Monday, February 27: Rampage in The West Bank
Another day, another opportunity for Israeli settlers to destroy Palestinian livelihood.
Settlers in apartheid Israel carried out at least 300 attacks yesterday, including shootings and arson, in a destructive stroll through Palestinian villages in the Nablus area of the occupied West Bank. The murderous rampage occurred shortly after two Israeli settlers were killed in a shooting by a Palestinian man in the town of Huwara. The settlers were two brothers in their 20’s who lived in the *illegal* settlement of Har Bracha south of Nablus. As retaliation for this shooting and under protection from the Israeli military, settlers attacked Palestinians with metal rods and set fire to dozens of Palestinian shops, homes and vehicles.
A 37-year-old Palestinian man identified as Samih al-Aqtash was shot in the stomach last night by settlers supported by the Israeli army in the village of Zaatara, south of Nablus. The father of five had returned home just five days ago after volunteering to help earthquake survivors in Turkey. In the end, he died not as a result of a natural disaster, but murdered near his home by settlers hell bent on revenge.
“We hold the occupation authorities fully responsible for these heinous crimes, which reflect a systematic policy practiced by the Israeli government, whose ministers demonstrate their support for those crimes in violation of international laws,”
-Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh
Of course, soldiers and settlers will always work in tandem in a settler-colonial regime, they’re the same side of the coin. The Israeli army and settlers have killed 67 Palestinians since the start of 2023, including 13 children. Bear in mind we’re only 58 days into 2023.
Side Items
Lab Leak Theory Lives On: The US Energy Department concluded with "low confidence" that the Covid-19 pandemic "likely" originated from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China. This is according to a classified report delivered to lawmakers on the house and senate intelligence committees. Of course racists and idiots like Donny Trump will overlook the “low confidence” bit and celebrate their presumed accuracy in referring to it as the China virus
Child Labor is Back: A recent New York Times investigation revealed that migrant children, many of whom have been forced to migrate into the US without their parents, are ending up in some of the most punishing jobs in the country. This unseen work force extends across industries in every state, violating child labor laws that have been in place for almost a century. The article mentions twelve-year-old roofers in Florida and Tennessee, underage slaughterhouse workers in Delaware, Mississippi and North Carolina, and children sawing planks of wood on overnight shifts in South Dakota. Think about that next time you open a bag of Cheetos or a box of Froot Loops that was assembled by a child
The Robed Supremes Are Back At It: The pompous over-educated buffoons in robes are on the verge of allowing employers to sue unions for loss of profits during legal strikes. The Glacier Northwest case is a clear attack on workers’ collective power, and it has frightening implications for American democracy going forward. The heart of the dispute is about whether employers can sue unions for economic harm, including harm caused by loss of perishable products that results from workers going on strike. This case could potentially open the doors to lawsuits against unions anytime they strike, thus severely weakening this crucial and federally protected right