When Palestinian children are not being shot by Israeli soldiers, they are being cleansed from their land. AFP
When Palestinian children are not being shot by Israeli soldiers, they are being cleansed from their land. AFP

Israel is erasing Palestinian children from their land



On Saturday, Ahmad Abu Obeid became the ninth Palestinian to be killed by Israel's armed forces this year. He was 19 and his killing raises the number of Palestinian deaths at the hands of Israeli soldiers so far in 2018 to nearly two per week. Abu Obeid had committed the "crime" of participating in a protest against heavily armed Israeli forces who, as is their wont, had invaded his West Bank village of Burqin to cart away suspects in the shooting of a rabbi from a nearby settlement – yet another illegal Israeli colonial outpost erected by devouring Palestinian land. Abu Obeid had the temerity to stand firm with protesters – and this, in the grossly asymmetrical contest between the nuclear-armed Israelis and the dispossessed Palestinians, took the form of hurling stones at the Israeli soldiers who descended on his village to degrade and humiliate his people and being met with gunfire.

Nothing is more offensive or dangerous in Israel's eyes than Palestinians defying its imperial authority. So Abu Obeid was shot dead to strike terror in the hearts of his fellow Palestinians. Although Israel never tires of touting itself as a nation of laws, it would be a miracle if his killer is ever punished. Hundreds of Palestinian children and teenagers have been killed over the years. In 2016 alone, 105 Palestinian children were killed by the Israeli army; the youngest among the dead was 10, the oldest 17. How many of their killers, draped in the uniform of the Israeli army, have been prosecuted? How many protests have taken place against the killings? Such is the climate of impunity in Israel that even those behind the killings of foreign supporters of the Palestinian cause, such as the American human rights activist Rachel Corrie and the British filmmaker James Miller, have not been punished.

Prosecutions and public outcry in Israel are reserved not for trigger-happy soldiers but Palestinian children. Ahed Al Tamimi, arrested in December for slapping an Israeli soldier and denied bail by a military court, turned 17 inside prison. Nothing quite exposes the moral bankruptcy of Israel like the ritual of parading children before military courts while feting the remorseless killers of Palestinians as heroes. And when Palestinian children are not being shot, they are being cleansed from their land, like Ghada, the 14-year-old epileptic girl arrested in Jerusalem in January for travelling without a permit. The Israeli authorities deported her to Gaza, even though she had never been there. After decades of swallowing Palestinian land, Israel is graduating to the next phase of its exclusionary nationalism: treating its youngest inhabitants in this horrifying manner.

Follow The National's Opinion section on Twitter

Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mica

Director: Ismael Ferroukhi

Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani

3 stars

Pakistanis%20at%20the%20ILT20%20
%3Cp%3EThe%20new%20UAE%20league%20has%20been%20boosted%20this%20season%20by%20the%20arrival%20of%20five%20Pakistanis%2C%20who%20were%20not%20released%20to%20play%20last%20year.%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%0D%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EShaheen%20Afridi%20(Desert%20Vipers)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ESet%20for%20at%20least%20four%20matches%2C%20having%20arrived%20from%20New%20Zealand%20where%20he%20captained%20Pakistan%20in%20a%20series%20loss.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EShadab%20Khan%20(Desert%20Vipers)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%0DThe%20leg-spin%20bowling%20allrounder%20missed%20the%20tour%20of%20New%20Zealand%20after%20injuring%20an%20ankle%20when%20stepping%20on%20a%20ball.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAzam%20Khan%20(Desert%20Vipers)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EPowerhouse%20wicketkeeper%20played%20three%20games%20for%20Pakistan%20on%20tour%20in%20New%20Zealand.%20He%20was%20the%20first%20Pakistani%20recruited%20to%20the%20ILT20.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMohammed%20Amir%20(Desert%20Vipers)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EHas%20made%20himself%20unavailable%20for%20national%20duty%2C%20meaning%20he%20will%20be%20available%20for%20the%20entire%20ILT20%20campaign.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EImad%20Wasim%20(Abu%20Dhabi%20Knight%20Riders)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20left-handed%20allrounder%2C%2035%2C%20retired%20from%20international%20cricket%20in%20November%20and%20was%20subsequently%20recruited%20by%20the%20Knight%20Riders.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Why seagrass matters
  • Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
  • Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
  • Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
  • Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

Brief scoreline:

Liverpool 2

Keita 5', Firmino 26'

Porto 0