Palestinians: the Hunted, New ICAHD Map, Join August Webinar ACTIONS BULLETIN - August 2021 * Register for the August webinar on Sheikh Jarrah & Silwan * Contact politicians now - Silwan demolitions * Get the latest news on Sumarin family’s eviction case * Study the July Demolition and Displacement Report * Know the JNF’s plan to displace more Palestinians from their homes * Mark your diary Palestinians: the Hunted Photo: Kirsti Hellevi – Members of the Israeli army interfere with Palestinian shepherds in the Jordan Valley The Israeli army and the settlers virtually hunt Palestinians. The 40 Palestinians killed since May this year had done no crimes (and here we have to note that "crime" means everything from building a modest home on your own land to "sneaking" into Israel to work since your area has become impoverished to not stopping your car every time a soldier or settler yells at you). Nor does it reflect the dozens of children beaten with baseball bats, threatened, attacked and humiliated by settlers on their way to school or tending their family’s flocks of sheep while the army looks on, or families terrorized by settlers throwing Molotov cocktails into their homes at night or soldiers invading to show their "presence." All reminiscent of white Australians hunting the aboriginal. peoples, lynchings in the American South or Cossack attacks on Jews in the Ukraine, except this is done as Israeli state policy. Dozens of attacks every day; homes, schools and farm buildings demolished (over 58,500 in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 1967); private land expropriated for Jewish uses. And no one is embarrassed, few speak out (although at times, when the numbers rise too high, the authorities get concerned about their hasbara/PR). Israel is secure in knowing that the US, Canada & Europe - and most shameful, the official Jewish organizations - will never allow sanctions or even enact meaningful policy change against their staunch ally, the "only democracy in the Middle East" -- their colonization and military support for the region's authoritarian governments being responsible for defeating uprisings for democracy there. And so it goes on - the killings, the demolitions, the loss of land, the settlements, the colonization and displacement. So routine that it's no longer news. It becomes the white noise you block out. And that's how Israel wins. Jeff Halper, Director, ICAHD, 12 August 2021 ICAHD UK Webinar Evictions, Demolitions & Displacement in Sheikh Jarrah & Silwan: Victims of Israeli oppression and their resistance Photo: OCHA – demolition in Silwan At present nearly 100 buildings home to about 1500 people in the Al-Bustan area of Silwan, located just below the Dung Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, are slated for demolition by Israeli authorities to make way for an archaeological park named City of David. North of Damacus Gate is the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah where 28 Palestinian families are resisting displacement. This webinar will allow the international community to hear from Palestinians on the front line facing either demolition or eviction from their home in these communities where tension continues to rise. Hear what it is like to daily be confronted with extreme settler harassment and Israeli army and police brutality. The webinar will also include the latest news on how some Israeli lawyers are pressing for a new legal opinion that could change the fate of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan eviction cases. The webinar will end with actions that the international community can take to demonstrate solidarity. #SaveSilwan –16 homes slated for demolition starting on Sunday, August 15th. Demolition orders were put on 97 homes in the Al-Bustan area of Silwan and from 15^th August, the demolition of 49 of them was to begin. Due to international pressure on the Israeli government, it is delaying the demolition of most of the homes until February 2022 – except for 16 of them which the government says will be demolished from Sunday the 15^th. * Contact your consulate in Palestine/Israel to request that she/he be present in Silwan on the 15th to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian families and that the consulate make known that international law must be observed. * The new UK Consul General is Diane Corner. Flood her with requests so she is aware of public support for the Palestinian people, and she must feed this back to the UK government. Email her on britain.jerusalem@fco.gov.uk . Follow her on twitter @Diane_Corner * Use hashtags #SaveSilwan #freesilwan * For more understanding of what is happening in Silwan and East Jerusalem see hereor watch ICAHD UK’s webinar on the subject here . Update on the Sumarin family which for 30 years has struggled against eviction from their home in Silwan. Since April 5th, the Israeli Supreme Court repeatedly granted additional time extensions beyond the 60-days deadline to Israel’s Attorney General Madelblidt as it awaited his opinion on the Sumarin case. The court said it would not make a final ruling on evicting the Palestinian Sumarin family until it had heard from Madelblidt. The initial State response is that the Sumarin’s should be evicted so the family now has until August 31^st to respond by to the State which argues that the Israeli Supreme Court should reject the family’s case to appeal their eviction. The Sumarin family had presented a principled petition arguing that Israel’s Absentee Property Law was abused, and that the home never should have been taken from the family, because of statute of limitations, that there were alternatives to bringing this to the Israeli Supreme Court, and that the issue has already been ruled on, as well as substantial arguments. The Jewish National Fund (JNF) which seeks possession of the Sumarin property also has a chance to respond to the State’s decision that has come via Attorney General Madelblidt. The Israeli Supreme Court will then schedule another date for the hearing concerning this case. Learn more about the Sumarin family and the part that ICAHD UK has played in the campaign to stop the eviction here . Communities have suffered life-changing destruction of homes and essential infrastructure. For example, in July the Bedouin communities of Humsa Al – Bqai’ain the north of the Jordan Valley, the Ras al Tin communityin the Ramallah governate and the village of Al-Araqib in the Negev all suffered large scale demolitions. In the case of Al-Araqib, the whole village was destroyed for the 190th time since July 2010. Our monthly reports also regularly feature Israel’s destruction of infrastructure essential for the survival of Palestinian