Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Invasion of Army Base 'Unprecedented'?

Many here in Israel are quite upset at the attack on an IDF base by "hilltop youth".

Here's one story of many:

Dozens of rightists break into IDF base in West Bank, wound officer

Some 50 right-wing activists throw rocks, burn tires, and vandalize military vehicles; no one arrested in incident;

 
After all, who do they think they are?  Do they think they can do what is done abroad?

Like in 2001, in England:

Protesters invade 'Star Wars' base

ONE of the world's largest spy bases was invaded by scores of protesters who strolled past a lone guard to the theme of Mission Impossible yesterday.  Others breached the 9ft perimeter fencing at RAF Menwith Hill, near Harrogate, North Yorkshire.  The Greenpeace activists, some in fancy dress and "armed" with 7ft cardboard rockets, climbed on to the 70ft high water tower and chained themselves to railings.

And in 2003

In early March 8 anarchists in Cardiff invaded the BAE Systems munitions factory at Glascoed in Wales. They scaled a 3m high fence with the help of a homemade rope ladder. Splitting into three groups and dressed in appropriate white overalls they proceeded to make an inspection of the site... In Derby in England 14 activists entered the military port, occupying tanks and jeeps which were about to be sent to the Gulf...[a] bomber base in the UK, which is used for direct air raids on Iraq, is located at Fairford in Gloucestershire. Peace activists have been engaged in a steady campaign against its presence. The fence has been breached many times. On one occasion landing lights were destroyed on others the gates and parts of the fence were torn down. Activists who brought bicycles through the fence and cycled them up and down the runway blocked the runway at RAF Lakeheath. The runway at RAF Brize Norton was also blocked.

You can find incidents over the years in many other countries (in February 2010 in Italy, for example; but in Israel, even the Prime Minister in all out of proportion:-

PM: Storming of IDF base 'unprecedented' disruption

Please, this is a serious matter and must be treated with firm application of the law.

But let's not think is hyperbole.

After all, Adam Keller of the Yesh Gvul and Uri Avnery Gush Shalom group did something quite similar:

in April–May 1988, Reserve Corporal Adam Keller was charged with "Insubordination" and "Spreading of Propaganda Harmful to Military Discipline" in that while on active military duty he had written on 117 tanks and other military vehicles graffiti with the text: "Soldiers of the IDF, refuse to be occupiers and oppressors, refuse to serve in the occupied territories!"

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