Economic & Military Convenience
Israel Thrives on Conflict
Convenient Armed Clashes for Settler Colonial System
1. Fuelling its Propaganda (Victimised Oppressor / Dehumanised Victim)
2. Testing new Weapons on the Ground (ready to export)
3. Silencing Internal Dissent (unified media)
4. Growing Donation Campaign Abroad
Palestinian Labour under Apartheid System
with no Rights or Protection
The employment conditions of Palestinian labour within the Israeli system, particularly in the context of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, have been a subject of criticism and concern. The absence of proper protection, rights, and basic working conditions can have profound implications for Palestinian workers.
1. Daily Recruitment and
Precarious Work
Precarious Work
Many Palestinian laborers in Israel are recruited on a daily basis, often without long-term contracts. This precarious employment situation makes it challenging for workers to have stability or a sense of job security.
2. Lack of Basic Working Conditions
Reports and studies have highlighted the lack of basic working conditions for Palestinian laborers. This includes issues such as inadequate safety measures, long working hours, and limited access to essential facilities. The absence of regulations and oversight contributes to these challenging working conditions.
3. Exploitation and Low Wages
Palestinian workers in Israel have sometimes faced exploitation, including receiving lower wages than their Israeli counterparts for similar work. The lack of a unified labor market and a comprehensive legal framework to ensure fair wages can contribute to such disparities.
4. Work Permits and Dependence
The demand for work permits increased after the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Some critics argue that the PA's focus on securing more work permits may have contributed to a dependency on Israeli employment rather than fostering the development of an independent Palestinian economy.
5. Impact on Economic Independence
The absence of a robust and independent Palestinian economy, with diversified sectors and job opportunities, contributes to the reliance on Israeli employment. This lack of economic independence can make Palestinians vulnerable to shifts in Israeli policies or economic conditions.
6. Health and Safety Concerns
The lack of proper safety measures in workplaces poses serious risks to the health and well-being of Palestinian laborers. Accidents and injuries may occur due to inadequate safety protocols, impacting workers' physical health and potentially leading to long-term consequences.
7. Limited Legal Recourse
Palestinian workers face challenges in seeking legal recourse for workplace grievances due to the complex political and legal realities. The absence of a unified legal framework that protects the rights of Palestinian workers in Israel can leave them without adequate means of addressing workplace issues.
8. Political and Economic Dependency
The economic dependency on Israeli employment has broader political implications. It can be seen as a manifestation of the broader asymmetry in power dynamics between Israelis and Palestinians, contributing to a situation where economic policies are shaped in a way that reinforces existing power imbalances.
REMINDER
Affinity & Deals
with Authoritarian Regimes
and White Supremacy Movements
Israel, as ethnocratic state, has forged alliances and engaged in deals with both authoritarian regimes and white supremacy movements, showcasing a concerning pattern of collaboration with actors that promote oppressive ideologies and practices.
Geopolitical Dynamics of the Middle East:
Sharing Common Purposes with
Unprecedented Clarity
The geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East reveal a convergence of interests among various actors, leading to a clearer understanding of their shared objectives.
1. Imperial US Dominance
The United States seeks to maintain its dominance in the Middle East to ensure access to the region's valuable resources, particularly oil. This dominance allows the US to exert influence over regional politics and safeguard its strategic interests.
2. Authoritarian Arab Rulers (Including the PA)
Many authoritarian Arab rulers, including the Palestinian Authority, aim to suppress popular uprisings and maintain control over their populations. They prioritise their own political survival and stability over democratic reforms or popular demands for change, aligning themselves with external powers like the US to bolster their regimes. Having Israeli intelligence, military cooperation, and sophisticated spying technology tested on Palestinians is becoming vital for their survival.
3. Israeli Ethnocratic Settler Colonial State
Israel, as an ethnocratic settler colonial state, seeks to maintain its control over Palestinian territories and populations. It employs sophisticated surveillance technology and military tactics to enforce its occupation and suppress Palestinian resistance. Additionally, Israel benefits from alliances with both the US and authoritarian Arab regimes that share mutual interests in maintaining regional stability and quashing challenges to their power.
Authoritarian Arab regimes are purchasing Israeli surveillance technologies, which have already been tested on Palestinians, with the aim of preventing another Arab Spring uprising.
“The Palestine Laboratory”
by investigative journalist, Antony Loewenstein
“Many people have had some understanding about the US role post 1945 supporting, backing, arming, training, an insane number of regimes from the north of the globe to the south.
What is far less known is that Israel was doing virtually the same thing. Reality is that Israel has for years been able to trial all these tools and technologies on Palestinians. Everything from spyware to drones to biometric gathering to facial recognition technology is particularly obvious in the 21st century. And Palestinians are guinea pigs.
