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CounterPunch
September
12, 2002
Glossary of Occupation
by Paul de Rooij
Language is a powerful yet deceptive thing. It
can be used to convey someone's plight and it can also be used
to hide unpalatable sordid deeds. Nowhere are words adulterated
more for political ends than in Israel and Palestine today. It
is no secret that Israel employs a legion of well-funded propagandists,
and it also relies on self-appointed members of the press--the
pro bono apologists, who serve the same purpose. Just like the
lopsided imbalance of military power, the means to command and
change language rests primarily with pro-Israeli propagandists.
Their language obfuscates and exculpates Israel's actions against
a basically defenseless population; it perpetuates the injustices
and contributes to a continuation of Israel's occupation and
theft of more land.
To make sense of the situation and to
peer through the fog, a fraction of the post-Oslo commonly abused
terms are translated in this glossary.
Abused
Terms
Administrative detention
Imprisonment without charges, trial,
sometimes without legal representation, for undefined terms.
Imprisonment usually takes place in prisons and even in a concentration
camp in the Negev desert.
Bilateral negotiations
Confiscation of land. Israel confiscates/steals
land, and to legalize its claims it engages in "bilateral
negotiations." There have been no bilateral negotiations
about Palestinian claims pertaining to land inside the Green
line.
Bypass road network
Exclusive Israeli-only roads carving
up the West Bank and Gaza -- the concrete manifestation of the
policy to divide and rule. All Palestinian property within an
arbitrary range of the road is bulldozed, all trees uprooted.
Bypass refers to the fact that the roads avoid Palestinian towns.
Caught in crossfire
Deliberate Killing
Check points
Choke points strangulating Palestinian
economic activity by closing roads and not letting any Palestinians
pass without lengthy and often unnecessary humiliating personal
searches.
Clashes
An unequal contest.Clashes suggest that
two equal forces are slugging it out, but the Israelis happen
to have one of the most powerful armies in the world.
Closed military area
A demarcation for the press and observers
to stay out so that they won't witness the depredations of the
occupation forces.
Closure
Siege and curfew. Curfew is implemented
for weeks on end thereby creating an end to normal life for all
innocent civilians.
Cycle of violence
Disproportionate violence. "It suggests,
at best, two equal sides, never that the Palestinians are resisting
violent oppression with violence." John Pilger, New Statesman,
July 1, 02.
"Yes, there is a cycle and the violence
is disproportionate, but what is missing is the context. Why
is there violence at all? The standard refrain, when it is rarely
mentioned, is there is "hatred" on both sides. But
since Israelis are like us (fun loving and child hugging) and
we don't think of ourselves as hate-filled, then it must be the
other side, the Arabs, who are hateful. Add the history of persecution
of Jews into the mix, and what you have is a cycle of violence
based on Arab hatred of the Jews. Presto, we arrive at the Israeli
propaganda line." Nabeel Abraham.
Democracy
Chauvinist ethnocracy. During the apartheid
years in South Africa Whites also claimed to have a democracy
and were rightly ridiculed for this posturing. Israel isn't much
different, and its political system cannot be praised or labelled
"democracy" due to its systematic oppression of others.
Democracy is inclusive; the Israeli political system excludes
a large portion of the population. Israel is the only country
making a distinction between citizenship and nationality. Thus
Palestinians living in Israel have an Israeli citizenship, and
an "Arab" nationality. Democracy applies to the Jewish
nationals, not to the citizens of the state. There are Arab members
of the Knesset, but their rights are curtailed in the Jewish
state. Palestinians in the occupied territories have zero democratic
rights although they are forced to pay some taxes to Israel--a
case of taxation without representation.
Demographic factors
"Israeli newspeak for keeping the
Arabs from outnumbering Israeli Jews." --Nabeel Abraham
Deportation
Expulsion or exile. The dictionary definition
of deportation: banishment of an undesirable person to their
native land. Given that Palestinians are natives, thus legal
residents, their expulsion is an imposed exile. Furthermore,
the term deportation implies that the Israelis are just pursuing
legal procedures. The dubious nature of the appeals process and
the simultaneous demolition of the victims' homes contravene
the Geneva Convention.
