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Palestinian stone-throwing

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Palestinians throwing stones from the cover of an ambulance during a riot in Qalandiya.

Palestinian stone-throwing is a Palestinian political tactic or action in which projectiles such as rocks, stones, bricks, chunks of concrete and similar materials, are thrown, hurled or catapulted at Israeli civilians or security forces, or those mistaken for such, and/or at the vehicles in which they are riding, producing damage to said vehicles, and often casualties and sometimes fatalities among civilians, including infants.[1]

Conceptualizations

Stone throwing at a riot in Bil'in.

In response to stone-throwing and other violent actions, Israel has justified its use of phosphorus munitions by police.[2]

According to journalist Jodi Rudoren, many Palestinians see stone-throwing as, "a rite of passage and an honored act of defiance".[3]

Amira Hass has defended Palestinian stone–throwing as the, "birthright and duty of anyone subject to foreign rule", and as "a metaphor of resistance".[4]

Marouf Hasian and Lisa A. Flores have the interpreted stone-throwing that took place during the First Intifada as a means of creating a collective identity, a historical tradition, and – ultimately – a Palestinian nation.[5] David A. MacDonald understands stone throwing as, "resistance performance... strategically engineered to reinforce the sacred relationship between the nation and the land".[6]

On 3 July 2000 while visiting Lebanon Palestinian intellectual Edward Said threw a stone across the border towards an Israeli guard post. When the incident attracted international attention, Said justified it as a, 'symbolic gesture of joy' at the end of Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon.[7]

Major periods of rock-throwing

The First Intifada broke out as an unarmed uprising against Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, and has since been called 'the first stone-throwing rebellion against Israel.'[8] While it has been calculated that 97% of reported resistance activities at that time were peaceful, the international press and media focused on the violent stone-throwing.[9] In response to the wave of rock-throwing incidences beginning in December 1987, the Israeli government appears to have sanctioned the non-lethal gunfire against youths caught throwing stones. By the autumn of 1988 the de facto rule permitted the use of non-lethal ammunition against children caught stone-throwing or seen fleeing from a scene where such behavior had occurred, even if there was no impending risk to soldiers' lives. According to eyewitness testimony of Palestinians, 90% of the 271 Palestinian minors allegedly shot dead on the basis of these criteria in the six years of this intifada were killed at moments when they were not actually throwing stones.[10]

Rock throwing to protest Ariel Sharon's visit to the Haram al-Sharif, the holiest site in Judaism, in 2000 led to a clash in which 70 Israeli police were injured by rock-throwing. In response to these actions, 6 Palestinians were killed, and 220 wounded by Israeli gunfire. The incident rapidly escalated into the Al-Aqsa Intifada when, as rock-and Molotov-cocktail-throwing continued over the next two days, 24 Palestinians were shot dead, and an Israeli soldier was killed.[11]One of the iconic images of the second Intifada was of a little boy in Gaza confronting an Israeli tank and winding his arm up to throw a stone from his sling.[12]

Effectiveness as a tactic

Slingshots used in a demonstration at Bil'in

Gene Sharp classifies stone-throwing as a form of "limited violence", writing that, "Palestinians see the stones as a way of expressing their defiance and rage", but, in Sharp's opinion, the tactic is "counterproductive" because Israelis "almost never see a stone thrown at them as a relatively nonviolent (form of) expression".[13]

Colonel Thomas Hammes, an analyst of asymmetrical warfare, considers that the tactical use of stone-throwing in the First Intifada was the key strategic move that enabled the Palestinian movement to "transformed (Israel) from the tiny, brave nation surrounded by hostile Arab nations to the oppressive state that condoned killing children in the street".[14]

According to Robert Fisk, Palestinian stone-throwers use slingshots "to give their stones velocity."[15] Slingshots are often loaded with large ball bearings instead of stones.[16][17][18]

In an attempt to arrest individuals involved in stone throwing or prevent additional violence, Israeli undercover units have attempted to blend in with the stone-throwers by throwing stones in the general direction of uniformed IDF and police alongside Palestinians.[19][20][21][22] According to a Haaretz investigation, police testifying about clashes with protesters in Bil'in have in a number of cases given false testimony by claiming that rocks were being thrown in what were, on analysis, peaceful protests. In other cases in that village Border police were, nonetheless, injured by rock-throwing.[23]

