The Electronic Intifada recently exposed yet another instance of Israeli dehumanization of the Palestinian people. I refer to a series of Instagram photos they published on their website three days ago. Several of them include the Israeli solider, Mor Ostrovski, posing with his various weapons but it is the below photo which has sparked the most controversy. Yes that is a Palestinian youth that is in the cross hairs of his sniper rifle. As expected the IDF offered lip service saying that “this is a severe incident which doesn’t accord with the IDF’s spirit and values. The issue was brought to the attention of the soldiers commanding officers, will be examined and properly handled.” This is of course the same institution that has not indicted a single solider or individual for any of the 240 cases of military abuse perpetrated against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank by the IDF in 2012.
What this latest episode exposes is the persistent dehumanization of the Palestinian people. This dehumanization is rampant through out Israeli society. The dehumanization campaign is integral to maintaining the occupation. If the average Israeli were to view the average Palestinian as say a human being with natural rights such as the right to live it would be extremely difficult to maintain this massive occupation and colonization of another people. But when viewed as a nuisance at best and a “terrorist threat” at worse it becomes easier and easier to justify acts of extreme aggression toward individuals who are less than human.
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