Throughout the occupied Palestinian Territories, the Israeli authorities demolish the homes of Palestinians, although international law stipulates that they be protected by the occupying power.
In violation of said law, and in an effort to implement colonial ambitions, the Israeli authorities demolish houses, confiscate lands and build settlements on their ruins. Their main goal of this policy is to compel Palestinians to leave, Kairos Palestine said in a statement on house demolitions perpetrated by the Israeli occupation.
Kairos Palestine is a Christian Palestinian movement which advocates for the end of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and achieving a just solution to the Palestine/Israel conflict.
In 2018, the Israeli authorities demolished 2775 Bedouins’ houses in the Naqab desert in the south of the country. People resisted such measures and had their homes rebuilt, Al-Araqib, for example, was demolished and rebuilt 145 times. The Jahalin Bedouins of East Jerusalem have suffered a similar ordeal.
In Sur Baher, east of occupied Jerusalem, dozens of homes that existed for years were demolished weeks ago. In Jerusalem, houses have been demolished under the pretext of not having a building permit, or with the intention of displacing the Palestinian population and Judaizing the Holy City, said Kairos Palestine.
On August 26, 2019, a house and restaurant of the Cassia family, in Beit-Jala (Bethlehem area), were demolished due to an arbitrary court decision. The court ruled that the land of this Christian family, inherited from their ancestors, through generations, was not their own. It ordered that the house and restaurant be demolished and the property transferred to the settlers.
“Justifications for such actions may include: Violating the laws of the planning department, lack of building permits, or reprisals against individual Palestinian militant attacks on Israeli targets. Indeed, the Israelis impose collective punishment on the families and relatives of militants by demolishing their houses,” the group said.
“A family house is sacred as much as the family, just as a place of worship is sacred. People work hard for their entire lives to build their own homes. Yet, it is destroyed, simply based on an inhumane military decision.
The Israelis build settlements in violation of international laws, to the law of nature and to God’s commandments. God said: do not steal. The settlers’ law says: steal any Palestinian land to build a settlement. Indeed, the houses of settlers are constructed on confiscated i.e. stolen Palestinian land,” added the statement.
“We are aware of the fact that we are addressing people with a hard heart, when it comes to the demolition of Palestinian houses. Hearts as hard as the bulldozers that demolish Palestinian houses, resulting in the displacement of thousands of people.
Their main goal is to compel Palestinians to go away, in every possible way, home demolition is just one example. Our only sin is that we are in our houses, on our land, their real wish is that we did not to exist.
“The strength of the weak confronting the oppressor is simply in their natural rights, in remaining steadfast even on the ruins of their houses and against the will of those who wish them to go or not to exist,” said Kairos Palestine.
“We address the state of Israel with a genuine word of truth: It is God’s law that preserves and protects, but laws of demolition can only lead to the demolition of the lawmaker himself. Israelis should always remember that they are the creation of God, and that Palestinians are the creation of God too. In order to guarantee their security, future and survival, Israelis must deal with Palestinians on the basis of the God given equality and dignity.
Source : WAFA
Edited for IMEMC : Ali Salam
