On Thursday a new policy went into effect that all foreigners entering the Gaza Strip must sign a waiver to absolve the Israeli army of any responsibility should they be killed or wounded while there, in effect giving the Israeli soldiers permission to shoot them. Three foreigners have been killed or critically injured by the Israeli army in the last two months.
Now if we wish to go there we have to sign a piece of paper allowing the army to kill us. The vast majority of foreigners entering the territories are U.N. or NGO relief workers, teachers and journalists. One wonders how long before this policy goes into effect for the West Bank, too, and how many of those relief workers and university teachers will decide to leave rather than give the army carte blanche to target them.
It seems difficult to escape the conclusion that the Israeli government is scared of nonviolent resistance, scared of witnesses to their crimes.
Andrew Hockley AlterNet May 9, 2003
