Filmmaker Yuval Abraham was an eyewitness to the Israeli home demolitions in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher: “I can’t take it anymore. I’m suffocating from all this violence and the lives being destroyed. And everyone [in Israel] is oblivious, blathering about a Jewish state, don’t know Arabic and utterly blind to those other people. Everyone who keeps silent is complicit with this filth. They destroyed Ismail’s life tonight.”
Recent events have shone a spotlight not only on how Israel is intensifying its abuse of Palestinians under its rule, but the utterly depraved complicity of western governments in its actions.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said his government would be “suspending all agreements” made with the Israeli government over Israel’s demolitions in Sur Bahir. But with no explanation as to what he meant, and no concrete plan of action, Abbas is being called out by activists and political analysts for doing nothing more than “playing games.”
The US blocked on Wednesday an attempt by United Nations member states to get the UN Security Council to formally condemn Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied East Jeruslaem town of Sur Bahir earlier this week.
Palestinian Authority leaders say they are moving towards cutting ties with Israel over its “war crimes” committed in Sur Bahir on Monday, when Israeli authorities demolished 10 buildings on PA-controlled land. But critics told Mondoweiss they don’t expect much more than “empty threats” from the PA.
The grotesque celebration by Israeli soldiers as they destroyed a Palestinian building in East Jerusalem is being treated as an aberration. But in fact there is a long history of Israelis celebrating the destruction of Palestine.
Videos surfaced on Monday evening showing Israeli forces celebrating the detonation of a building in Sur Bahir, occupied East Jerusalem. It was one of 10 buildings destroyed in 24 hours. While the soldiers laughed and celebrated, homeowners like 52-year-old Jehad Sous watched his lifelong dream of owning a home for his family crumble to the ground.
At least 16 people, including 12 Palestinians and four British nationals, were hospitalized on Monday for injuries sustained during a violent, massive Israeli demolition operation in the occupied East Jerusalem town of Sur Bahir. Locals told Mondoweiss at the time that armed Israeli soldiers forced their way into the homes and were “extremely aggressive” as they removed residents and foreign activists who had barricaded themselves inside in solidarity.
Yesterday, Palestinian sources tweeted out a video of Israeli security forces cheering as they blew…
Israel’s destruction of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem shocks the world — but the ‘NYTimes’ tries to excuse and whitewash the demolitions. James North calls the Times reporting “a masterpiece of deceit.”