Israeli PM Criticizes Human Rights Groups for Speaking Out against Military Occupation

Two groups affiliated to the Israeli Peace Now movement, B’Tselem and Americans for Peace Now, were criticised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday for speaking against illegal Israeli settlements and occupation at a UN Security Council meeting.

B’Tselem Executive Director, Hagai El-Ad, said that the Israeli occupation “flew right in the face of its claim to be exercising “democracy” and reminded that occupation was affecting even the smallest aspects of Palestinian lives and had to end.  The UN Security Council must act and the time is now” and later denounced Israel for building “illegal settlements,” paving the way for a Security Council resolution against Tel Aviv.

In response PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the two organizations that joined the “chorus of mudslinging” against Israel as well as recycling the calls that Israeli “occupation and the settlements are the reason for the conflict” with Palestinians. He also vowed tobar Israelis from doing volunteer work at B’Tselem as means of doing their military service.

B’Tselem response was that it would not be intimidated by Netanyahu,  “We will not stoop down to the prime minister’s level. We will not be cowed and neither will the hundreds of thousands in Israel who opposed the occupation.  We will continue to tell the truth: The occupation must end.”

According to UN statistics, Palestinians now make up the largest percentage of refugees in the entire world.  Ever since the beginning (of the occupation) territories have been dotted with 120 settlements. International consensus believes these settlements have been constructed on occupied territory and are, therefore, illegal.