In November 2014, the Israeli Cabinet approved a bill that will, if passed, increase the legal penalties for stone-throwing to up to 20 years imprisonment.[24][25][26][27]

In response to the Killing of Sergeant Almog Shiloni and the 2014 Alon Shvut stabbing attack, Prime Minister Netanyahu convened a Security Cabinet meeting in which he announced that fines would be imposed on the parents of minors caught throwing stones.[28]

In November 2014, an Israeli court decided, for the first time, not to release a minor who was awaiting trial for stone throwing due to an upsurge in stone throwing in the Isawiya neighborhood in Jerusalem, where the 15-year-old lived.[29]

Annually, Israeli military courts sentence approximately 700 Palestinian children, predominantly on charges of throwing stones. Between 2000 and 2008, 6,500 children were arrested, mostly for this activity. One study has found that of 853 Palestinian children indicted by Israeli for stone-throwing between 2005 and 2010, 18 had ages of between 12-13,255 were between 14 and 15, 60% received jail sentences of up to 2 months, 15% got over 6 months and 1% served time in prison for a year.[2]

Deaths and casualties

On 5 June 2001, Yehuda Shoham, a 5-month-old baby, was killed when a rock hurled by stone-throwing Palestinians crashed through the window of the car he was riding in, crushing his skull.[30][31][32][33]

On 23 September 2011, Asher (25) and Yonatan Palmer (1) were killed when the car Asher was driving was attacked by stone-throwing Palestinians, causing it to crash killing him along with his infant son.[34][35][36]

On 14 March 2013,[37] the Biton's family car was attacked, near neighboring village of Kif el-Hares, with stones which caused it to get out of control and collide with a truck. Adele Biton was critically injured along with her mother and 3 sisters who were moderately injured. After almost two years in different hospitals and home care, she passed away on February 17, 2015.[38][39]

On 24 February 1989, a cement block was dropped from a rooftop by a Fatah activist, Samir Na’neesh, onto the head of Staff Sergeant Binyamin Meisner, while he was patrolling the casbah in Nablus. The block crushed his skull, killing him.[40][41][42]

Slingshot Hip Hop is a 2008 documentary film about Palestinian youth culture and hiphop music.[43]

The 2012 film Rock the Casbah deals with the struggle of Israeli soldiers and Arab civilians to deal with, "asymmetrical warfare i(n which) one side has guns, the other merely rocks," after an incident where a washing machine is dropped onto, and kills, a soldier.[44]

