An Israeli military court has extended the detention of two Israeli soldiers who were brutalizing Palestinian women in a sexual manner. The military personal used their positions to victimize vulnerable Palestinian women.
The suspects, who were deployed at the Qalandiyah checkpoint next to Ramallah were forcibly stripping and sexually harassing Palestinian women, and of stealing money, at a checkpoint in the West Bank.
This issue highlights the abuse of women rights at the hands of the Israelis. The issue has been likened to the Hollywood sex scandal case. #Metoo campaign hashtag has been used online to highlight the issues and many prominent female leaders are supporting this issue on social media.
This is not the first case of sexual harassment at the border checkpoints or at the hands of the Israeli soldiers, but it is one of the few where any such allegations have made it to the court.
One combat soldier and one security observer from the Military Police’s Border Crossings Unit are accused of violating orders and sexually harassing women during their searches at the Qalandiya checkpoint next to Ramallah.
According to the allegations, the pair touched Palestinian women’s private parts during their frisking and sometimes forced them to strip. The two IDF servicemen also stole cash from Palestinians at the checkpoint.
The suspects, who were deployed at the Qalandiyah checkpoint next to Ramallah.
The value of Palestinian life is at an all time low, and Palestinian women’s rights are non existent in the eyes of Israelis. ‘Who will they tell?’
An example of Israeli abuse took center stage when a Palestinian journalist Sara al-Adara was reporting from the West Bank village of Abud, near Hallamish in Samarai when three members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) walked up behind her.
They then proceeded to strike poses, make gestures, cover her camera and interrupt her as she was attempting to report on conflict in the area.
Tensions on a recent high
Protests as part of the ‘Great Return March’ have been taking place at the border since March 30. They are scheduled to continue until ‘Nakba’ on May 15, a day when Palestinians mark what they regard as a mass exodus from their land as a result of the establishment of the Jewish state. Many countries still don’t officially recognize Israel as a state.
Tensions between Palestinians and Israelis have risen to an all time high with Donald Trumps moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing it as the capital of Israel. Major digital platforms like google and Wikipedia have followed suit.
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Israel pushes on with further settlements
The Israeli government has told Palestinians living in a Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank that they plans to demolish their homes within the next eight days and they must leave their homes.
The Israeli defence ministry unit that oversees civilian affairs in the West Bank said in a statement: “Pursuant to a Supreme Court ruling, residents of Khan al-Ahmar received a notice today requiring them to demolish all the structures on the site by October 1st, 2018.
Earlier this month, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain renewed their call for Israel not to demolish the village, warning of the consequences for residents, as well as “the prospects of the two-state solution”.
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