Destruction of dairy farm in Khaled al Wardeh May 1, 2012
On May Day, a day in Israel in which all government offices are closed, in the village of Khaled al Wardeh outside Hebron, the Israeli military demolished a dairy farm.
Receiving this horrific story via my inbox today threw me. I googled it over and over again and was astounded that this report, from the Christian Peacemakers, was the only documentation of a crime that should shock the conscience of humanity: the demolition of a whole dairy farm, the livelihood of 4 families, who provide sustenance for a much wider population. Look at this farm! Look at it and think of farms in your country. Gone, destroyed, for what? What could possibly justify this act?
The Christian Peacemaker Team in Hebron received a phone call from Noah al-Rajabi at 7:45 am in the morning. This is what they reported:
Al-Rajabi reported that the army and bulldozers were demolishing his cousin’s home and threatening to demolish the family’s farm. He urged CPT to come and to call the media and other internationals to bear witness to what was happening. Two CPTers arrived at the main road near the house and saw six military jeeps, three police vehicles, and three intelligence service vehicles at the site. Initially, the Israeli authorities prevented CPTers from approaching the scene. When they asked soldiers why they were demolishing the farm, a soldier replied, “Because we are the army.”
Farmer at demolition site with Christian Peacemaker Team
From the place where they could view the demolition, the CPTers could see a Caterpillar and a Hyundai bulldozer destroying a farm building and a caravan (mobile home) in which the family lived. The children of the family came to the main road and one of the boys told them that he could take them through the fields to get a closer view of the destruction of his father’s farm. By now, the two bulldozers had started to raze a large corrugated iron barn where the family kept their cows; it destroyed milking machines and other equipment worth over 8000 USD in the process. The farmer told CPTers, “Destroying my home…I can rebuild and while I am rebuilding I can stay with another family member but destroying my farm—it’s not only destroying my livelihood but also the livelihoods of three other families; our farm is our bread and butter.” The farmer has two wives and fifteen children to support and now he is worried how he will manage financially. He was looking at his one hundred cows, who were sitting in the oppressive heat. The farmer said that if they were not milked soon, they would die.
More photos available at Christian Peacemaker Teams website.
May Day destruction
The Israeli military has an odd way of observing May Day, International Worker’s Day, by destroying the livelihoods of four families. Khaled al Wardeh is near the Palestinian town of Beni Na’im, 5 miles east of Hebron.
(Hat tip Esther Riley)
Ongoing crimes against humanity being committed by Israel on Palestinian land. Outrageous, disgusting, criminal. The Christian Peace Making Team has been out on the front lines for decades now. While Beinart and others are part of the better late than never crowd and have been called “brave” for finally stepping up to the plate. CPTers have been stepping up to the plate to witness the atrocities, document and continue to be on the front lines.
Israel destroying a Palestinians farm with caterpillar equipment. Those who commit these crimes should be put on trial at the International Criminal court.
Spreading this
Annie… my perusal of the net is limited but I’ve never seen this very worrisome prediction. Netanyahu and his group do not intend to settle with a one state or two state solution. Their goal is a Jewish-only country from the Mediteranian to the Jordan river. This “ultimate solution” will evict all Palestinians from Palestine. It includes those who now live in “Israel”.
I believe Netanyahu’s ultimate aim is a pure race in Palestine that won’t be tainted with Palestinians.
How he does this is his secret but it surely appears to be his goal.
He knows there will be extreme anger in the US when he physically evicts Palestinians but he also knows there is nothing the US will do to prevent it. What really pushes him, right now, toward this goal, is the urgent need for him to do it while the US is still the ultimate single force in the world. He won’t be able to when we share world power with one or two other nations…..and he surely won’t be able when the US is in serious national decline.
I therefore believe what Netanyahu has done to the Palestinians so far, is but faint prelude to the horror he intends to inflict on them in the very near future.
Behold the Glorious Jewish State, hard at work destroying lives and livelihoods. It’s enough to bring tears of pride and joy to the eyes of hateful and immoral Zio-supremacists.
You just KNOW this is their equivalent of Internet porn.
It looks very much like the high desert region I moved to a year ago. I know what a hard-scrabble existence it is (and I have access to all the modern comforts). I can’t imagine the feeling of dispair to have one’s livelihood shattered in such a cruel and callous manner.
Truly sickening.
Why? Why? Why?
Really, why? Aha, “because we are the army!”
Or perhaps the farm was built illegally? And that all instances of court were exhausted, transparently (even if u dont agree)? And the Palsetinian Aythority in the West Bank demolishes many more structures for illegal buidling than Israel does, but that is not “inhumane”.
Yeah, why is that?