commentary from Israel & the West Bank
Posts tagged settlers
Israel vs Israel: A protest in Silwan against settlements
Sep 2nd
An Israeli Protester Being Arrested in Silwan. 1 Sep 2010. Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org
Silwan is a neighborhood in East Jerusalem just outside of the old city walls. The streets of the neighborhood are narrow and steep as most of the houses lie on either side of a deep gorge. The people and the geography of Silwan are unforgiving. Various settler organizations have been taking over Silwan house by house for years with the full assistance and permission of the Israeli goverenment. The leading settler group, City of David, is using archeology as a means of disposing hundreds of Palestinian families their homes. The State of Israel has decided that archeology rubble is more important than Palestinian homes and has regularly demolished houses in the name of protecting archeology ruin. The ELAD group is a leading investor in the creation of archeology parks which function as cover for settlers to take over more land in Silwan.
On 1 September 2010, ELAD sponsored a conference about archeology in Silwan. The conference was a lavish affair with hundreds of invitees and what looked to be lovely food. The Shiekh Jarrah Solidarity committee joined by Ta’ayush and the Anarchists Against the Wall held a demonstration to protest the conference. Joined by Palestinian residents of Silwan, the protest begin in the late afternoon as hundreds attempted to approach the entrance to the conference. Border police and the special ‘yasam’ forces were deployed and allowed to use physical violence to prohibit the protesters from getting close to the entrance. The protest stayed completely non-violent as yasam forces repeatedly attacked protesters, threw them to the ground like rag dolls and arrested them. At one point, a settler literally drove his car through the protest, almost running over a number of people. This was all done under the watchful eye of the police chief on site, Avi Cohen, who did nothing to the driver. This incident can be seen at minute 03:25 of the following video.
Despite the intimidating show of force, the protest continued for hours. The protesters spread out through Silwan and small groups were able to confront the settler conference. As you can see in the following video, once protesters got close enough to speak with the settlers, police forces quickly moved in and begin arresting people. Incidentally, the film crew that is being told to stop in the below clip was from CBS’s 60 Minutes. It will be curious to see if this footage makes it into their segmant on Silwan.
While the videos show the events, they do not capture the atmosphere of the demonstration. Palestinians and Israelis were running through the streets of Silwan last night speaking truth to power. Despite Ramadan and the police violence, we continued for hours into the night and affected some of the participants in the conference. It was a successful demonstration.
How dangerous are these people?
Nov 2nd
When I was in high school, I studied with a teacher from the West Bank settlement of Shiloh. He was an American guy who had moved to the West Bank out of a discovery of religion and deep feelings of Jewish ownership over the land of the West Bank. One shabbat I joined him at his settlement and stayed at his neighbors house. Waking up in the morning, I asked the family where their son was, as I was staying in his bed for the night. They informed me that he was in jail as a result of being caught walking to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem with explosives in an attempt to blow up the Dome of the Rock in order that a third temple could be built. The extremists are everywhere in the West Bank and one does not have to look deeply to find people, both in groups and individuals, that are ready to use extreme violence for religious and political reasons. I know that most settlers would classify themselves as peace loving people who believe in the right of Jews to have control of the West Bank. That is well and good but the bottom line is that there is a group of absolute extremists within the greater settler community that operate with the full knowledge of the settler community. These people would not be able to do what they do without the full knowledge of the great community and ultimately the State of Israel itself. Does anyone think that the Yesha council will come out with a statement saying that a real soul searching needs to take place within the settler community as a result of the arrest of this extremist?
The internal security services of Israel have arrested an American born Israeli settler who is responsible for at least two murders of Palestinians in the West Bank as well as a number of attacks against Jews including the leftist Zeev Sternhall. Avi Issacharoff makes the point that this settler’s mistake was targeting Jews as well as Palestinians because crimes against Palestinians rarely go to trial despite the efforts of Ta’ayush and Yesh Din. There is ample evidence on this website to support Issacharoff’s claim.
Settlers Near the West Bank Outpost of Asahel
What is a surprise in the news today is the amount of security forces that were needed in taking this guy into court as well as his treatment in prison which until now has been reserved for leftists and Palestinians. When he was plucked off a Jerusalem street, he was armed and security forces found arms caches in his house and another location. It is amazing that these types of people, extremist settlers that is, are some of the only people in the country that are allowed to carry weapons around. Perhaps, that would be a sensible place to begin an overhaul of our weapons policy with these people and in general.
As someone who deals with settlers on a regular basis, I hope that the government increases their crackdown on these types of people. Not all of the settlers are as extreme as this one caught today but there is a definite support base, like in most terrorist environments, that allows this activity to continue with implicit support. The coming days should feature a number of settlers and settler groups arguing that this person was somehow crazy and not like them. The sad truth, as far as I can tell based on experience with these people, is that he is not far off from the rest of the “proud settler” community that uses the state and its resources to continue to put us all on their path to insanity and implosion.
Sheikh Jarrah – In Memoriam
Aug 10th
Last night in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah there was a vigil, a memorial to the families’ homes from which they were evicted. First they were refugees and now they are homeless. After weeks of legal battles, sit-ins and press conferences, several hundreds gathered to acknowledge a critical defeat in the battle over the future of this land and the two peoples who want to live here in peace.
Yes, the Supreme Court ruled, yes, the Palestinians were evicted in accordance with the law and yes, the Jews who moved in there did so legally. But this is a matter of the future viability of a Palestinian state, and the true test, or more correctly, disclosure of Israel’s true intentions and integrity. Assuming the Jews who moved into these houses (and now pray on the rooftops looking down on the newly homeless families in the street), did in fact live there at some point, this only strengthens the argument that all Palestinian refugees are entitled to reclaim their lost homes all over Israel. Israel’s legal system has set this precedent. It has given legal credibility to the 7 million Palestinians who once lived somewhere in Israel and cannot return.