References

  1. ^ "Shin Bet: 2 Palestinians admit throwing rocks that killed Israeli Asher Palmer and infant son". Haaretz. 6 October 2011.
  2. ^ a b Reem Bahdi, 'Phosphorus and Stone:Operation cast Lead,Israeli Military Courts, and International Law as Dennial-Maintenance,' in Willem de Lint, Marinella Marmo, Nerida Chazal (eds.), Criminal Justice in International Society,' Routledge 2014 p.186.
  3. ^ Rudoren Jodi (3 August 2013). "In a West Bank Culture of Conflict, Boys Wield the Weapon at Hand". New York Times. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  4. ^ Hass, Amira (3 April 2013). "The inner syntax of Palestinian stone-throwing". Haaretz. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  5. ^ Hasian Flores, Marouf & Lisa (1997). "Children of the stones: The Intifada and the mythic creation of the Palestinian state". Southern Communication Journal. 62 (2): 89–106. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  6. ^ Macdonald, David A. (2013). Palestinian Music and Song: Expression and Resistance since 1900, Chapter 8, Performance Politics: Folklore and Popular Resistance during the First Palestinian Intifada. Indiana University Press. p. 133. ISBN 0253011132. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  7. ^ Dinitia Smith, "A Stone's Throw is a Freudian Slip", The New York Times, 12 November 2014.
  8. ^ Beverley Milton-Edwards, Stephen Farrell,Hamas: The Islamic Resistance Movement, John Wiley & Sons, 2013
  9. ^ Erica Chenoweth,Maria J. Stephan, Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict, Columbia University Press, 2013 p.119
  10. ^ James A. Graff, ',' in Tomis Kapitan (ed.), Philosophical Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, M.E. Sharpe, 1997 pp.160-170.
  11. ^ Wendy Pearlman, Violence, Nonviolence, and the Palestinian National Movement, Cambridge University Press, 2011 p.150.
  12. ^ Kathleen Kern, In Harm's Way: A History of Christian Peacemaker Teams,Lutterworth Press, 2014 p.225.
  13. ^ Sharp, Gene (Autumn 1989). "The Intifadah and Nonviolent Struggle". Journal of Palestine Studies. 19 (1): 3–13. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  14. ^ Hammes, Thomas X. (2006). The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century. Zenith Press. p. 108. ISBN 0760324077. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  15. ^ Fisk, Robert (2007). The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 0307428710. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  16. ^ Schmetzer, Uli (25 February 1988). "Palestinian Uprising Escalates Israeli Troops Ambushed In Gaza Strip". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  17. ^ Freed, Kenneth (13 February 1988). "Israeli Soldiers Kill 2 Palestinians : Patrol Is Attacked After Muslim Service". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  18. ^ Haklai, Oded (2011). Palestinian Ethnonationalism in Israel. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 122. ISBN 0812204395. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  19. ^ 'Undercover Israeli combatants threw stones at IDF soldiers in West Bank', Chaim Levinson, May 7, 2012, Haaretz
  20. ^ MK among 10 hurt at anti-fence protest , April 29, 2005
  21. ^ Kameel B. Nasr,Arab and Israeli Terrorism: The Causes and Effects of Political Violence:1936-1993, McFarland, 1997 p.26.
  22. ^ Samar Assad, Undercover Men Surprise Rioters -- Masked Israeli Troops Mingled With Palestinians Before Pouncing; Meanwhile, Woman Is Charged With Writing Fliers That Started Riot,' Seattle Times, 3 July, 1997
  23. ^ Jonathan Lis, 'Border Police `lie about violence at fence protests',' Haaretz, 28 July 2005.
  24. ^ Revid, Barak (2 November 2014). "Home News National Netanyahu's cabinet backs bill to jail stone-throwers up to 10–20 year". Haaretz. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  25. ^ Times of Israel Staff (2 November 2014). "Ministers advance bill jailing rock throwers for up to 20 years". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  26. ^ Adamczyk, Ed (3 November 2014). "Harsher penalties for rock-throwers as Jerusalem tensions rise". United Press Internaitonal. UPI. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  27. ^ Shuttleworth, Kay (4 November 2014). "Palestinian stone throwers could face 20 years in jail". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  28. ^ Winer, Stuart (11 November 2014). "Netanyahu accuses Abbas of fueling tensions, spreading lies After security cabinet meeting, prime minister unveils new measures to quell violent unrest, including fining parents of stone-throwing children". Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  29. ^ Court orders rock throwing minor to stay behind bars during pretrial, jpost.com; retrieved 17 November 2014.
  30. ^ "Caught in the cross fire". The Washington Times. Associated Press. 11 September 2002. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  31. ^ "Yehuda Shoham". MFA. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  32. ^ Lefkovits, Etgar (7 June 2001). "'It's as if we've been abandoned'". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  33. ^ Reeves, Phil (12 June 2001). "Settlers' baby dies after Palestinian stoning". The Independent. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  34. ^ Shin Bet: 2 Palestinians admit throwing rocks that killed Israeli Asher Palmer and infant son Quote: "The site of the terror attack where Asher Palmer and his one-year-old son Yonatan were killed. "
  35. ^ Martin Gilbert. The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Routledge. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  36. ^ Pontz, Zach (9 January 2013). "IDF Lists 2012 Terror Incidents, Including Many "You've Probably Never Heard About"". The Algemeiner. Algemeiner.com.
  37. ^ "Hundreds attend funeral for 4-year-old terror victim Adele Biton". Ynet.
  38. ^ "Toddler dies two years after stone-throwing incident left her critically injured". Haaretz. 17 February 2015.
  39. ^ "Israeli Girl Injured in Palestinian Rock-Throwing Attack in 2013 Dies". New York Times. 17 February 2013.
  40. ^ Ben Harris, 'Who Israel released,' JTA 14 August, 2013
  41. ^ 'Killing of Soldier in Nablus Signals Continuation of Unrest,' JTA 27 February, 1989.
  42. ^ Meixler, Louis (27 February 1989). "Palestinian Teen-ager Wounded After Stabbing Soldier". Associated Press. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  43. ^ "Trailer".
  44. ^ Hoffman, Jordan (31 May 2013). "Cannes Review: 'Rock the Casbah'". Film.com. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
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