October 10, 2002

Christian Homes Ordered Demolished by Israeli Army

[Bethlehem, West Bank] If you follow my newsgroup (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BobsMgroup), then you've seen the most recent report about 120 homes in Beit Sahour that have been marked for demolition by the Israeli Army. So an Israeli settlement that is internationally recognized as being illegal might cause 120 legally built Palestinian homes to be destroyed! It's unbelievable to me that in this day and age that injustices like this are commonplace. I'm totally amazed by the things I see here. (Are conditions everywhere around the world always skewed this much toward the rich and powerful? Man, I love America, and I know this is not a popular opinion, but as a nation built on freedom and justice, we really have to think about what kinds of actions we support around the world.)

Beit Sahour is primarily a Christian town. I mention this just because many of my Christian friends back home are not aware that there are a lot of Christian brothers and sisters in the West Bank. There are several hundred thousand here, and they suffer the same terrible hardships as their Muslim neighbors. The occupation doesn't discriminate based on religion. It's hard on everyone.

I walked through the proposed demolition site in Beit Sahour yesterday afternoon, taking photos and talking to residents. The home owners continued to build despite the possibility that their homes may be destroyed. I didn't carry maps, so I relied on the villagers to point out areas to be demolished.

(For more information, check out Jun 07, 2002 Settlements.)

The Israeli Settlement of Har Homa on the left. Palestinian homes in Beit Sahour to the right.

This home was in the area for demolition.

Owners continued to work, despite the fact that their new home might be destroyed.

The Israeli Army wants this entire group of homes demolished.