Disproportionate response
Harshest admonishment uttered by the
US gov't in response to Israeli bombings or assassinations. By
implication a "proportionate" response--killing less
people--is acceptable. The complicating factor of the usual Israeli
actions is the press coverage. However, "proportional"
responses are ignored.
Disputed territories
Occupied territories. Curiously enough
this term was coined by the US gov't under Clinton. Language
reflects policy preference and the nature of the US "mediators".
(see honest broker)
Facts on the ground
Settlements. At best they are considered
bargaining chips, at worst they are considered immutable.
Final status negotiation
Chimera. The Oslo framework stipulated
negotiations dealing with matters of substance and most important
to solve the conflict. Note these negotiations are always in
the future. Current negotiations deal mostly with issues of interest
to Israel, e.g., security, confiscation of more land (see bypass
road network).
Generous offer
Demand for surrender. Anything that the
Israelis offer is generous, and should be accepted. The Camp
David II "generous offer" amounted to an offer of a
fraction of the West Bank and Gaza, no control over borders,
limited removal of settlements, and no sovereignty, yet this
was supposed to be generous. In good faith negotiations the parties
have a right to refuse an offer without admonishment.
Green Zones
Palestinians out. "Zoned areas in
the Israeli-occupied Arab residential areas of the territories
which are protected allegedly for environmental reasons. A legal
sleight of hand to prevent Arab development."
--Nabeel Abraham
Hamas
Catch all opposition group. An Islamic
opposition group fostered by the Israeli secret services during
the first intifada. Its purpose was to undermine the support
for the PLO. Since then it has become an effective opposition
force opposed to Arafat's sell out. Anyone voicing criticism
of the "peace process" is automatically classed as
a Hamas supporter. Several leading intellectuals who objected
to Arafat's shoddy approach to negotiations earned themselves
a Hamas label by both Israelis and the Palestinian "authority".
Held in detention
Hostages. Practice that became common
during the first intifada whereby Israeli occupation forces imprison
family members of wanted persons. Several Lebanese hostages have
languished in prison without charge, trial, and with no prospect
for release. Shaykh Ubayd has been held for more than 13 years.
They are held even though the Israeli occupation of Southern
Lebanon has come to a partial end.
Honest broker
The United States. The country supplying
Israel with most of its weapons and giving no-strings-attached
economic handouts--several billion dollars every year not counting
forgiven loans.
Incursion
Attack. "The latest euphemism, 'incursion',
is from the vocabulary of lies coined in Vietnam. It means assaulting
human beings with tanks and planes." John Pilger, New
Statesman, July 1, 02.
Instilling hatred
Palestinian News, Education. Describing
the consequences of occupation to its own population. The term
"instilling hatred" is used to describe any Palestinian
news or information, and forms the justification to bomb Palestinian
TV and radio stations, and even target individuals linked to
some schools. Also a justification to remove accreditation of
all Palestinian journalists. Israelis find it galling to be called
assassins, thieves, and occupiers. Palestinians are not allowed
to convey their experience to others. Palestinian existence is
criminalized, and so is their voice.
Israeli Defense Forces, IDF
Occupation Forces. I "D" F
confers some legitimacy, but it is a misplaced respect for a
fully equipped army of occupation.
Israeli-side
the "Israeli side".
Today's euphemism for the occupation forces.
Azmi Bishara, July 25, 2002, Al Ahram A curious adoption
of a euphemism by both Israelis and the Palestinian "authority".
Leverage
Offers you can't refuse. "In essence,
Israel holds most of the 'cards' and its willingness to use the
population as hostages, coercing the Palestinian leadership to
accede to ever more onerous demands." Dr. Majed Nassar
Israeli desire to determine the outcome
of negotiations on the basis of balance of power instead of a
balance of justice.