communities. In July for example, a health clinic in Umm Qussa (Hebron), which served 500 individuals from 120 households was destroyed, and the demolition of a water reservoir in Furush Beit Dajan in Nablus profoundly affected the lives of over 500 people. As usual, none of the atrocities reported in our July bulletin generated any interest from governments across the world, with the single exception of one demolition reported in July - that of the home of Montaser Shalabi in Turmus’ Ayya in the Ramallah governate on July 8^th. This falls into the category of a punitive demolition (see NOTES in full report). Shalabi, an American citizen, had allegedly attacked civilians at a bus stop at the Tapuach (Zaatara) junction, killing one and wounding two other people. This policy of demolishing the home of someone accused of attacking Israeli civilians is regarded as collective punishment, prohibited under international law. The US government in Washington formally objected, specifically as this case involving an American citizen. Nevertheless, Israel went ahead with the demolition. The US embassy responded in words , but, as usual, took no action. Monica Wusteman, Chair ICAHD UK The JNF's Plan to Evict More Palestinians from Their Homes Photo: Stephen Sizer – East Jerusalem Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Director of Torah Tzedek, a coalition partner in the campaign to save the Sumarin family from being evicted from their home in Silwan, has again reached out to ICAHD UK this time with news that thousands of Palestinians could face eviction from their homes on the same grounds as the Sumarin family and like what is currently happening to Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah whom settlers claim live in homes that they own. Keren Kayemeth Leisrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) is due to hold a vote on 2^nd September to begin a process of going through some 17,000 document files that are believed to contain evidence of properties that the KKL-JNF allegedly purchased, but never registered with the state, can happen to confirm Jewish ownership. Approximately 530 of these files pertain to West Bank properties, and 2050 are East Jerusalem properties. Once registered with the state, it could proceed to evict the Palestinians on the grounds that the land is the property of the KKL-JNF so it has every right to displace the Palestinians living in East Jerusalem and build more Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The process is expected to cost about 100 million shekels (over £22 million) and will take five years to implement. As Rabbi Arik explained, “The Sumarin case demonstrates how the KKL-JNF has used state supported underhanded methods, false pretences and laws designed to dispossess Palestinians, in order to illegitimately claim ownership of Palestinian property. Even were the extremely questionable Jewish ownership claims in Sheikh Jarrah be proven to be true, Sheikh Jarrah highlights the inherently "eifaah v'eifah" discrimination in a legal system that allows Jews to reclaim properties abandoned in 1948 but does not allow Palestinians to do so. The text of the KKL-JNF indicates they believe that Israeli law will even allow them to register uncompleted deals! This decision is likely to have a disastrous and extremely unjust impact.” It is hoped that especially those within the Jewish community will exert pressure on the KKL-JNF. Rabbi Arik asks that people lobby the Reform Movement to not proceed with the proposed project to illegitimately claim more Palestinian property. For others, when engaging with political representatives, this is yet more evidence of Israel’s settler colonial policy to find as many ways as possible to displace the Palestinian population so that they can be replaced with a Jewish population as they take more of the land of historic Palestine. Saturday 4th September 4.45pm-6.15pm (UK time) - UK Palestine Mental Health Network: Cafe Palestine. Details to be announced. Wednesday 22nd September 5.00-6.15pm (UK time) - ICAHD UK Webinar: Israelis decribe their journey away from Zionism. Many thanks for your ongoing support. If you're not already a member of ICAHD UK, please consider joining us to enable our campaign to spread at this critical time in history. From all at ICAHD UK. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Israeli-Committee-Against-House-Demolitions-UK/366423593418140 Facebook https://www.twitter.com/ICAHDUK/ Twitter http://icahduk.org Website mailto:info@icahduk.org Email Wednesday 25th August 5.00-6.15pm (UK time) Israeli governmental authorities, in collusion with the Israeli courts, press on at speed in displacing Palestinians from their rightful homes across the West Bank and East Jerusalem so that they can be replaced with a Jewish population – a process defined as settler colonialism. This webinar will focus on East Jerusalem. In total at least 30,000 Palestinian families hold demolition orders in their hands and daily they awake wondering when the bulldozers arrive and their home is demolished. In addition, other Palestinians face eviction so settlers can take over their home. Register for the 25th August webinar here STOP PRESS What YOU can do: * Write to your political representative about the demolitions as all must know what Israel is about to do. Ask that pressure is put upon Israel to stop all the demolitions because they are in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. There must be consequences for Israeli authorities who continue to violate international law. Find your MP here (https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/) . July's Demolition and Displacement Report The July 2021 report reveals further acceleration in Israel’s programme of demolitions and displacement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Documented incidents reveal that a total of 121 structures were demolished in July, displacing a total of 183 individuals and directly affecting a further 1,886 others. The raw data however fails to fully reveal the devastating consequences of these acts, illegal under international law within the Occupied Palestinian Territory and a demonstration of Israel’s racist laws within the state of Israel, therefore impacting the lives of the indigenous Palestinian people. Dates for Your Diary Wednesday 25th August 5.00-6.15pm (UK time) - ICAHD UK Webinar: Evictions, Demolitions & Displacement in Sheikh Jarrah & Silwan: Victims of Israeli oppression and their resistance. Register here. (https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpcuGtqTktGNUO_WSyUTSaBW0R2tCv5act) — ICAHD (icahd.org) /newsletter/palestinians-the-hunted-new-icahd-map-join-august-webinar