Statement of the Internationalist Socialist League (Section of the RCIT in Israel/Occupied Palestine), 07.01.2016, http://the-isleague.com/
Today an Israeli military court has found an Israeli soldier, El’or Azaria, guilty of manslaughter over the cold blood murder of a wounded Palestinian last year. [1] The Palestinian youth Abdul Fattah ash-Sharif, 21, was killed as he lay overpowered on the ground. The killing was filmed by a Palestinian human rights activist who received his camera from the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.
Naturally, the ISL condemns this murder. However we must point out that there are many like Azaria in Israel who have done similar crimes and would do the same in the future. This is one of the natural consequences of settler-colonialist society that robs the native Palestinian people and then kills them when they dare to resist.
Furthermore, the main responsibility for this murder lies with the Israeli military and state leaders who push in the direction of creating an open Apartheid state from the river to the sea. It is not surprising that not only Prime Minister Netanyahu is calling for amnesty to this murderer, but also leading Zionist-“leftists” like Shelly Yahimovitch (Labor).
Fascistic mobs, unsurprisingly, demonstrated today in Tel Aviv with some chanting calls for the murder of the Israeli Chief of Staff who spoke out against Azaria [2]. They shouted: “Gadi, Gadi, be careful, Rabin is looking for a friend”. [3]
Pardon for Azaria will give a blank cheque for other soldiers to murder Palestinians. Already in the eyes of at least 40% of the Israelis Azaria is a hero not a cold blooded killer.
Such murders will continue as long as the Zionist state exists. This is the time for a united front of all who cannot live with this ugly racist atmosphere and first of all, all the Palestinian parties united by the Joint List.
The sad thing about Israel is that at the moment there is no force that can change the direction in which Israel is going. The only force that can change the mind of a section of the Israeli society is the Arab revolution that sooner or later will rise again.
Footnotes and sources:
[2] http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-chief-soldier-on-trial-for-killing-stabber-not-everyones-child/
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Yitzhak_Rabin