At the Bank

One evening in the East- Jerusalem neighborhood, Sheikh Jarrah. One surreal evening.

It is so hard to give a brief and good overview of what is going on in Sheikh Jarrah these days. There are Palestinian families being evicted from their homes, being forced to live on the street. There are Israeli settlers moving in to their houses. Other houses are being demolished, to make room for Israeli housing units. This can only happen in a state where the laws, and those who enforce the laws don’t care about justice, human dignity and peace.

Actually, it is not hard to give a brief and good overview of what is going on in Sheikh Jarrah these days:  It is ethnic cleansing.

Under a tree, which has been decorated with various lights since Ramadan, we met Salim Hannoun and Jakob Abu- Arfa. Salim used to live in the house right across the street. He and the rest of his family where evicted August 2, this year. Jakob tells us that his family also are facing an eviction from their home.

On the roof of the house owned by the al-Ghawi family there are three young orthodox Jews waving the Israeli flag.  On the street below them the evicted al-Ghawi family still lives in a tent. They where also evicted on August 2.

Both the al-Hannoun family and the al-Ghawi family are already refugees. In 1956 approximately 300 refugees moved into Sheikh Jarrah, following an agreement between UNRWA and the Government of Jordan (who then controlled this part of Jerusalem). The refugee families fled, or where expelled from Mandate Palestine, including areas in West Jerusalem.

If the state of Israel aims to restore the pre- 1948 Jewish property rights in East Jerusalem, what about pre -1948 Palestinian properties in West Jerusalem?

Even though the Israeli state is the one to blame, its politicians, its laws, its military and its police are letting this happen; The whole process is being driven by settler organizations. In fact, in 2005, the Amana settler organization was granted permission by the Israeli authority to build their new headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah. Just opposite the Central Police headquarters.

How can people do such a thing to other people? Recklessly throwing families on the street. Move into their houses. Beat up their children. How can people claim that your house is my house?

How can Israeli settler-youth stand on the roof of their occupied house, victoriously waving the Israeli flag to the evicted Palestinians on the street?

What corrupts people to turn out so mean? It is mean. It is cruel. It is showing disrespect to other humans. To humanity. And the state of Israeli does nothing to prevent it from happening. The Israeli state supports it.

Ethnic cleansing.