Netanyahu seeks to impose a new reality at Al Aqsa

Since a boy named David slew the giant Goliath with a slingshot, the
stone has served as an enduring symbol of how the weak can defeat an
oppressor.

For the past month Israeli prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has tried to rewrite the Bible story by declaring war on what
he terms Palestinian “terrorism by stones”.

There
are echoes of Yitzhak Rabin’s response nearly 30 years ago when, as
defence minister, he ordered soldiers to “break bones” to stop a
Palestinian uprising, often referred to as the “intifada of stones”,
against the Israeli occupation.

Terrified by the symbolism of
women and children throwing stones at one of the world’s strongest
armies, Rabin hoped broken arms would deprive Palestinians of the power
to wield their lowly weapon.

Now the West Bank and Jerusalem are
on fire again, as Palestinian youths clash with the same oppressors.
Reports suggest soldiers killed one Palestinian youth and injured more
than 100 others on Sunday alone.

Netanyahu seeks to impose a new reality at Al Aqsa

Israeli
border police shoot tear gas towards Palestinian protesters during
clashes following the killing of an Israeli couple, in the West Bank
city of Hebron, last week. Abed Al Hhashlamoun / EPA