Dr. Ashrawi: Israeli annexation pace is escalating and state-sanctioned settler terrorism on the rise

Palestinian spokesperson Hanan Ashrawi accuses Israel’s rightwing government of escalating the annexation of civilian Palestinian, non-Jewish lands to build racist settlements in the Occupied West Bank and Occupied East Jerusalem and of enabling state-sanctions settler terrorism

Dr. Hanan Ashrawi on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 criticized Israel’s government for enabling state-sanction settler terrorism against Christian and Muslim Palestinian civilians and escalating the annexation of civilian Palestinian lands to build more racist settlements.

“As the international community seeks to cooperate in combating the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Israel is exploiting the situation to expedite de facto annexation of Palestinian land while providing protection and cover to armed Israeli settlers in their terror attacks against defenseless Palestinian communities across the occupied West Bank.

As part of its escalating plans to enforce the notorious E1 settlement project, Israel has further announced the construction of a new apartheid road near the illegal settlement of “Maale Adumim,” despite international warnings that this project will annex large areas around occupied Jerusalem and would destroy the territorial contiguity of Palestine.

Longtime non-violence advocate and peace activist, Palestinian Leader Dr. Hanan Ashrawi. Photo courtesy of the PLO

Concurrently, Israeli settlers have sharply increased their terrorist attacks throughout the occupied West Bank under the protection of Israeli occupation forces. Most recently, Israeli settlers have repeatedly raided Mount Al-‘Orma near Nablus in an attempt to take over the area with the active participation of the Israeli army. The Palestinians of Beita-Nablus have faced repeated assaults with courage and determination despite the great cost and suffering they have endured. The latest victim of this escalation is 15-year-old Mohammed Hamayel who was shot and killed by Israeli live fire. Additionally, scores of injuries and cases of suffocation were reported, caused by Israeli army and settler attacks.

Furthermore, the closed-off Bethlehem area, which is the epicenter of Palestine’s COVID-19 outbreak and under strict measures of quarantine, has been targeted by Israeli settlers who uprooted at least 1,200 olive and vine trees as part of their ongoing environmental terrorism. At the same time, the Israeli army stepped up the expansion of the massive settlement bloc of “Gush Etzion” to complete the siege and isolation of occupied Jerusalem.

While the world is preoccupied with combating the dangerous spread of the lethal virus, one must not ignore the toxic Israeli campaign seeking to destroy Palestinian statehood and the chances of peace.”

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Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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