US Media Wonders Why Israel Keeps Shooting Unarmed Palestinians
Al Jazeera’s report on unarmed Palestinians killed in Jenin highlights what many call Israel’s 'shoot to kill' strategy. What the mainstream US press conveniently omits is that this isn't a new development. From the Nakba of 1948 to documented extrajudicial killings during the Second Intifada, and the countless incidents since, this 'policy' seems less like an anomaly and more like an established
operating procedure. Remember when Ehud Barak, then Defense Minister, ordered 'no mercy' on stone-throwers in 2000? Or when Benjamin Netanyahu, again, vowed to 'act with an iron fist' against 'disturbances' in 2015? This isn't a bug; it's a feature. So, as pundits on CNN agonize over the 'optics' of these killings, one has to wonder if they're simply adhering to the unspoken rule: report the
symptom, but never, ever diagnose the underlying condition of occupation and systemic dehumanization. How many unarmed deaths does it take before it stops being a 'complex situation' and starts being what it looks like to the rest of the world?