Women's Day and Home Demolitions

Yesterday was International Women's Day. Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. Its goal is to encourage solidarity with women around the world fighting for equal rights. Right here in Jerusalem, a group of women celebrated this holiday. Here, however, the focus was not solely on women. A group of women formed a march against home demolitions occurring in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan. 88 homes have been set for home demolitions, which will result in the displacement of 1500 Palestinians. Demolitions in Silwan, will leave room for a park, hardly a justification for leaving 1500 people homeless.

A coworker of mine and I joined in the March against the home demolitions in Silwan. It was powerful to see the strength of the women involved and clear that Palestinian women often emerge as the movers and shakers of their society. When the group began to form before the march, the leading women handed out posters. The posters symbolized the essence of a Palestinian woman. They are rooted in the land, the protectors of livelihood (symbolized by olive trees), and shine light to the world. As the group began to walk into the area of Silwan, chants emanated from everyone following. We made our way through the neighborhood to an area where the home demolitions are planned. When we got to this area, we joined a group already congregated underneath a tent, holding a rally for the Al-Bustan neighborhood. Both men and women, children and elders joined together in solidarity. You could see the passion of the people as they expressed their frustration and heartache over their families and friends who were losing their homes. Children even joined in the peaceful protest. They sang a song dedicated to Silwan and joined in the chanting. One of the most precious moments happened when a girl, probably about 6 years old, shouted a chant in the silence, which rallied the whole group to join in a response. The only disappointing aspect of this day, was the minimum of people who attended the rally. About 30 people took part in the march, and about 100 people were at the rally. I can only imagine the impact that even 1000 people would have made.

What is happening in Silwan is only part of the story. In recent weeks, over 265 homes have been given demolition orders throughout East Jerusalem, including the Shufat neighborhood where Sabeel is located. It is part of the plan to Judaize the entire city of Jerusalem, and drive out the Palestinian population. Demolitions have risen in the past few weeks due to the continual coverage of Gaza. The news coverage in Gaza gives Israel the perfect disguise for the heightening of destruction occurring in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Home demolitions have also risen to make a point to President Obama that the agenda in Israel-Palestine will be determined by Israel, not Washington. Hillary Clinton, in her recent visit to Israel-Palestine, stated that the home demolitions were 'not helpful'. This statement shows that at least the action by the Israeli government is being noticed. In my opinion, however, Washington and the International community needs to much more outspoken against grievances caused by the Israeli government that demonstrate they are not interested in peace process that would require them to action beyond the signing of a meaningless peace of paper.

Click here to learn more about home demolitions in East Jerusalem, specifically the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan.
From The Guardian
From the Palestinian National Initiative
From ICAHD - Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions
From the PNN- Palestine News Network