I got an e-mail from InterFaith Peace-Builders today. Their Olive Harvest Delegation just started and the stories are rolling in....
Thinking Beyond “Solutions”
I was dismayed by Jeff Halper’s stories about demolished houses. After 1967, East Jerusalem was declared a “green zone”. Palestinians can own land, but cannot build on it. According to Jeff, zoning is the official justification for demolishing houses, but they are demolished for all sorts of reasons. Since 1967, 24,000 homes have been demolished. There are 15,000 demolition orders outstanding. Even if a house is not demolished, its residents are fined $15,000-$20,000. The government gives the residents a coupon book and they are forced to pay 100 shekels a month on the “fine”. The government encourages “self demolition.” They will reduce the fine in half if you demolish your home yourself. Jeff reports that up to 10,000 more have been self demolished.
It was a shock to see the extent of the Ma’ale Adumim settlement on the West Bank near Jerusalem. It is a large city of 40,000 — not just residences but industries, shopping malls, etc. There is an Aeronautic and Space College because a new airport is planned to serve Jerusalem. The plan is to expand Ma’ale Adumim to 70,000 residents and connect it to East Jerusalem and to Jericho, thus cutting the West Bank in half and re-routing any traffic from north to south around a huge area.
It was very depressing to drive around this settlement. It is not even considered a “settlement’ by the Israelis. It is just a normal Israeli city. (But housing costs half as much as in West Jerusalem). The streets are paved, there are high-rise new apartments, sidewalks, green grass and trees and flowers. In the center of cross streets there are circles with ancient olive trees. These have been uprooted from Palestinian farms and replanted to decorate the settlement streets.
I felt very sad after the morning with Jeff, and seeing the “facts on the ground” of the extent of the Israeli penetration and deliberately spaced occupation—cities, industries, schools, institutions, roads—all walled off and sealed from the Palestinians.
We talked about the pros and cons of a “two-state solution” versus a “one-state solution”. They both seem impossible. Jeff says Israeli policy is to keep the status-quo and not move toward either one, and the US Congress supports this policy. Jeff concluded the morning by saying that perhaps we can’t really advocate a “solution”. The most important thing we can do is keep demonstrating to the world and to the Israelis that the Occupation is untenable. When it becomes too hard to maintain, a solution will be found.
- Jeannine Heron
The Jeff she's talking about is Jeff Halper, co-founder of the Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolitions. A part of me wants to go on one of their delegations, to hear from the experts and get access to places that a lot of foreigners can't see. But...I'm beyond excited to make my own observations and plan my own experience.
The ticket is almost purchased....
