This is so very sad. But at least some Jewish individuals and organizations--Rabbis for Human Rights for instance--are standing up for those being mistreated and oppressed.
From The Huffington Post:
Jessica Schulberg Foreign Affairs Reporter, The Huffington Post
WASHINGTON -- "Nasser Nawajah was 4 years old the first time Israeli forces expelled him from his home in Susiya, a village in the southern part of the West Bank [Palestine]. In the 29 years since, Israeli forces have destroyed Nawajah's home -- and those of his neighbors -- countless times. Now, they’re threatening to do it again.
The Palestinian village in Susiya dates back to the 1830s.
Over the past several years, Rabbis for Human Rights, a Jerusalem-based nonprofit, has represented the Palestinians of Susiya in the battle to gain legal legitimacy for their tents, animal shelters, water cisterns, latrines, clinics and schools in Susiya. The Israeli High Court of Justice is scheduled to hear argument in that battle on Aug. 3. Until recently, residents had hoped the looming court case would protect their homes from Israeli bulldozers.
They were recently told this is not true.
On June 12, representatives from the Israeli government came to Susiya to tell the Palestinians that the government was not restricted by the impending court hearing and that residents should be prepared for demolitions to begin after Ramadan, which ended on Friday.
“We thought maybe a couple of buildings,” said Rabbi Arik Ascherman, the president of Rabbis for Human Rights. Several days later, Israeli authorities delivered a list of approximately 40 structures targeted for demolition. “When we got the list, it’s half the village! They’re destroying half the village before the hearing comes to the court,” he said."
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“The way things stand, in the next few days, the bulldozers could show up any morning,” said Sarit Michaeli, the spokeswoman for the human rights group B’Tselem, which has been closely tracking the developments in Susiya. “The community is obviously living under a lot of stress.”
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"The current situation in Susiya is the culmination of decades of efforts by the Israeli government to expel Palestinians from the village, invariably followed by the determined efforts of the Palestinians to rebuild their homes on their ancestral land.
“Our houses are tents, we cannot build a normal house, and the conditions are very bad,” Nawajah told The Huffington Post on Tuesday. Still, he will not consider moving elsewhere. “Nobody is thinking about that. This is not a solution -- the Palestinians developed Susiya,” he said.
To read the rest of this important article by Jessica Schulberg, go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/palestinians-west-bank-demolition_55af1787e4b0a9b94852fa25?
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In the Light of Human Rights and Equality for All,
Daniel Wilcox
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