From the early inception of the state, Israel built its economy around the research, manufacture and export of high-end arms, selling them to some of the most reprehensible regimes in the world. These included the CIA backed Contras in Nicaragua, the Guatemalan genocide of indigenous Mayans, Myanmar's ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya, as well as South Africa's apartheid regime, which Israeli leaders in the 70s collaborated with and were inspired by.
In some cases, Israel would sell weapons to a government on behalf of the United States when its ally didn't want to be seen publicly backing it. These military relationships helped prop up Israel as a diplomatic power, allowing it to evade criticism for its treatment of Palestinians and, more significantly, allowing it to use its occupied territories and its citizens in them as test subjects for its weapons and cybersecurity innovations.”
Ties with South Africa apartheid Regime
Brothers in arms - Israel's secret pact with Pretoria
During the second world war the future South African prime minister John Vorster was interned as a Nazi sympathiser. Three decades later he was being feted in Jerusalem
1. Military Cooperation:
Weapon Sales: Israel was a significant arms supplier to apartheid South Africa. Despite international sanctions against the regime, Israel continued to provide military hardware, including aircraft, missiles, and naval vessels.
Joint Weapons Development: There were reports of joint weapons development between Israel and South Africa. Notably, Israel assisted South Africa in developing its nuclear capabilities.
2. Strategic Partnership:
Common Security Interests: Both countries perceived a shared interest in maintaining their regional dominance. Israel, surrounded by Arab nations, saw South Africa as a potential ally in a predominantly hostile region.
Coordinated Diplomacy: Diplomatically, Israel and South Africa often supported each other on the international stage. They were both facing criticism for their respective policies, and mutual support helped deflect some of this criticism.
3. Trade Relations:
Economic Ties: Economic relations between Israel and South Africa flourished, with trade agreements and economic collaboration in various sectors. This economic cooperation helped both nations during times of international isolation.
4. Ideological Affinities:
Shared Ideologies: Both Israel and the apartheid regime in South Africa were accused of implementing discriminatory policies based on race or ethnicity. Despite international condemnation, they found common ground in their resistance to what they perceived as global pressures.
5. Nuclear Collaboration:
Nuclear Cooperation: Israel and South Africa reportedly engaged in clandestine cooperation on nuclear matters. Although the details remain somewhat secretive, it's believed that Israel assisted South Africa in developing nuclear weapons.
6. Apartheid Policies:
Influence on Apartheid Policies: Some critics argue that Israel's experience in dealing with security challenges influenced the apartheid regime's approach to enforcing its discriminatory policies.
7. International Diplomacy:
Common Alliances: Both nations sought support from each other within international forums, especially when facing criticism for their respective policies. This shared alliance aimed to counterbalance their isolation.
PEGASUS:
Human Rights Violations
around the world
Spyware Pegasus has been used to target journalists and activists across the globe – including in Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Diplomatic deals with authoritarian head of states include arrangements
with NSO Group’s spyware.
Amnesty International investigations
The Pegasus Project, a major investigation by more than 80 journalists from 17 media organizations in 10 countries, reveals that NSO Group's spyware, known as Pegasus, has been used to facilitate human rights violations globally. The spyware has targeted activists, journalists, political leaders, and even family members of Jamal Khashoggi. The investigation exposes how repressive governments use Pegasus to silence journalists, attack activists, and suppress dissent, putting lives at risk.
Pegasus allows attackers complete access to victims' phones, including messages, emails, media, microphone, camera, calls, and contacts. The investigation identified potential NSO clients in 11 countries: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Togo, and the United Arab Emirates. NSO Group denies false claims, asserting its technology is for legitimate criminal and terror investigations.
The leaked data and investigations revealed evidence that family members of Jamal Khashoggi were targeted with Pegasus before and after his murder, contradicting NSO Group's denials. Over 180 journalists in 20 countries, including Mexico, Azerbaijan, Hungary, India, and Morocco, were identified as potential targets. The Pegasus Project calls for an immediate moratorium on the export, sale, transfer, and use of surveillance technology.
NSO Group's inadequate action to stop the misuse of its tools for unlawful targeted surveillance highlights the need for regulation in the surveillance industry. The revelations emphasize the real-world harm caused by unlawful surveillance, leading to calls for a change in the laissez-faire approach towards the surveillance industry. Amnesty International's Security Lab provides in-depth forensic investigations, exposing Pegasus infrastructure, with over 700 related domains identified. The hope is that the evidence published will lead to a global overhaul of the out-of-control surveillance industry.
Not Allowed to Return to Their Homes
