Stone-throwing manipulated to further Israel’s security propaganda

Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s previous rhetoric about increasing security following the Duma arson attack and Palestinian retaliation is now being echoed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who, according to the Times of Israel, is mulling over the possibility of using live fire upon Palestinian activists who resort to throwing stones as part of their resistance strategies.

During a meeting in Jerusalem with Ya’alon, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Shin Bet representatives, Netanyahu asserted that the increase in “stone-throwing” necessitated changes in legislation.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office issued on Wednesday stipulated that: “Since the legal system is finding it difficult to deal with stone-throwing by minors, changing open fire orders regarding the throwing of stones and firebombs will be examined, as will be the imposition – by law – of minimum sentences for those who throw stones and fire bombs.”

The increase in Palestinian resistance is a response to the increase in settler and military attacks upon Palestinian civilians. However, Israeli media conjure a fictitious situation of allegedly unprovoked violence, detailing incidents without context and eliminating the perpetual incitement that is sanctioned by the Zionist state. The difference lies in the reporting. Whereas Palestinian resistance against Israeli settlers and the military is amplified as a new phenomenon every time, Israeli violence against Palestinian civilians is documented as a series of routine incidents, apart from instances where an act of resistance goes viral, thus shifting the focus away from the collective onto the individual.

In keeping with the same tactics of dissociation, Israeli media attempt to create a phenomenon out of stone-throwing, rather than acknowledge the activity within the context of continuous settler violence and the necessary retaliation on the part of Palestinians. The wider framework of Israeli violence clearly depicts the fact that singling out stone-throwing as a terror offence is absurd. For every form of colonial violence, Palestinians have found legitimate means of resistance. It is the inability of the Israeli government to come to terms with the fact that Palestinian resistance is set to prevail that in turn elicits the constant need to rewrite and reinterpret legislation. Just as the Israeli narrative necessitates constant affirmations and adaptations to sustain the colonial project, so does the government need to distort resistance into terror in order to legitimise its own unbridled violence.

The Knesset is also set to advance the anti-terror bill that stipulates a wider spectrum of what constitutes terrorism and terror activities, as well as increases punishment for individuals or organisations deemed guilty. It also increases punishment for “terror-related activities” and will serve as foundation for increased surveillance. According to the Times of Israel, the bill would allow Shin Bet to monitor those suspected of terror activities, with full approval by Netanyahu. Individuals or organisations expressing solidarity with Palestinian resistance, notably Hamas, could face up to three years in jail.

Israel’s focus on stone-throwing constitutes yet another means of distorting the resistance narrative. It is unlikely that lengthier jail sentences will deter Palestinians from choosing their own methods of resistance. Yet, as has been evident on other occasions, the periodic shift of Israeli attention to a specific form of resistance usually coincides with ulterior motives designed by the government, as in the case of hunger strikes and force-feeding. In both cases, the Israeli government has relied upon selective acts to further its securitised propaganda.

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