(Week 7) Assignment: Capstone Project Part IV: The Technicals: Developing Strategic GoalsThe last element of the strategic plan consists of constructing the technicals. The technicals element includes

Human rights can be defined as the rights that every person deserves. Depriving such rights leads to violation, hence causing human suffering. There are many examples of the Palestinians rights being violated by Israel such as being displaced from their homes. The Israeli-Palestinians conflict has been a subject of discussion, especially in the Middle East for over 5 years. According to Lamis Andoni, Israel army has killed and injured many Palestinians in the process of crushing their efforts geared towards fighting for their rights (173). The Palestinians decided to engage in armed struggle in fighting for their rights as non-violent tactics failed. The Palestinians rights are being violated in the Middle East. For example, Israel made use of overwhelming force in the process of countering violence during peaceful protests. Are the Palestinian rights being violated in the Middle East? The Palestinian rights are being violated in three major ways, not allowing aid ships for sick people during the blockade, forced displacement from their homes, and abusive detention through army court.

First, the Palestinian rights are being violated by not allowing aid ships for sick people during the blockade. The Israel army participated in performing the illegal armed operation that was against the activists who were challenging siege of Gaza. For example, Israel’s attack on aid ships an indication of a country that was involved in illegal actions in territories occupied. According to Andoni, the reaction of Israel to the non-violent protests outside and inside the territories occupied shows fear of asserting the Palestinian identity in Palestine land (174). The killing of Tom Hurndell and Rachel Corrie shows the impunity for Israel as they were killed as they protested in a peaceful manner against the actions of the Israel army geared towards the citizens of Palestine. The activists were working towards making sure that blockade of Gaza was ended but the Israel army was using extreme force against peaceful protestors. Lamis Andoni says, “…the bullets that pierced the bodies of the activists have boomeranged, shattering the myth of Israeli morality” (177). The Greek vessel owners were even afraid from renting ships that could help in delivering medical and food supplies to the sick people. Israel bombed the Cypriot boat before being boarded by westerners who included Jews and Christians. Amira Hass states, “…a journey that would normally take twenty-five minutes has turned into an ordeal of two to three hours or more” (6). The supply of food to the sick people was delayed by the blockades that affected the transport system. According to Hass (6), the Palestinian inhabitants were not in a position to enjoy their movement freedom in their territories as the pass system was introduced. The denial of freedom of movement had great social and economic impacts on the Palestinians hence affecting the supplies to the sick people (Hass, 8). The Palestinian rights were being violated as the humanitarian aid was being interrupted due to the blockade of Gaza. Food and medical help could not reach Gaza due to the blockade making the Palestinians suffer. However, the Palestinians reacted to the violation of their fundamental rights but where many were injured and others killed such as the ten flotilla activists (Mason and Falk, 179). The delivery of medical supplies and food to Palestinian population that was besieged was a basic violation of the rights of Palestinians.

Second, the Palestinian rights are being violated through forced displacement from Palestinian homes. The Palestinians were displaced due to the humiliation of the Israeli military. According to Richard Falk, and Victoria Mason, the Palestinians who were displaced were between 750,000 and 1,000,000 especially after the declaration of the state of Israel (168). The Palestinians who remained survived under very challenging situation as they were fighting for their rights. The displaced Palestinians had some hope of returning to their homes after the UN Resolution 194 developed some guidelines aimed at addressing the problems faced by the Palestinians. The Palestinians were humiliated in numerous ways as Israel was against their efforts to fight for their rights. However, self-determination increased among the Palestinians, as they were tired of being exposed to humiliating situations. Thus, armed struggle spirit increased to fight for their rights. Mason and Falk assert that the civil rights organizations of the Palestinians responded using violent resistance and non-violent protests (169). The homelessness of the Palestinians forced them to go into streets in large numbers demonstrating, burning tires and building roadblocks as a way of fighting for their violated rights. Mason and Falk said, “…but a symbolic gesture... of the vast discrepancy in power between the Palestinian people and Israel’s war machine” (170). The Palestinians were using stones while the Israel military war machines showing the difference in terms of their power during the armed struggle. This shows the determination of the Palestinians to achieve freedom from the domination despite the lack of war machines and power. According to Seth Tillman, self-determination played a crucial role in the armed struggle aimed at addressing the displacement problem that faced the Palestinians (63). Many homes were bulldozed in the year 1970 with the aim of carving the streets wide and straight for the Israel troops. Nadia Hijab says, “…hundreds of homes bulldozed in 1970 to carve a street straight and wide enough for Israeli troops and armored vehicles to move through a refugee camp to chase resistance fighters” (131). This made the human rights agencies get involve as the fundamental rights of the Palestinians were being violated, being displaced and became homeless. However, the diplomatic efforts by UN failed to address the problems of the displaced Palestinians making them remain as refugees for approximately seven decades. As a result, the Palestinians opted for armed struggle and non-violent resistance in the process of securing their rights.

