Joe Biden’s Deafening Silence on Israeli Aggression

The distressing current circumstances testify to the dire effects of Israel’s carefully planned policies, causing severe hunger in Gaza, coupled with perpetual Zionist aggression in the illicitly-held territory of West Bank. A tragic incident on a Monday brings this harsh reality to light as an Israeli citizen fatally shot a Palestinian advocate, Odeh Hathalin, who also bears an alias – Awdah Hathaleen, and participated in the production of the prizewinning depiction, No Other Land, carried out in full view of the public and in the openness of the day.

At age 31, Hathalin was employed as an educational professional in Masafer Yatta, nestled in the southern Hebron Hills, and was known for his notable part in No Other Land. Those residing in the locale were able to identify the shooter, who can be seen in this snippet shooting repeatedly. This incident is a stark contradiction to the world’s perception of human rights, and is a flagrant show of power and discrimination.

In a separate shocking incident, Hamdan Ballal, one of the four people who helmed the direction of the film, became a victim of physical assault inflicted by a throng of Israeli settlers and was subsequently held captive by the armed forces in the month of March. The footage of Hathaleen’s brutal shooting that occurred on Monday has been shared broadly. The event has stirred distress globally and has raised many questions about the preservation of human rights in the region.

As reported by The Guardian, witnesses from Umm al-Khair residing in the southern Hebron Hills state that the attack was initiated after an Israeli settler recklessly drove his bulldozer through their terrain, causing wilful demolition of trees and private possessions. The village is juxtaposed right beneath the Israeli settlement of Carmel, established in the year 1980.

The violent episode escalated when a villager confronted the bulldozer’s operator, enquiring him to cease the destruction, only to be thrown off balance by the bulldozer’s blade. The residents, in retaliation, resorted to throwing stones at the settler who soon left the residential settlement and initiated gunfire, thus narrate the witnesses. Hathaleen, was then fatally wounded by a bullet while he stood quite a distance from the scene of the scuffle.

The entire series of events seems to be a deceptive scheme conceived with the intent of setting up a staged reason for the execution of the following vicious onslaught. It remains a mystery whether Hathalin had been the intended victim since the beginning, however, what is clear is the imbalance of power and the blatant disregard for human lives in the region.

After the incident, the alleged shooter was taken into temporary custody by Israeli authorities, following which he was released on the conditions of home arrest. This incident raises seething questions about the status of law and order, and about who justice truly serves in cases such as this. Remarkably, this is not an isolated case.

Recorded data indicates the brutal killing of about 1,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank region since October 2023. Worse, an estimated 9,500 have sustained injuries, and 6,800 have been forcibly evicted from their homes, while a total of 3,232 structures have been leveled to the ground by Israeli forces or settlers, indicating a collaborative destructive effort.

Going by a statement issued by the American State Department in February 2024, the accused not only permitted, but indirectly encouraged the settler groups to commit acts of violence against the Palestinian and Bedouin civilian groups, inciting the settlers with prospects of more oppression if the civilians did not abandon their residences.

In addition to this, the militants resorted to burning their fields, destroying their valuable assets, and inflicting fear and mayhem. At the helm of these accusations is the alleged devastation of olive trees, crops, and water sources, which has instigated the habitation to turn tail from their native village in a state of heightening terror and despair.

Abuse of power, violence, and fear tactics seem to be the defining factors in these regions. Basic human rights are being violated every day, and the cycle of destruction and displacement is unending. This paints a terrifying picture of the situation in Gaza and West Bank, while the world watches in helpless silence.

The unending aggression, blatant disregard for civilian life, and constant threats push entire communities into despair and deprivation. It is critical that international attention and action focuses on these areas. The lives and human rights of the Palestinians seem to hold little to no value for the perpetrators.

It’s a despairing record of events that shows no sign of relief or resolution. Aided and abetted by policies that seem to thrive on division and suffering, the tragedy of the West Bank and Gaza cries out for justice and for human decency.

This harsh narrative is a cry for the world to pay attention to the gross violations of human rights and abuses occurring in these regions. Without international pressure and severe condemnation, the cycle of aggression, discrimination, and violence will likely continue unabated.