Israel could not be making it any clearer that its policy is to allow, encourage and facilitate Jewish settlement anywhere and everywhere it wishes, right in the middle of Palestinian communities, with the ultimate aim of clearing them out.
How can Israel, in its claim to represent the Jewish people, who have experienced the worst forms of discrimination, violence, ghettoization and homelessness, now inflict it on another people? And what exactly is it trying to achieve? Have we heard any Israeli politician actually articulate what the objective is here, other than showing off the country’s ability to kick people out and take over whatever place they want? What does Israel think it will gain from these reprehensible actions?
Settlers are looking for help breaking the law
Aug 9th
You have to love the audacity of the settlers to publicly announce their plans to break the law. Below is an ad from the Zionist Freedom Alliance looking for volunteers to “become pioneers and claim their stake in Jewish history” by breaking the law and building illegal outposts throughout the West Bank. Any takers?
Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem
Aug 2nd
East Jerusalem is heating up. Israeli forces removed to families in Sheikh Jarrah this morning. Jewish settlers moved in shortly after. International, Israeli, and Palestinian protesters have been demonstrating throughout the day. I will be posting a proper video from the scene tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, please see this report from Al Jazeera about the mornings events as well as my video report from two weeks ago about the situation.
Sheikh Jarrah Getting Warmer
Jul 27th
From the excellent blog by a Rabbis for Human Rights member, Ryan Linstrom. Yesterday settlers have occupied a house in Sheikh Jarrah with the cover of Israeli border police. This is the neighborhood that has been making news waves recently because of the involvement of millionaire right wing nut Irving Moskowitz.
Judaizing East Jerusalem
Jul 19th
Co-written with Antony Loewenstein
Today roughly one hundred people gathered to protest the eviction of the Palestinian Hanoun family from their home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. They are the latest target of the increasing push to populate the area with Jewish settlers, hindering any possibility for a future Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem.
According to their website, the Hanoun’s are one of 27 families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood that are facing home eviction as part of a plan to establish a new Jewish settlement in the area. The Hanoun family was displaced from their home in Haifa after the Naqba of 1948 and currently consists of 18 people, including six children. They have lived in Sheikh Jarrah since 1956, when the Jordanian Government and UNRWA gave them houses as part of a project to help Palestinians forced to flee their properties.
International press and every major Israeli news outlet including the Jerusalem Post were on hand to hear the press conference held inside the Hanoun family home. This is not surprising given news today of the US state department informing the current Israeli envoy that Israel must halt all settlement construction in East Jerusalem. Prime Minister Netanyahu responded that Jerusalem will always be the united capital of Israel.
Later on, Hagit Ofran of Peace Now gave protestors and the media a brief history of another sign of Israel’s takeover in Sheikh Jarrah, the Shepherd Hotel. The hotel was bought by millionaire and close friend of Ehud Olmert, Irving Moskowitz, in the 1980s, with a plan to create a massive apartment complex for Jewish settlers. The city of Jerusalem has until recently denied permission to build such a complex.
Last month, permission was granted by newly instated mayor Nir Barkat to continue construction at the Shepherd Hotel, placing yet another portion of disputed land in Jewish hands and sending a message to Palestinians and the world that Israel is not a genuine partner in any bilateral, peace process.
What is so perplexing and enraging is that by continually implanting Jewish neighborhoods in the midst of Palestinian communities, Israel is sabotaging its own determination to be a permanent, Jewish-majority, internationally accepted, democratic state with defined borders.
cross posted at Mondoweiss
update from hilltop 18: Rebuilding an illegal outpost
May 31st
Ta’ayush has been tracking the illegal outpost of hilltop 18 (26) over the past two months. Last week it was ‘dismantled’ by the IDF at the directive of the Israeli government. This is an important step but, if history is any guide, not a long lasting one. The day the outpost was ‘dismantled’ Ta’ayush activists were on the ground protecting local Palestinian residents from settler attacks of reprisal. We were not able to reach the actual outpost because of the IDF presence and certain arrest waiting for us there. Our goal was to document the reconstruction of the outpost. Today the settlers of Kiryat Arba have done us a favor and posted photos of their rebuilding. You can visit their forum here if you read Hebrew otherwise here are the photos. Does the Israeli government think that the public is stupid? Why don’t they declare the area a closed military zone and not let any settlers return? I am taken aback by this insanity.
hilltop 18 after the IDF dismantled the outpost
the rebuilding
an outpost is reborn
A Busy Weekend
Dec 19th
Posted by Joseph Dana in Southern Hebron Hills
1 comment
A busy weekend in Israel for Ta’ayush and the Israeli direct action left. Above is clear video from last Friday’s Sheikh Jarrah protest. Quoted in the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot, Meretz Chairman Chaim Oron said “It’s unthinkable that every week left-wing protestors are prevented from expressing legitimate protest, while right-wing protestors, who violently and blatantly violate the government’s decisions, are being treated forgivingly.”
While the police and border patrol were working out their feelings of masculine insecurity on the non violent leftists in Sheikh Jarrah, Ultra Orthodox residents of Jerusalem actually got violent in their protest of the Intel Corporation opening its Jerusalem branch on Shabbat. They threw stones at police and burned garbage throughout their neighborhoods. No one was arrested, confirming the double standards that exist as a fact of everyday life in Israel Full text on Yediot Ahronot’s website.
Finally, Ta’ayush activists and Palestinians encountered some good ole settler violence near the extremist illegal outpost of Ashel. Report here form Ynet and video of one of the fine citizens of Asahel below.