Who Will Stand Up for Palestinian Activists? The Brutal, Tragic Murder of
Nizar Banat
Blaming the PA for the death of Nizar Banat is the same as blaming the
finger of the person pulling the trigger, or blaming the poison rather than
those who administered the poison.
by Miko Peled
June 30th, 2021
By Miko Peled
OCCUPIED PALESTINE - The inexcusable, tragic murder of Palestinian activist
Nizar Banat,- the fierce critic of the Palestinian Authority, or PA, whose
"health deteriorated" mysteriously last week while he was in PA custody -
shows us once again that Palestinians have no protection. No Palestinian is
safe when they decide to stand up and demand rights, justice, or even life.
All indicators now point to the PA, as responsible for this reprehensible
killing. However, the PA was merely the finger that pulled the trigger.
The Palestinian Authority was created by Israel and it works for Israel - it
is a tool in the hands of the apartheid regime. Israel is ultimately
responsible for the death of Nizar, just as it is responsible for the death
of countless Palestinians. The State of Israel is a violent, racist state
that has plagued Palestine for more than seven decades and must be stopped
before one more drop of Palestinian blood is shed.
The New York Times quickly published an article berating the corrupt
Palestinian Authority and even the U.S. State Department issued a statement
regarding Nizar Banat's death. The State Department spokesman, Ned Price,
said in a statement:
We are deeply disturbed by the death of Palestinian activist Nizar Banat and
the information that has been reported regarding the circumstances of his
death. We offer our sincere condolences to his family and community. We urge
the Palestinian Authority to conduct a thorough and transparent
investigation and to ensure full accountability in this case. We have
serious concerns about Palestinian Authority restrictions on the exercise of
freedom of expression by Palestinians and harassment of civil society
activists and organizations."
A staunch defender of Israel, the NYT was quick to denounce the PA's
misdeeds
A staunch defender of Israel, the NYT was quick to denounce the PA's
misdeeds
While the family and friends of Nizar undoubtedly feel a deep sense of
gratitude that the U.S. Department of State cares enough to issue a
statement, one wonders how it is that they don't issue such statements when
Palestinians die in Israeli custody. Is it possible that the U.S. Department
of State does not hear of the countless thousands of Palestinians who are
arrested, beaten, tortured, and murdered by the Israeli authorities?
Curiously, it is only when the executioner is a Palestinian that the U.S.
Department of State awakens from its slumber (or perhaps it takes a break
from spreading democracy around the world) and pays attention to
Palestinians.
While people find great joy in criticizing the Palestinian Authority, they
must not forget that it was created by Israel in order to serve Israel and
its interests. Blaming the PA for the death of Nizar Banat is the same as
blaming the finger of the person pulling the trigger, or blaming the poison
rather than those who administered the poison.
Who will be next? Who will defend them?
Reports from media outlets highlight the anti-PA sentiment that is being
expressed in large protests throughout Palestinian cities. This latest abuse
by the Palestinian Authority may have been a bridge too far and the PA may
have underestimated the backlash from the killing of Nizar. We may even see
someone being fired from their job or arrested for this, but the fact
remains that the Authority itself is an arm of the Israeli oppression.
Those of us who are deeply involved in and committed to the struggle for
justice in Palestine are intimately acquainted with Palestinian activists.
We should be clear that the world let Nizar Banat die. I personally did not
have the honor of ever meeting Nizar, but I live in fear for the lives of
the ones I do know. The protests after the fact will not bring Nizar back
and, unless we act to prevent the next Palestinian death, we will have
failed to stand up to our responsibility.
We neglected to protect Nizar and his family from the brutal injustice that
plagues Palestine. Tragically, he is not the first nor will he be the last
Palestinian victim of the injustice. This is an injustice that has a name
and a face, and with which so many people and governments are happy to
engage.
The question raised by the untimely death of Nizar is: Who will stand up for
Palestinian activists? Progressive politicians in the West call on us to
"tone down the rhetoric." Bernie Sanders was asked the following question
about the use of the word "Apartheid:" "Do you think those who share your
view should not use that kind of language?" The senator replied, "I think we
should tone down the rhetoric." The follow-up question should have been "For
how long?" How much longer should the rhetoric be "toned down?" How many
more fine men and women and children need to be arrested, tortured,
expelled, and-or killed before it is appropriate to tone up the rhetoric?