... Before any of Israel’s apologists chime in to show that this is “proof” that there is no apartheid in the country, it needs to be said that Israel has failed to build public shelters or safe schools in the vast majority of Palestinian cities and towns. Out of 71 Palestinian towns examined in 2018, only 11 had public shelters (29 shelters in total). It has not gotten better since. Palestinians often reported being ousted from or harassed in these shelters. This week, as a missile hit a family home in the Palestinian town of Tamra, killing four members of the same Palestinian family, Jewish Israeli residents of the neighboring Mitzpe Aviv were seen cheering as the missile hit Tamra, with some cheering, “May your village burn!” – a common chant uttered by Israelis towards Palestinians. (Among the first sentences I learned in Hebrew!) In Tamra, a town of 37,000 Palestinians, there are no public shelters, while Mitzpe Aviv, with its 1,100 residents (including some who cheered for the missile), has 13 shelters. ...
