The Zionist state of ‘Israel’ is notorious for its persistent attacks against Palestinian children; certainly, each year its soldiers routinely round up hundreds of children and prosecute them through the Israeli military court system. The children’s rights organisation, Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP), alarmingly estimates that there are around 500-700 of these Palestinian youngsters who are detained and tried for various ‘crimes’ each year. Some are often as young as 12 years old, with the most common charge being stone throwing. [1]
While this is the reported reason behind Israeli troops searching the Palestinian town of Tuquʿ– located a few miles from Bethlehem – on Thursday 29 September, the death of 7-year-old model student Rayan Suleiman has caused global consternation as his family have stated that immediately after Israeli soldiers entered the Suleiman family home, “out of fear, [Rayan] collapsed and had a heart attack.” [2] The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has described the incident as “an ugly crime” by the state of ‘Israel’, while the boy’s uncle, Mohammed, said,
“He was a completely healthy boy filled with happiness, and within minutes we lost him.” [3]
As is usual, the ‘Israel’ Defence Forces (IDF) suggested that the death of the young boy was unrelated to their searches. In a statement, an IDF spokesperson said,
“An initial inquiry shows no connection between the searches conducted by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in the area and the tragic death of the child.” [2]
Most peculiar has been the American federal government response to the death, with deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel claiming the administration “is heartbroken to learn of the death of an innocent Palestinian child.” It seems likely that the US government has acted swiftly in order to protect its diplomatic image in international quarters, as it is the primary benefactor of ‘Israel’’s billions in yearly ‘aid’ (which mostly goes to the military). [4] The US is not in the habit of openly siding with the Palestinian cause.
Rayan Suleiman, 7, died today after being chased by Israeli soldiers.
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) September 29, 2022
Following his death, the home of his family was raided by the occupation forces. pic.twitter.com/V3olsyY5gz
Patel further added in remarks,
“We support a thorough and immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.” [4]
Various international media outlets have given conflicting versions of events, with some suggesting that Rayan fell from a considerable height to his death, whereas others have said he died of heart failure. Interestingly, Reuters was told by an unnamed medical official that the child’s body had no signs of trauma and that the death seemed consistent with heart failure. Regardless of exactly how Rayan was killed, the fact remains that he was just a Year 2 student happily returning home from school, when Israeli soldiers came knocking at his door. It is immaterial as to whether he was either chased and fell, or died from the sudden shock of soldiers shouting at his father and attempting to detain his two brothers (aged 8 and 10) on suspicion of throwing stones at passing cars. Rayan died as a result of Israeli aggression, despite people in the town of Tuquʿ stating that there was no stone throwing happening at the time the soldiers came knocking. His death is yet another that could and should have been avoidable.
‘Israel’ continues its oppression against the Palestinians
A day prior to 7-year-old Rayan’s needless death, four Palestinians were killed and a further 44 wounded in early morning West Bank raids. The heavy attacks had reportedly been conducted by Israeli occupation forces after an April 2022 Tel Aviv attack that saw three Israelis killed by a Palestinian. The IDF said it had shot dead “two suspects involved in a number of recent shooting attacks”. [5]
The online news outlet, Middle East Monitor (MEMO), reported in early September that Israeli forces had killed 111 Palestinians and wounded 1,277 by the end of August 2022. The findings, which were gathered by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, specifically found that Israeli occupation forces had killed 24 children in addition to wounding a further 195, as well as 39 women and 22 journalists. In addition, a handful of Palestinians had died in Israeli prisons during the same period. [6] [7]
“Pound-shop Trump”
Four years after the Trump administration brokered talks between the UAE, Bahrain, and the Zionist state that led to the Abraham Accords being signed in Washington D.C., it has been revealed that Bahrain has begun bilateral discussions with ‘Israel’ regarding a free trade agreement. The historic step would cement the two regional neighbours’ economic ties and follow in the footsteps of the UAE-‘Israel’ trade deal that was forged in May 2022. Indeed, on top of the UAE and Bahrain, a number of other Arab nations have seen a defrosting in relations with Israel; for example, Morocco ushered in “full ambassadorial-level diplomatic relations” with ‘Israel’ in August/ September 2021. [8]
Moreover, in remarks that were quickly criticised for stirring tensions, the newly appointed UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has said that she is considering the transfer of the British embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Such a move would follow that of former US president Donald Trump, who made the unprecedented and extremely contentious move back in 2018. One former British diplomat has described Truss as a “pound-shop Trump” as she tries to make waves despite the UK’s much smaller footprint in the Middle East. [9]
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] https://www.dci-palestine.org/children_in_israeli_detention
[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-calls-probe-7-year-old-palestinian-boys-death-2022-09-29/
[3] https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-09-29/ty-article/7-year-old-killed-after-fall-during-israeli-army-chase-palestinian-health-ministry-says/00000183-88de-d85e-ad87-aeff35190000
[4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/57170576
[5] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/28/israeli-forces-kill-palestinians-jenin-raid
[6] https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220902-report-israel-killed-111-palestinians-in-2022/
[7] https://pchrgaza.org/en/israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-weekly-update-25-31-august-2022/
[8] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-bahrain-start-free-trade-agreement-talks-2022-09-20/
[9] https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/sep/30/arab-diplomats-urge-liz-truss-not-move-british-embassy-jerusalem
