The universal human right to steal and destroy Israeli cars

Yesterday, Palestinian police arrested 11 people who were allegedly involved in a car theft ring in the village of Tarqumiya west of Hebron.

Residents pelted the police with stones, who responded with tear gas and with firing live rounds into the air. Scores of cars were identified as illegal and destroyed.

Two people were injured and went to the hospital, but the police announced that their claims of injuries were lies. However, they assured citizens that they would investigate any claims of ill-treatment.

We are always assured that when Israeli forces use tear gas or injure rioting Palestinians that there is no possible justification for it. The rioters are simply protesters who have every right to express their opinions and Israeli security forces must not respond.

But we see that Palestinians respond violently even when trying to stop police from arresting common car thieves. The police respond with live fire and tear gas and by assaulting the rioters.

Is stealing cars a new human right? Do Palestinian police have the right to arrest car thieves and to respond to stone throwing with tear gas and riot dispersal methods? Because from reading the media, Israeli authorities certainly don't have that right.

91 illegal vehicles were destroyed in the same village only last month, meaning that Tarqumiya is known as a center for stealing cars, which must be a large source of income for the residents. This is why they riot at arresting their citizens - crime is the backbone of their village. No doubt they would blame the "occupation" if any Western reporter would bother to ask them about this.

Where do they steal these cars from?

This photo of Palestinian authorities destroying the cars shows the answer.

The license plate shows that it is an Israeli car being destroyed.

Instead of returning the vehicles to the Israeli owners, the Palestinian authority routinely destroys them.

Because in this whole litany of human rights as practiced by Palestinians, there may be a right to steal Israeli cars, and there may be a right to assault those who protest crackdowns on the stolen car ring. But the only people whom everyone agrees have no rights whatsoever are Israeli car owners.

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