Monday, April 10: A Different Israeli Protest
Some protest for "democracy", others just want their apartheid status quo back
Thousands of Israelis marched to an evacuated illegal settlement today, led by at least seven members of the apartheid nation’s cabinet, in a clear sign that not all Israelis are interested in changing the most right-wing government in its history. These protesters are determined to actually accelerate the construction of illegal settlements on occupied lands despite international opposition.
The march threatens to further raise tensions that have been heightened by recent attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and retaliatory violence against tourists and settlers in the apartheid state. In a fresh wave of violence, Israel troops murdered a 15-year-old Palestinian boy during an arrest raid in the occupied West Bank, while a 48-year-old Israeli woman died of wounds she sustained last week in an attack that killed two of her daughters.
Thousands of Israeli police and members of its scumbag army were deployed to protect and secure the march, which added to the already combustible atmosphere that has overshadowed major Jewish and Muslim holy days. The march took place in the northern West Bank, the scene of repeated violence in recent months, at an unauthorized and illegal settlement called Eviatar. Eviatar was evacuated by the previous apartheid government in 2021, but this march was being led by members of the new ultranationalist politicians and hard-line Jewish settlers.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have boiled over in recent weeks, as Palestinian attacks have killed at least 20 people, including one soldier, since the start of the year. Meanwhile, at least 92 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire so far this year, many of them children.
Side Items
Imam Stabbed During Prayer: An imam in Paterson, NJ is in stable condition after being stabbed during a Sunday morning prayer service at an area mosque. Imam Sayed Elnakib was stabbed during the first prayer of the day, also known as fajr, around 5:30 a.m., at Omar Mosque in south Paterson while the congregation was kneeling. The suspect, who was unknown to congregants prior to Sunday’s stabbing, was praying alongside other worshipper and lunged forward with a knife, stabbing Imam Sayed at least twice. The cowardly attacker then attempted to flee from the mosque, but was apprehended and subdued by congregants until police arrived. This man should praise God that he was in a mosque, otherwise he would’ve likely been beaten to a pulp
Most Anticipated Film of the Year: No, I’m not talking about the Super Mario Brothers Movie, and you probably won’t see any A-List actors in this film, but “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” has finally been released. Sadly, the movie doesn’t actually contain instructions for blowing up pipelines, although its author, Andreas Malm, a Swedish academic who has pressed for radical action on the climate crisis, hardly opposes the idea. Malm correctly argues that the status quo has grown so dire that activists would be foolish not to turn to sabotage, and that peaceful protest alone is unlikely to achieve results quickly enough. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I’ll be sure to check it out and write a more detailed review
French Sucker Punch: Rudy Gobert (not pronounced like Go-Gurt), the starting center for the Minnesota Timberwolves, grew frustrated in the last game of the regular season yesterday and threw a punch at his teammate Kyle Anderson. The punch itself was incredibly French, soft and strangely constructed, but it was enough for team officials to send Gobert home early, like a misbehaving child in school. The Wolves will play the Lakers in the western conference play-in game later this week