Palestinians lament 50 years of occupation, abuse

By Kaamil Ahmed

JERUSALEM (AA) - Half a century of Israeli occupation in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has deprived Palestinians of their basic rights and exposed them to daily hardships and violence, Palestinian and international NGOs declared Monday on the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

They reproached Israel for its ongoing blockade of Gaza, its draconian restrictions on Palestinian movement, and the unfettered construction of Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank, also accusing the self-proclaimed Jewish state of pursuing a policy of extrajudicial killing.

“Marking 50 years of occupation means marking 50 years of oppression, subjugation and daily control over all aspects of people's lives,” Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman Saeb Erekat said in a Sunday statement.

“It means 50 years of attacks and aggression from occupation forces and [Jewish] settlers against a defenseless civilian population,” he added.

“Israeli policies to destroy the two-state solution will not be met with the disappearance of our rights,” Erekat asserted. “Rather, they will be met with more resilience from our people, who will remain steadfast towards the fulfillment of their rights.”

Human Rights Watch, for its part, said that abuses had become widespread during the decades-long dispute, describing the stalled U.S.-led peace process as “fruitless”.

The rights group went on to call for an investigation by the International Criminal Court into alleged crimes committed over the past 50 years by both Israelis and Palestinians.

-‘Enormous, complex’

U.K.-based charity Oxfam last week claimed that humanitarian work being done in the Palestinian territories had been of little effect due to the ongoing occupation.

“If it weren’t for the occupation, most aid agencies would not need to be here,” Oxfam Country Director Chris Eijkemans said in a statement.

“The issues facing Palestinians are enormous and complex,” he added. “But on each count, despite the billions of dollars invested, the lives of Palestinians cannot meaningfully improve as long as the occupation persists.”

Israel marked the 1967 war’s anniversary late last month in accordance with the Hebrew calendar, celebrating the so-called "reunification" of Jerusalem when it wrested control of East Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marked the occasion by insisting that Israel would “forever” retain control of Jerusalem and its holy sites.

“Fifty years ago, we didn't occupy, we liberated; by the heroism of our warriors and the love of our people, Jerusalem was liberated,” he declared.

Israel occupied the Palestinian territories, along with Syria’s Golan Heights, after defeating Egypt, Jordan and Syria during the 1967 six-day war, later annexing East Jerusalem, claiming the entire city as its “eternal and undivided” capital.

Arabs describe these collective losses as the “Naksa”, or “setback”, due to Israel’s overwhelming victory and the resultant displacement of some 300,000 Palestinians.

Israel has since made peace with Jordan and Egypt -- returning the captured Sinai Peninsula to the latter -- and now boasts of improved ties with other Arab states, which have offered to recognize Israel in return for a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders.

This proposal for a Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, has long been demanded by the Palestinians and is generally accepted by the international community.

Numerous rounds of peace talks, however, have so far failed to make it a reality.

Senior members of Netanyahu's right-wing government, meanwhile, continue to push for the annexation of large parts -- even the entirety -- of the occupied West Bank, with some criticizing Netanyahu himself for his stated commitment to a “two-state solution” to the conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump has also recently impacted the debate, breaking with decades of U.S. policy by not insisting on a two-state solution during a February visit by Netanyahu to the U.S.

Nor did Trump make mention of a Palestinian state during a landmark visit to the region last month.