Homeless in Palestine

Try to imagine not being able to live in your house anymore, and no, not because you’ll be out on a long vacation, nor because you’re selling it, but because someone else felt that they had more right to live in that house than you. You probably are thinking: “This could not happen in our world today, there are laws against stealing, and unless one has legal papers to prove owning the house, they would never be able to set foot in it without permission”.

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Well guess what!!! It is happening in our world today, with the police watching, or shall I say “helping out” with the process. Where is it happening?

Israeli settlements are expanding, people are being kicked out their houses, and the world is watching, silently...

A couple of weeks ago I signed up to a group on facebook that was titled: “Solidarity with families facing house eviction in Sheikh Jarrah”. Here’s part of the introduction to the group:

"As refugees and people living under occupation, we are asking people to help us with our struggle for our rights. It is unbelievable that in the 21st century, Israel's authorities can get away with demolishing the homes of Palestinians in order to build settlements or national parks. The price we and our neighbours have to pay is too high, we are faced with two impossible choices - either we throw our kids out on the street or we go to prison. If we lose our homes, there is nowhere else for us to go, the only option we have is to live in tents.”

This was written by Maher Hannoun, a member of two families which were given an order to leave their houses.

August 13th, I received a message from one of the group administrators, Rami Hannoun, who wrote:

“At 1500hrs (1400 GMT) today, the Hannoun and Ghawi families were served an order to appear in the District Court of Jerusalem at 1630hrs.

The settlers that had moved into the Hannoun and Ghawi homes filed a restraining order for the Hannoun and Ghawi families to stay 150 metres from the homes.

The settlers had seized the houses an hour after more than 200 armed Israeli police invaded the houses and threw the Hannouns and Ghawis out into the streets on August 2, 2009.

Since then, the families have been camped out on the sidewalk across their stolen homes, sleeping on mattresses, without causing any disturbances to the Jewish settlers.

They are still holding out hope that justice will be restored and the houses which they have always lived in will be restored to them.

Please see www.standupforjerusalem.org or the facebook group “ Solidarity with evicted families of Sheikh Jarrah”.

Alternatively, you may also call 054-3914181 for updates after the hearing.”

I cannot believe this is happening in the 21st century. People are being kicked out of their homes. They are even being issued restraining orders to stay away from their own property. And the whole world fails to step up and take real action. But I guess, at the end of the day, MUTENESS is becoming part of our identities as members of the new democratic world.

The irony here lies in the fact that those settlers are occupying Palestine because they think they were granted this land by God, yet they fail to acknowledge one of the basic premises taught in all religions of God; Including Judaism, that being: “DO NOT STEAL”.