Man of Peace
War Criminal.
Militants
Resistance. Western media cannot portray
the Palestinian resistance as military because this label obviously
doesn't apply. Instead they use "militants" also conveying
the impression of armed gangs, and therefore easier to justify
Israeli assassinations. (see targeted killings)
Moderate physical pressure
Torture. Israel is the only country in
the world where torture is legal and used routinely.
Natural growth
Subsidized settlement expansion. Justification
to continue expanding settlements. Every time demands are made
for Israel to stop building settlements on occupied land, its
retort is that expansion of existing settlements must continue
to accommodate "natural growth", i.e., the subsidized
stream of immigrant colonialists. Many of the settlements have
a large percentage of empty housing, bringing into question the
need for further expansion.
Neighbor practice
Human shields "The use of a local
resident as a 'human shield' is a war crime. That was confirmed,
on live television, by a senior reserve officer, the former president
of the highest military court. The Fourth Geneva Convention expressly
forbids the use of 'protected persons' (as the convention calls
inhabitants of an occupied territory) for such purpose. This
practice, like the practice of compelling Palestinian neighbors
to tour buildings suspected of being booby-trapped, is similar
to the killing of hostages in retaliation for resistance actions
It was disclosed that this is a widely-used method, which has
even been given a regular military appellation: 'neighbor practice'.
Not long ago the army promised the Supreme Court to give up the
practice [but] had no intention at all of fulfilling the promise."
--Uri Avnery, Palestine Chronicle, Aug. 19, 02
Neighborhood
Settlement. Israelis and their apologists
insist that Gilo is just another neighborhood of Jerusalem. The
fact is that it is built on illegally confiscated occupied land--thus
a settlement.
No building permit
Order for destruction. An excuse to demolish
Palestinian homes. Israeli buildings built without a permit are
issued with one retroactively and are spared. No Israeli-owned
home has ever been demolished for lacking a permit. Palestinians
cannot in general obtain building permits.
Operation X
Another attack. Military operations are
given names to make them more palatable--it is a military marketing
gimmick. Any journalist referring to an attack on refugee camps
by the operation's name is in the very least not trying to be
objective.
Peace process.
[Note that Ariel Sharon's pronunciation
of this is closer to "piss process." He seldom refers
to "peace" as an outcome. He is always in favor of
the peace process, but not peace.] Ruse to placate world opinion.
A perpetual process not intended to reach any conclusion. A means
for Israelis to gain time and consolidate their hold on the occupied
territories by expanding the "facts on the ground",
i.e., the settlements. From their viewpoint, the longer the negotiations
leading to endless haggle the better. Occasionally, if negotiations
are advancing, they may need a timely disruption, e.g., hold
an election and it is time to start the negotiations all over
again!
Pending investigation
Case closed. Of 25 Israeli army investigations
in the past 22 months, six were closed without a result; others
have yet to be completed. "The army hardly ever opens investigations
into cases of unlawful killing," says Lior Yavne, Btselem's
spokesman. "The army is basically conducting a policy of
impunity. Soldiers realize they can do anything they want and
they will not face problems." --Marie Colvin, "Cruel
death of a West Bank local hero", Sunday Times, July 21,
02
Phased withdrawal
Grudging Israeli pullout of occupying
forces over the area it chooses, on a timescale it determines,
and only after it obtains guarantees that the local population
will be policed to its satisfaction. No settlements are ever
dismantled, only areas where the cost of occupation has become
too high.
Proof of residency
ID confiscation. Palestinian residents
of Jerusalem are often asked to show their ID papers to prove
their residency rights. Often police confiscate the identity
papers, and thereby these people lose their right of residency.
It often leads to the families in question being split up and
losing their homes. The victims of this bureaucratic "transfer"
policy number in the thousands. ID papers are generally not reissued--the
victims cannot prove their residency because the papers were
confiscated. Photocopies of ID papers aren't considered valid
proof to reissue documents.
Reform process
Satrap selection. Political transformation
that delivers the collaborators with Israelis and Americans.
