Photo David Mitchell
A photo of an 88 year-old Palestinian woman who was evicted from her home in East Jerusalem. She now resides with another family across the street from her home -- a house that Israeli settlers (some of them are seen in the background) now have taken over the front section of as well. They take turns living there, spitting on this old lady and spewing obscenities at her.
We met this woman in January 2012 during a delegation I led in Palestine. The settlers actually pointed their barking, frightening dogs at us while we spoke with her.
This is part of the Israeli government’s slow and steady campaign of continuing to ethnically cleanse Jerusalem of its Palestinian inhabitants, using settlers who take over house after house.
Palestinian homes are also systematically bulldozed and Palestinians often must pay the Israeli government exorbitant costs for the destruction of their homes. One of the most painful images I have ever seen was of an entire family destroying their own home with their own hands after receiving a demolition order because it was cheaper to do so themselves.
I keep coming back to this haunting story. It is unspeakable and hard to put out of one's mind.
ReplyDeleteAnd to think there are 100s of similar stories that followed the same pattern of broad-light robbery. The whole Israeli system is one hand it and the program is clear. Ethnic cleansing by any means necessary.
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