August 14, 2010
In News The Israel-Palestine Conflict
Dear Poyan,
Imagine watching helplessly as your entire community is destroyed, all of your friends, family members, and neighbors made homeless at the same time. How would you feel?
That is exactly what happened on July 27 in the Bedouin village of Al-Arakib in Israel. A 60 year old community of 300 villagers, mostly children, was demolished down to the ground. The Israeli Lands Administration (ILA) sent 1,500 soldiers to forcibly remove the people and destroy their homes, sheep pens, fruit orchards, and olive tree groves. And when it was rebuilt by the villagers, their neighbors, and concerned Israelis, the government demolished it twice more. It intends to plant a forest on the land and settle more Israeli Jews in the region.
2,000 Israelis have called on their government to do the right thing and end these outrages. Now we join other American Jewish groups such as Tikkun and Rabbis for Human Rights-North America in an initiative launched by the Jewish Alliance for Change, adding our voices to their petition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in support of human rights and equality for the Bedouin people in Israel. You have already told our Jewish leaders here in the United States to speak out against other Israeli government abuses. Please sign here to speak out against the destruction of this village and the plans to destroy others, the denial of basic services to the Bedouin, and the expulsion of the children of migrant workers in Israel. Such actions do nothing to secure the rights of Israeli Jews or Israeli democracy. No more demolitions.
With gratitude,
Jesse Bacon,
Editor, The Only Democracy?
Jewish Voice for Peace
Hear live interviews from the destruction and rebuilding of Al-Arakib.
http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/07/alert-thousands-of-police-evacuating-and-demolishing-the-village-of-el-araqib-in-the-israeli-negev/
http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/07/interview-with-khalil-alamour-organizer-of-protest-at-demolished-village/