Lastly, the Palestinian rights are being violated because of the abusive detention through army court. Many Palestinians were arrested because of fighting for their rights and establishing political parties to challenge the colonial rule. According to Mason and Falk, the Palestinians who were violent in their resistant were killed and hanging of those detained was common (168). The army court could not guarantee fairness and justice for the Palestinians leading to the abusive detention. The determinations of Palestinians of achieving independence were being suppressed through the use of mass detentions and harassments. The detentions made the armed struggle of the Palestinians more radical in the fight against oppression and injustices of the army courts. Mason and Falk says, “…violent resistance included guerrilla attacks on Israel and killings of suspected Palestinian ‘collaborators’” (169). The Palestinians opted for the armed struggle after the non-violent tactics failed to address the injustices they were facing. Israel did not embrace peaceful negotiation but instead moved in a very opposite direction with the aim of abusing the Palestinians. In the army courts, the charge for arms possession was primarily based on art exhibitions, the peace sign shape that was built by Abu Rahme out of the utilized bullet cartridges that were being used by the Israel army in crushing protests. According to Mason and Falk (175), Abu was innocent for the arms possession charge where the military prosecutor also charged him with organizing and participating in demonstrations that were considered illegal. The unfairness of the army court can be shown by the way the judgment was being made with insufficient evidence. For example, Mason and Falk say, “…..because Abu Rahme’s interrogation had already ended, he was never questioned about this charge” (175). The evidence that was being used in making the court decision was that made by a child aged 16 years who said that Abu used chicken waste matter to make balloons to be thrown to the soldiers during protests. The other evidence was made by another child who was 16 years old made a statement that Abu incited the demonstrators to throw stones. The two evidences were not sufficient as the two children later revealed that the interrogators threatened them to provide such false evidence. Therefore, the army courts played a crucial role in violating the rights of Palestinians through detention without a fair hearing and the use of false evidence.

The fundamental rights of the Palestinians are being violated by Israel. The efforts of the Palestinians of using nonviolent tactics in addressing the rights violations have failed. As a result, the Palestinians have opted to employ armed struggle in the process of fighting for their rights. The aid ships could not be allowed leading to a shortage of medical and food supplies for the sick. The Palestinians were being forced out of their homes by Israel army and those who remained behind faced many challenges where many were killed and others injured. Abusive detention was common for the Palestinians as the army courts could not use the appropriate evidence in marking court decisions. As a result, the unfairness and injustice of the army court led to many Palestinians being detained without fair trial.

Works cited

Andoni, Lamis. “The Myth of Israeli Morality.” Midnight on the Mavi Marmara: The Attacks on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and How it Changed the Course of the Israel/Palestine Conflict. Edited by Moustafa Bayoumi, New York, 2010.

Hass, Amira. "Israel's Closure Policy: An Ineffective Strategy of Containment and Repression." Journal of Palestine Studies 31.3 (2002): 5-20.

Hijab, Nadia. “Digging Behind the Gaza Blockade.” Midnight on the Mavi Marmara: The Attacks on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and How it Changed the Course of the Israel/Palestine Conflict, edited by Moustafa Bayoumi, OR Books, new York, 2010: 131-137.

Mason Victoria, and Richard Falk. "Assessing Nonviolence in the Palestinian Rights Struggle." State Crime Journal 5.1 (2016): 163-186.

Tillman, Seth. "Israel and Palestinian Nationalism." Journal of Palestine Studies, vol. 9, no.1, 1979: 46-66.