Submitted by Ali Abunimah on Wed, 07/02/2014 - 01:14
Update, 2 July: Vigilante killing suspected
Palestinian youth Muhammed Abu Khudair, 16, was reported by residents of Shuafat, in eastern occupied Jerusalem, to have been kidnapped. Israeli police confirmed finding the body of a Palestinian youth with signs of violence in a wooded area. Israeli authorities suspect that the killing may have been a revenge attack.
Witnesses said “that footage from surveillance cameras shows Israelis stepping out of a Hyundai in front of Abu Khudair’s house and forcing the teen inside before speeding off,” Ma’an News Agency reported.
Youths in Shuafat have been clashing with occupation forces for hours. Occupation forces have closed the area. The Twitter user @BDS4Justice lives in the area and has been posting regular updates.
Original post
Since the bodies of three missing Israeli youths were discovered in the occupied West Bank on Monday, Israeli politicians have whipped the public up with demands for “revenge.”
The videos in this post show disturbing footage of significant crowds of young Israelis marching through the streets of Jerusalem on Tuesday evening chanting “Death to the Arabs” – “mavet la’aravim” in Hebrew.
In some of the footage those chanting appear to be young children.
“Lynch mobs”
Ynet reported that “Police forces managed to rescue eight Arabs from the mob and arrested 47 on charges of public disorder, attempted assault of Arab minors, assaulting police officers, and property damage.”
Ynet posted its own footage of incidents “where the protesting mob posed a threat to an individual Arab and police officers struggled to separate and protect an innocent life from the enraged rightwing extremists.”
Video posted by Ynet showed “one Arab man being rescued from the mob and a group of Arab workers being attacked in a parking lot.”
Police prevented the mobs from entering the Old City of eastern occupied Jerusalem “in an attempt to prevent further lynch attempts,” Ynet said.
Incitement
Earlier on Tuesday, former lawmaker Michael Ben-Ari had called for a rally at which the “Death to the Arabs” chant was also heard.
These videos appear to show spontaneous crowds picking up the “Death to the Arabs” cry after the funeral.
At the Israeli youths’ funeral on Tuesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contrasted Israelis from those who killed the youths.
“They sanctify death, we sanctify life,” Netanyahu said. “They sanctify cruelty, and we mercy and compassion.”
As The Electronic Intifada also reported, Israeli soldiers have been posting calls for vengeance online and celebrating the death of a Palestinian youth, Yousef Abu Zagha, shot dead by Israeli occupation forces in Jenin refugee camp on Tuesday morning.
Amnesty warns against “revenge”
Amnesty International today condemned Israel’s use of collective punishment against Palestinians.
“Justice will not be served by Israel seeking revenge by imposing collective punishment, or committing other violations of Palestinians’ rights,” the group stated.
Occupation forces ransacked and partially destroyed the Hebron homes of the families of two Hamas members Israel says were responsible for killing the boys.
But as Amnesty notes, “The Israeli authorities have not presented any evidence to back their assertion that Hamas or the two named suspects were responsible for the teens’ abductions and murders.”
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