Any politician signing up to this must accept to oppress their
own population to comply with Israeli/US demands. Arafat had
signed on, but couldn't deliver.
Removing cover
Pretext to flatten homes, clear agricultural
fields, trees, and so on. Making a lunar landscape out of the
West Bank and Gaza.
Restraint
Kinder/Gentler Aggression. "If this
is the latest Israeli military spin, the reality for Palestinians
is that even 'restraint' by the Israeli army is enough to make
their lives miserable. The army may no longer be destroying vast
chunks of Palestinian cities, but it continues to terrify Palestinian
civilians by indiscriminate shooting. The army still sends tanks
and troops into Palestinian towns for forays of several days,
as it did in Jenin last week, or for a single night as it did
twice in the northern part of the Gaza strip. Curfews are slapped
on or lifted without notice, making life for all Palestinians
unpredictable and humiliating." Jonathan Steele, The
Guardian, August 9, 02.
Retaliation, or Israelis never initiate
violence, they always respond.
State terror, or wholesale violence.
The actions taken as reprisals are: (1) collective punishment
on targets unrelated to the original action, and (2) totally
out of proportion to the original action. On both accounts the
actions are in contravention of the Geneva Conventions. Several
times Israel has wrecked ceasefire agreements by assassinations
or deliberate actions meant to aggravate the situation.
Right of Return
Bringing in your people to displace us.
"We regard it as morally wrong that this legal entitlement
should be bestowed on us while the very people who should have
most right to a genuine 'return', having been forced or terrorised
into fleeing, are excluded." letter by British Jews renouncing
their "right of return", The Guardian, Aug.
8, 02.
The "right of return" requires
a determination to drive out the native population--it is all
in the name of creating lebensraum.
Rocks
Stones. Palestinians throw stones at
soldiers in tanks and armored vehicles--it is a symbol of defiance
and resistance.
Security
Their security. Demand that the occupiers
not be attacked, and that the violence not spill over into Israel
proper. Security always refers to the safety of Israelis, it
never refers to Palestinian concerns.
Settlements
The stolen land. Jews-only garrison villages
built on violently confiscated Palestinian land. The purpose
of the settlements is to make a permanent claim to the land,
and impede the formation of a Palestinian State. These garrison
villages always appear on Israeli maps, whereas the Palestinian
villages whose land was confiscated for the same settlements
disappear from the maps.
Strongholds, nests of terror
Refugee camps, home to hundreds of thousands
of Palestinians, mostly refugees from villages conquered by Israelis.
Suspicion
Grounds for imprisonment or assassination.
" to say nothing of many thousands of 'suspects' rounded-up
and still imprisoned by Israeli soldiers"
Edward Said, Punishment by Detail, Aug. 8, 02.
(see administrative detention)
Targeted killings
Assassination where a military commander
plays the role of judge, jury, and executioner. It lists as a
war crime under the Geneva Conventions where the occupier has
a duty towards the captive population.
"Nobody asks whether all these people
killed were in fact terrorists, or proved to be terrorists, or
were about to become terrorists." Edward Said, Punishment
by Detail, Aug. 8, 02.
Terrorism
Retail violence, resistance. An oppressed
population has a right to resist and use violence when there
is no alternative. Its violence is labeled "terrorism",
and judged to be illegitimate. Israeli violence is always found
to have redeeming characteristics. (see retaliation)
Town planning
"A euphemism for replacing Arabs
by Jews, reminiscent of some uses of 'urban planning' in the
United States." Noam Chomsky in The New Intifada.
Transfer
The obscene euphemism for ethnic cleansing
(which is itself a euphemism).
Unconfirmed reports
Accounts of Israeli forces' depredations.
Reports are only confirmed when either Israelis say so or when
"Western" journalists report them. Palestinian accounts
of events don't count to substantiate a report, and at best are
ascribed the "alleged" adjective.
Paul de Rooij
lives in London, can be reached at
jproo@btconnect.com
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