May 21, 2003

Home Demolition in Bethlehem

[Bethlehem, West Bank] At 5:00am this morning I was awakened by an incredibly loud blast. In my sleepy state my initial thought was that Israeli tanks had started shelling Bethlehem again. After I gained my senses, I guessed that a neighbor must have had his home blown up. I listened for the sound of an ambulance, but I didn't hear any, so I was pretty sure that a family must have been removed from their home and then it was destroyed.

I went to the Bible College and students around the community told me they heard the boom. They heard the sound as far away as Beit Sahour. One of the students told me that a home was demolished on the hill across from my apartment. So between classes today, I visited the site and heard the story from the family.

As clearly as I could understand it, the house was blown up because one of the residents was a suicide bomber. Five brothers lived in this area and two had been killed in the last year by the Israeli army. (I have no idea what the circumstances were surrounding these two deaths.) Out of revenge or perhaps hopelessness, a third brother blew himself up in Jerusalem. And so the home was destroyed. I'm not sure this is exactly the correct story, but it's as I understood it.

I hate visiting homes like this. What can you say to the family and friends? Clearly, I'm not for suicide bombers. But I'm also not for the situation that creates them -- dead brothers, homeless families, no freedom, collective punishment... It's a horrible vicious cycle. And I feel terrible taking these photos too. It feels exploitative. But I think part of my responsibility is sharing what happens. As bad as the situation may be -- for everyone involved -- I still want you to know what's going on.