Written By Frances Wilkin
Having returned from an 18 day tour of Israel and Palestine, I am convinced that the people of Israel are saddled with a government which — like our own government — makes decisions, sets policies, and orders actions in the name of the citizenry that are not in the interest of the people.
An editorial by Gideon Levy in the April 8, 2007 issue of the newspaper, “Haaretz” entitled, “Israel doesn’t want peace,” expresses the frustration of the Israeli people with the Jewish Israeli leadership. Mr. Levy states, “Entire generations grew up here weaned on self-deception and doubt about the likelihood of achieving peace with our neighbors. We were convinced that all blame for the lack of peace lay with our enemies. Through the occupation, followed by terror, Yassir Arafat, the failed second Camp David Summit and the rise of Hamas to power, we were sure, always sure, that it was all their fault. In our wildest dreams, we wouldn’t have believed that the day would come when the entire Arab world would extend its hand in peace and Israel would brush away the gesture. It would have been even crazier to imagine that this Israeli refusal would have been blamed on not wanting to enrage domestic public opinion.”
Later in the editorial, Mr. Levy states, “Terror, used as the ultimate excuse for Israeli refusal to negotiate, only helps Ehud Olmert keep reciting, ad nauseum, ‘If they (the Palestinians) don’t change, don’t fight terror and don’t adhere to any of their obligations, then they will never extract themselves from their unending chaos.’ As though the Palestinians haven’t taken measures against terrorism, as though Israel is the one to determine what their obligations are, as though Israel isn’t to blame for the unending chaos Palestinians suffer under the occupation.”
Jimmy Carter uses the word “apartheid,” to describe the chaos the Palestinians suffer, but I feel as though that is putting it mildly. What I saw taking place for the Palestinians was even worse than being reduced to second class citizenship. I saw the strangulation of the Palestinian Arabs, both Christians and Muslims, which is slowly but surely accomplishing what appears to be the Jewish Israeli government’s goal—Ethnic Cleansing!
We met with members of the ICAHD (Israeli Committee against Home Demolitions) who were appalled that the Israeli government continues to strangle the Palestinian Arabs by home demolitions; destroyed olive orchards; denied building permits and water rights; extensive curfews; delays so lengthy at check points that produce, which farmers are attempting to take to market, rots and patients seeking hospitalization die; in addition to the erection of the Wall which does not follow the UN sanctioned boundary between Israel and Palestine thus annexing Palestinian land and creating economic hardships for the Palestinians by separating families from other family members and from services such as hospitals, schools, and markets; separating farmers from their land; and separating business operators from their businesses.
We met with the vice-mayor of Bethleham who was driving with his family near a major hotel when Israeli soldiers began shooting at his car without warning. His 12 year old daughter died and he himself was hospitalized with several bullets in his body. His wife and other daughter were also injured. Some soldiers came to help and admitted it was a mistake–they were on a stakeout for some Hamas figure who did eventually arrive at the check point in a similar car and was instantly killed — along with all the other passengers in the car in which he was riding — without benefit of due process in any court of law.
The city of Bethleham is partly surrounded by the Wall and people are convinced it is for economic reasons. The Wall cuts them off from part of the West Bank as well as Jerusalem. They have little history of violence and long have been mainly a Christian town, although many have now left. They point to a huge settlement outside their city and outside the wall which has primary call on available water supplies—a modern city with new hotels and shops where most tourists are diverted. Inside Bethleham proper, hotels are largely vacant and only 5 shops are still open near the Church of the Nativity where 80 use to thrive. Before 2000 Bethleham had 200 tourist buses per day, now they average 5 daily. They feel in a stranglehold.
In East Jerusalem we saw where the Wall was built down the middle of the street in the heart of Palestine commercial district, totally destroying its viability. Then, the Wall was built across the road to Jericho forcing anyone who wanted to visit that West Bank city—the oldest city in the world– to drive miles and miles out of the way. The Wall divides villagers from their land in places like Bil’in Village where we watched as villagers sought to plant olive trees in their own fields but were denied.
The unemployment rate in some areas is as high as 65%, and 70% of the population lives below the poverty line. Slowly but surely, the strangulation of Arabs proceeds to the point of their having to leave the land where their families have lived for generations, and the government of the USA supports the Jewish Israeli government in this process of cleansing the Holy Land of Arabs both Christians and Muslims! Why?
April 22nd, 2007