Abuse of Palestine must be addressed

Only iron breaks iron, and only violence will stop violence," Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa said in the Mideast Mirror. This philosophy underlies the cyclical violence that has caught Palestine and Israel in a whirlwind of escalating bloodshed. Since the 1967 occupation of Palestinian territories, neither side can claim innocence of the daily crimes against the civilians of both nations. However, the abuse of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli Defense Force is an aspect of the struggle that has gone relatively unnoticed and unchecked by the United States government and media.\nWhen Israel re-occupied the Palestinian territories more than two years ago, they imposed a variety of repressive measures that left civilians of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip nearly paralyzed. The Times in London reported that "Israeli checkpoints, roadblocks, closures, curfews, and road infrastructure demolition have ensured little freedom of movement of the population." By keeping people from working, the IDF has caused more than 50 percent of Palestinians to live in poverty as of June 2002.\nWest Bank resident Mamdouh Al-Aker stressed these restrictions in an interview with the Madison, Wis. Capital Times. "In Nablus (Al-Aker's home town), curfew lasted about three months and was only lifted for a few hours every few days so residents could go out and purchase necessities," Al-Aker said. Keeping potential suicide bombers from access to transportation is understandable; however that goal does not justify confining an entire nation to their homes.\nThe civilian struggle becomes bloody when the IDF moves in to either hunt for or retaliate against Palestinian suicide bombers. With every new attack the Israelis re-occupy more land and kill those responsible for bombings, but many civilians get caught in the crossfire. IDF counterstrikes apparently have less regard for civilian lives than the suicide bombings that prompted them. According to the Associated Press and the British Broadcasting Corporation, up until June 2002, 250 Israelis have been killed since the second intifada started two years ago and 1400 Palestinians have been killed in return. During these conflicts Palestinian civilians have been forced to act as shields and medical aid has been kept from wounded civilians.\nThis wanton killing has started to sway even Israeli generals. Reserve General Uri Saguy told Israeli Radio, "I fear that we're becoming hardened, maybe even brutal." Saguy's statements run nearly perpendicular to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's August plan for retaliation. According to The Economist, Sharon planned to target families of suicide bombers with house demolition and expulsion, despite international laws against targeting the relatives of criminal suspects. Sharon has and will continue to carry out these threats, leaving hundreds of civilians homeless.\nThe abuse of power has become so blatant the UN's Fourth General Assembly passed a dozen resolutions denouncing Israeli policy in November, and Amnesty International issued a statement to Agence France Presse in June stating that, "No abuses, however atrocious, by armed groups can justify Israel's indiscriminate punishment."\nWashington and Tel Aviv have grown closer than ever in recent times, despite the IDF's occupation of Palestinian lands and the abuse of its people. If there is to be any hope of peace in the region there must be an unconditional cease-fire from both sides. If there is to be any progress, the Israeli military must be reigned in and the suffering of innocent Palestinian civilians alleviated.