A Palestinian teenager was killed on Saturday evening in occupied East Jerusalem during what locals say was an accident that occurred during a home demolition in the neighborhood of Beit Hanina.
The boy, identified by local Palestinian media as 17-year-old Ali Burqan, was reportedly helping his neighbors to demolish their home when a wall fell on him, killing him.
According to reports, Burqan’s neighbors were ordered to demolish their home by Israel’s Jerusalem municipality, under the pretext that the home was built without a permit.
Like many other Palestinians with demolition orders on their homes, the neighbors decided to destroy the home themselves, in order to avoid incurring significant fines from the municipality, which charges Palestinians demolition fees if the city carries out the demolition.
Local media reported that Burqan, along with other neighbors, had joined in to help the family demolish the house when the fatal accident occurred.
‘Cruel and inhumane’
Burqan’s death sparked an outcry on social media, as Palestinians mourned his death, and what some described as the “cruelty” of the fact that he was killed while carrying out an Israeli-imposed demolition order.
In 2021, Israel has demolished more than 600 Palestinian homes and structures, almost 100 of which were in East Jerusalem, according to UN documentation. The demolitions have resulted in the displacement of close to 150 Palestinians in the city.
Earlier this month, a one-story building in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat was demolished by its owners, displacing four families, numbering 15 people. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the demolition was ordered following a final decision by the Israeli Supreme Court, “which ruled that [Israeli] settlers owned the land on which the houses were built.
The families were given 20 days to evacuate their homes prior to the demolition. According to OCHA, the family disputed the court’s decision, saying that they bought the land in 1952.
In mid August, an elderly Palestinian man from Beit Hanina had a stroke after an Israeli court ruled in favor of Jewish settlers, transferring the rights to his home to a settler organization, and forcing his family to destroy their home.
Palestinian child killed in Gaza
Another Palestinian child was killed in Gaza over the weekend, after he succumbed to wounds he sustained in protests along the Gaza-Israel border a week prior.
The child was identified by Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) as 13-year-old Omar Abu al-Nil, though some reports said he was 12-years-old. Abu al-Nil died on Saturday after he succumbed to gunshot wounds he sustained from Israeli fire on August 21st.
Abu al-Nil, along with hundreds of other Palestinians, protested along the border as part of demonstrations organized by Hamas authorities in Gaza to mark the 52nd anniversary of the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.
Palestinian media reported that dozens of Palestinians were injured with live ammunition during the protests, among them Abu al-Nil, who was shot in the neck. According to DCIP documentation, at least 20 children were injured that day with live ammunition, rubber bullets, and tear gas.
“Omar was standing 70-100 meters (229-328 feet) away from the perimeter fence observing the demonstrations when Israeli forces shot him around 5:30 p.m,” a report from DCIP said.
“He lost consciousness instantly, an eyewitness told DCIP. The bullet entered the front side of Omar’s neck and exited the back side, damaging his windpipe and carotid artery and stopping his heart,” the report continued, adding that he was in the ICU for a week until he succumbed to his wounds.
Omar was the 73rd Palestinian child to be killed by Israel since the start of 2021.
“In 2021, Israel has demolished more than 600 Palestinian homes and structures,…”
This has got Yahweh’s fingerprints all over it.
https://www.thetorah.com/article/joshuas-conquest-a-cultural-and-pedagogical-dilemma-in-modern-israel
“The book of Joshua describes a violent conquest of the land, including the total slaughter of its native inhabitants. For example, upon conquering the city of Ai, the Israelites slaughter all 12,000 of its residents, men and women…”
But the Israeli author S. Yizhar said –
“The horrific descriptions in the book of Joshua, where one inherits, dispossesses, and annihilates a people, and calls it a “settlement.” How does one people have the right to dispossess another people and inherit its land?… This is the extreme of radical fanaticism that has been known throughout history… This is why, with all my might, I rise up in revolt against Joshua!”
Video:
Israeli settlers attack Palestinians & Soldiers escorting them fire at them, South Hebron Hills – YouTube
“On Saturday, 26 June 2021, some 20 settlers invaded the village of a-Tuwani, stoned residents and beat some with sticks, injuring one. Soldiers then escorted the settlers to other communities. A settler fired at Palestinians and several others torched an agricultural structure of an a-Tuwani resident and damaged his olive grove. After the settlers retreated, other soldiers arrived and fired live fire and tear gas at the Palestinians and their homes. This is life for Masafer Yatta residents, whom Israel works to expel from their land.”