What is The Occupation

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What is The Occupation?
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• What exactly is the Occupation?
• How does it affect the Palestinians?

Lets look at the most recent State Department
Report on Human Rights Practices in Israel and
the Occupied Territories for the answers
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But first, a brief historical background

• In the 1967 war, Israel invaded and occupied the
  territories known as the West Bank, Gaza Strip
  and East Jerusalem
• For 37 years, the 3.5 million Palestinians living
  in those areas have had to live under Israeli
  military rule

Here are actual quotes from the State Dept.
report
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• Each day, tens of thousands of Palestinians
  traveling between Palestinian towns and villages
  faced as many as 730 different barriers to
  movement.

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• The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel
  assessed that in the beginning of this year
  hundreds of Palestinians were subjected to
  torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading
  treatment by Israel security agencies.

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• Israeli authorities abused Palestinians at
  checkpoints, subjecting them to verbal and
  physical harassment.

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• Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers shot and
  killed suspectswho posed no apparent mortal
  threat to the soldiers.

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• On March 16, an Israeli bulldozer clearing land
  in Rafah in the Gaza Strip crushed and killed
  Rachel Corrie, 23, a US Citizen peace activist.

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• Israel obstructed the movement of and
  occasionally fired upon and assaulted medical
  personnel and ambulances.
• Israeli security services stopped and searched
  all ambulances at each checkpoint, which
  frequently added life-threatening delays in
  reaching hospitals.

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• Israeli forces demolished the homes of the
  families and relatives of those convicted of or
  suspected of committing terror attacks,
  effectively punishing innocent Palestinians not
  implicated in the attacks.

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• The IDF destroyed numerous citrus orchards,
  olive and date groves, and irrigation systems on
  Palestinian-owned agricultural land in both the
  West Bank and Gaza.

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• The IDF also cleared and took control of West
  Bank land, including land held by private
  Palestinians, in order to facilitate construction
  of the separation barrier.

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Why didnt we know about this?

• Three simple reasons
• Reports by foreign journalists were subject to
  review by Israeli military censors for security
  issues.
• Israel frequently denied journalists travel
  permits and revoked or delayed issuing press
  credentials, all of which amounted to de facto
  censorship.
• Israel require(s) foreigners entering the Gaza
  Strip to sign a waiver that purports to absolve
  Israel of responsibility for death or injuries
  caused by Israeli soldiers.
• To read the 78-page report in its entirety go to
  www.state.gov