This update from ICAHD, gives a summary of a recent webinar as well as a link to the webinar recording.
ICAHD UK’s August webinar featured two Palestinian women who are on the front line as they face being displaced from their homes in East Jerusalem which is part of Israel’s ongoing ethnic cleansing of the indigenous population. In the community of Sheikh Jarrah, 28 Palestinian households are threatened with eviction to be replaced by settlers while nearly one hundred homes in the Palestinian community of Al-Bustan within Silwan are slated for demolition that will displace 1550 Palestinians. These Palestinians are fighting the entire Israeli system — the supreme court, the municipality, the police, the settlers, and the government — all of whom have one goal: the Judaization of Jerusalem.
Reem Hammad, a wife, mother, and teacher, is from one of the 28 families that contest eviction from their home in Sheikh Jarrah. Amani Mousa Odeh, a wife, mother, and dentist, spoke from the Al-Bustan area in Silwan. Her home is one of the 16 currently identified for imminent demolition.
Each spoke about the history of their locality, how the proposed evictions and demolitions are being contested in the courts, what it is like for them and their families to be confronted in their streets with harassment from extreme settlers, and Israeli army and police brutality which keep them living in a state of fear, yet they continue to raise their voices, demanding their basic rights to live as other human beings.
Also speaking was ICAHD’s Jeff Halper as he addressed the bigger picture of the Judaization of East Jerusalem and he mentioned Israelis who stand in solidarity with these Palestinians, including in the courts.
Each of the speakers agreed that international civil society is their only hope. The best way to help save them from displacement is to raise awareness of their situation, therefore, influencing public opinion and thus governments.
The internet connection for Reem and Amani who spoke from East Jerusalem was not stable however their messages were powerful. View a recording of the webinar here.