Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes
In the West Bank of Israel/Palestine, there’s a housing shortage, but it’s limited to one ethnic group: Palestinians, and by design. “More than 1,000 Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, including around 500 children, are bracing themselves for the potential arrival of Israeli bulldozers that would demolish their homes…this large-scale expulsion would amount to an act of forcible transfer, which is a war crime and crime against humanity,” Amnesty International recently warned. “The imminent displacement of Palestinians from Masafer Yatta offers a stark reminder of the cruel strategy Israel has used for decades to maintain its cruel system of apartheid over Palestinians.”
Palestinians, many of whom have lived in the West Bank for generations, are being evicted from their homes so that they can be demolished to make way for Jewish-only settlements and businesses. Authorities often claim the homes were built without “permits,” even though they may have existed for decades. For Palestinians, their biggest investment is their home. They may spend thousands of dollars pursuing a permit, only to be denied, like most others – and see their homes demolished with short notice (minutes), with the owner liable to pay the cost, losing possessions and forced to live in a refugee camp or rented house. Imagine the emotional stress, especially for children.
Israel controls development in the West Bank, isolating Palestinian communities to keep them segregated from Jewish-only communities through discriminatory planning and housing policies. This is a denial of the basic human right to an adequate standard of living, including housing. By contrast, Israel provides subsidies and services to encourage Jewish Israelis to settle there; courts even approve Jewish communities built without permits.
Palestinians peacefully protest, but are often arrested and met by excessive force by the Israeli Defense, who use rubber bullets, stun grenades and live ammunition. Some become frustrated and feel they have no choice but to turn to violence, which politicians stoke. Yet Palestinians are often met by settler violence, abetted by the IDF.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented Israel’s apartheid laws, policies and practices. Per international law, apartheid is a crime against humanity committed by one racial/ethnic group that maintains an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination over another group. Dispossession of land and fragmentation of the population are components of apartheid. Learn more at www.amnestyusa.org/endapartheid.
Israel often claims its actions are to maintain “security.” But the real goal of its colonial project is to create a contiguous Greater Israel from the Mediterranean in the east to Jordan in the west – Jewish only, without Palestinians.
Israeli journalist Michel Warschawski quipped that “The symbol of Israel is no longer the Star of David, but rather the bulldozer.” Peace is difficult with unlawful demolitions. Israel receives almost $4 billion per year of US taxpayer money to enforce its brutal system of apartheid. Demand your members of Congress (202) 224-3121 hold Israel accountable.
Tom Midgley