August 3, 2003

House Demolition / Israeli Settlement Tour

The Six-Day War was forced upon us; however, the war's seventh day, which began on June 12, 1967 and has continued to this day, is the product of our choice. We enthusiastically chose to become a colonial society, ignoring international treaties, expropriating lands, transferring settlers from Israel to the occupied territories, engaging in theft and finding justification for all these activities. Passionately desiring to keep the occupied territories, we developed two judicial systems: one -- progressive, liberal -- in Israel; and the other -- cruel, injurious -- in the occupied territories. In effect, we established an apartheid regime in the occupied territories immediately following their capture. That oppressive regime exists to this day. This is the harsh reality that is causing us to lose the moral base of our existence as a free, just society and to jeopardize Israel's long-range survival.
-- Michael Ben-Yair, Attorney General of Israel (1993-1996), Ha'aretz, March 3, 2002
(from Obstacles to Peace: A Critical Tour of the Jerusalem/West Bank Interface, by Jeff Halper, January 2003)

[Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories] Recently my good neighbor Ed invited me to join a small Christian delegation to view demolished Palestinian homes around the Jerusalem area. The afternoon visit was led by Jeff Halper, the founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. It was a great opportunity for us to have Mr. Halper lead our group. He gave us an overview of the living conditions around Jerusalem -- the strict zoning in Palestinian areas, the artificial housing shortage, the slow transfer of the Arab population, the growth of Israeli settlements, illegal Israeli settlements, the bypass roads, etc. Then we were hosted on an unbelievable Jerusalem tour that left me feeling frustrated. Like I feel a lot of days here.

I'm usually in situations where, when I see a problem, it gets corrected. But here in Palestine, the problems that I see never get any better. It's the same frustrations and injustices day after day. This place is a real test for optimists.

Jeff Halper explains that Palestinians are rarely given building permits.

Families get larger, but aren't allowed to expand their homes or build new ones.

Saleem (center) has had his home demolished four times. Now a Peace Center is being built on the site. Don't expect it to survive.

Saleem's wife -- feeling the effects.

A village set up by displaced Bedouins sits beside Saleem's property.
Palestinian children play here.

In just a couple of minutes we were at the nearby Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim.
Israeli settler children play here.

Located in the Palestinian Territories between Bethlehem and Jericho, Ma'ale Adumim flourishes in the Palestinian desert.
It took some major cash to get this place looking this great. Guess where the cash came from. It definitely didn't feel like the West Bank. Special highways are built for Israelis who want to reach the settlements. (You realize that this place is illegal, right? The Geneva Convention says that you can't move your civilian population into an occupied area.) These roads alone cost billions. You can drive from Israel through the Palestinian Territories and never see a Palestinian or a Palestinian home. Those have all been removed.

"Israeli settlement activity must stop." --US President George W. Bush, May 2002
(Note to the President: It hasn't. I can watch new buildings going up every day in the settlements around Bethlehem.)

More information on settlements