Sometimes we take Israel for granted. Yes, we know it implements the cruelest, most brutal and most barbaric occupation in modern history. But do we ever stop to think how difficult it is to tell blatant lies on a constant basis while trying to keep up a façade of playing the victim when in truth, Israel is the aggressor and victimizes?

Take a day like June 9 for example. While the flimsy ceasefire (meaning Palestinians are not supposed to throw their little stones in the name of freedom but Israelis can shoot, shell and bomb whenever and whoever they please) that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared was in effect between Israel and the Palestinians and while US Mideast envoy William Burns frantically rushed between sides trying to negotiate a peace settlement, Israelis stationed their tanks and forces out on Palestinian hillsides and Palestinian streets in their ongoing eternal effort to kill or wound as many Palestinians as possible but in a way that the world will not hear about…little by little, one or two here and three or four there.

There were several incidents that took place on June 9. One is the tragic death of Sabri Amin Mahmoud. Mahmoud was a forty-four year old man from Al-Ras village near Tulkarem. He was denied passage at a checkpoint near Nablus even though he had kidney failure and it was obvious that his life was in danger. His relatives were forced to take him through an alternate route, which instead of being a normal journey of 15 minutes, became an ordeal of two and a half hours. Mahmoud died 12 minutes after reaching the hospital in Nablus. The attending physician said that his death was caused by a sharp increase of potassium in his blood, which could have been prevented if he had been able to receive kidney dialysis. This is an example of the collective punishment on Palestinian civilians and how inhumane the closures are which prevent Palestinians traveling freely from one Palestinian area to another. The areas under siege are not Israeli but Palestinian, yet the remnants of Palestine have become Bantustans, ghettoes and concentration camps and the Israelis at will can impose curfews and isolate one Palestinian section from the rest of the territories.

Another incident, which took place, was the shelling of residential areas in the Gaza Strip. This indiscriminate shelling for no reason at all resulted in the deaths of three women. Hikmat Al-Malalha –18 years old, her mother Salimah AL-Malalha-43 years old and Nasra Al-Malalha-65 years old who were all killed when Israeli shells hit their dwelling. Others were wounded in the attack. There had been no shooting from the area where the Israeli shelling took place. Israelis conveniently dismissed these murders as an “error,” but in reality, they do not value Palestinian life anyway.

Dr. Muawiya Hasanein, Director General of the Emergency Unit in Al-Shifa' Hospital in Gaza City said that all the victims “sustained shrapnel wounds throughout their bodies from the exploding tank shells, which apparently contained nails.”

Finally, when students in other Arab countries are taking their year-end exams, Palestinian students of Bir Zeit University were not allowed to get to their university due to the Israeli closure. Roadblocks barred the passage of Palestinian students to and from their university.

Clashes began between Bit Zeit students and Israeli troops when around 2000 students broke through the barrier at the Israeli checkpoint and let tens of cars pass through. Israeli troops shot live and rubber coated bullets at the demonstrators and then fired tear gas to disperse them. The students responded with stones. Seventeen protestors were wounded.

In a separate incident, in the village of Ya'bad, near Jenin, settlers attacked Mohammed Torkman, a Palestinian farmer. They broke his jaw and hand. Torkman is now in a hospital recovering.

Elsewhere, there were minor clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops near Al Khader village, which is close to Bethlehem.

Near Ramallah, Israeli forces arrested Bashar Hajjeh, 23; Hajjeh who is an economics student was arrested in his home. Though the Israelis gave no reason for his arrest, his family said that Hajjeh was a member of the Palestinian Islamic resistance group Hamas.

But this was all in a day's work. It must be exhausting work to shoot live bullets at young people demonstrating for their freedom and their rights as students. It must be tiring to fire tear gas at courageous unarmed youths who are brave enough to stand against an army of heavily armed soldiers. It must be physically and mentally taxing to shell innocent civilian women as they sleep. It must be boring and of no consequence to deny a man passage so he can get to a hospital for life saving kidney treatment. It really doesn't matter if he died or not. After all, every Palestinian is a Gentile, a non-Jew. Israelis only value Jewish lives. Since the declaration of the ceasefire, more than 24 Palestinians have been murdered by Israeli forces. Sharon already got his revenge but he will continue his war of attrition until his genocide is complete or until he brings all Hell down on his shoulders unexpectedly.