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Does Netanyahu live by the law of the jungle?
Don't be fooled by Netanyahu. Israel is targeting all Lebanese, not just Hezbullah, Shiia, Sunni, Christians, Druze, Alwis, and Syrian and Palestinian refugees who live in Lebanon, Crime Minister Netanyahu acts as if he lives by the law of jungle. Why is that not making news?
There are currently 250,000 Palestinian living in Lebanon. Mostly, they are living in 12 refugee camps that have been run by UNRWA since 1948. Lebanon is also home to around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, many of whom are now being forced to flee again.
The IOF is now bombing many residential buildings in Lebanon without warning the civilian population. Just like in Gaza, whenever Israel gets hammered by Hamas on the ground, they bomb civilians from the sky. Lebanese political commentator said, " Israel is telling Lebanese civilians to evacuate their buildings in Beirut in the middle of the night they are sleeping before bombing them 10 minutes later. And then they say, "We warned civilians."
Fearing to face resistance fighters on the ground in Palestine and Lebanon, The IOF is now resorting to what they do best. Resorting to bombing from the sky and deploying targeted assassinations against Lebanese and Palestinians.
Keep in mind that extrajudicial assassinations are a violation of the Geneva Convention, ratified by Israel in 1951. Israel is currently involved in committing targeted killing in Lebanon and Palestine. By doing so, Israel is acting as a judge, jury and the prosecutor. The IOF continues to implement this tactic as a matter of policy, often murdering and injuring scores of innocent bystanders.
To ensure compliance with international law, the Israeli government should conduct investigations of targeted killings where there is credible evidence of wrongdoing, provide compensation to all victims of unlawful attacks, and discipline or prosecute as appropriate those responsible for conducting or ordering illegal strikes. However, you cannot expect this from a repeat offender, and I am not holding my breath!
Here is a list of the Israeli-targeted assassinations in Lebanon:
*On August 9, 2024, an Israeli drone struck outside Ain El-Helwi refugee camp near the city of Saida, Lebanon, killing the driver Mahmoud Al-Hajj (Abu Mahmoud). His late father happened to be my childhood friend, but I never got to meet his son, Samer.
* On August 21, 2024, Khalil al-Makdah (Abu Hussein) was killed in a drone attack in the port city of Sidon, 40 kilometers south of Beirut. A passerby was also killed in the attack. Khalil (a friend in Arabic) was a dear friend of my late brother Samih.
* On Sep. 30, 2024, Fatah Sharif (Abu al-Amin) was killed in an airstrike on the al-Bass refugee camp in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, along with his wife, son, and daughter. he had been the principal of the UNRWA-run Deir Yassin Secondary School in al-Bass.
In the middle of September 2024, the IOF confirmed carrying out an airstrike that hit the home of Hassan Makdah (Abu Munir), killing him and his wife Nazmieh and critically injuring their two daughters. Hassan lived in Ain El-Helwi camp, about 700 feet from where I grew up. He is the son of senior Fatah official Munir Makdah (Abu Hassan.)
* On October 2, 2024, the IOF bombed a displacement shelter in the Christian town of Ain Ebel, South Lebanon. This village is nowhere near pro-Hezbullah. The bombing killed in the attack, 50 people and injured 70 more. Among the dead were a Christian family and 19-year-old college freshman Palestinian Malak Murdaa and her entire family. Malak (means Angel in Arabic) is from Ain El-Helwi refugee camp, Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp. Like several Palestinian families from the camp, Malak and her family took shelter in this Christian town for safety.
* October 5, 2024, Saeed Attallah Ali, his wife, and their two daughters were killed in an Israeli strike on his house in the Beddawi refugee camp near the northern city of Tripoli
* On October 5, 2024, BBC reported that an Israeli air strike had hit Syrian refugees fleeing Lebanon at the main border crossing point to avoid the escalating Israeli bombing and ground campaign in Lebanon. Just like it used Hamas as an excuse in Gaza, the IOF said it had targeted Hezbullah near the Masnaa crossing. The strike left two huge craters on either side of the road, effectively cutting off vehicle access into and out of Lebanon. Under the presumption of innocence, the legal burden of proof is thus on the Israeli, who must present the fact that the people it murdered are guilty of committing a crime. It makes no difference if they are a member of Hezbollah, Hamas, Jihad, Fateh, or devil worshippers.
That said, it looks like the IOF is engaged in target assassination and practicing bombing runs in Lebanon and occupied Palestine. While in America, we believe in the rules of law and the presumption of innocence, Crime Minister Netanyahu acts as if he lives by the law of the jungle, and he is doing it with our tax dollars.
That begs the question, why are Trump and VP Harris not tweeting about the last waves of Israeli aggression and the targeted killing or doing nothing to help the Palestinians and Lebanese whose land has been stolen by Israel and whose women and children have been slaughtered systematically by the same homicidal Crime Minister that both presidential candidates and US Congress keep backing to the hilt?
Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelancer for the Islamicity.com and ColumbusFreePress.com. He can be reached at elyousseph6@yahoo.com
Hassan Makdah and his wife Nazmieh killed in an Israeli airstrike at their home in Ain El-Helwi camp: Photo credit: Hassan Makdah Face Book