Israel Knowingly Built and Funded Illegal Settlements

File under the "What everyone already knew but has now been made official" category.  Israel has been assisting in the violation of its own laws:

A long-awaited report on the Israeli government's support for illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank describes widespread state complicity, fraud and cynicism, illegal diversion of government funds and illegal seizure of private Palestinian land. The report was formally delivered to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday.

Withheld until now, the report was written under American pressure and finished in early January. It accuses the government of Mr. Sharon and previous Israeli governments of "blatant violations of the law" and complicity in helping settlers construct illegal outposts in violation of stated Israeli government policy.

An astute observer may note that all the  settlements are actually illegal under international law, so what makes these "outposts" especially illegal?  Well, they're illegal under Israeli law as well, although as this report shows Israel doesn't even follow its own laws anymore.  Most likely it was a typo in this AP article, but perhaps even the US Embassy has caught on,

Paul Patin, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, said "we continue to expect Israel to abide" by commitments to dismantle promises.

For more in the theater of the absurd, the IDF will not indict officer in death of British filmmaker:

"The findings of the military police show that an IDF first lieutenant, the commanding officer of the IDF force at the site, allegedly fired his weapon in breach of IDF Rules of Engagement," a statement said. "However, it is not legally possible to link this shooting to the gunshot sustained by Mr. Miller."

Per usual, I suggest that readers not trust the Israeli army and instead decide for themselves who murdered James Miller.  This site is currently down, but when it comes back up, you can watch the video of his shooting. 

Comments

[volfgang]

Why Jews ask any one permission to build and live in their own country? Did the US asked permission to conquer the west, although not even one American ever lived there before?

[scott]

volfgang, what planet are you on? First of all, the West Bank does not belong to the Jews, or more appropriately, the Israelis.

Second, are you really arguing that the Euroamerican genocide of indigenous peoples in what is now the US is justification for the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians? I don't know what history books you're reading, but nowadays the mass murder of American Indians by Europeans is condemned as the crime against humanity that is was.

That's like arguing slavery is ok now cause it happened previously in history as well.

[Scott1]

What I find galling , is the attitude. You know AWK, your Arab friends have tried unsuccessfully to commit their own genocide upon the Israeli’s even before the state’s inception, and its still their stated aim. If it were not for good luck, friends, hard work, brains and guts – the Arabs would have succeeded. Your duplicity makes me sick to the core.