to order the evacuation of the illegal outpost Amona, as well as the Jewish settlement in the heart of Hebron’s wholesale market, in keeping with a High Court of Justice directive. Once again, the state has been dragged into an evacuation operation that could have been avoided had law enforcement authorities prevented the invasion from the outset. When it comes to both the tree-choppers and evacuation, the transition government must flex its muscles so that the message of determination reaches its destination.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/669210.html

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