Several hundred international, Palestinian, and Israeli activists gathered at 8 pm on 10 August to peacefully protest the eviction of the Hanoun and Ghawi families from their homes in the contested East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah early August 2nd. The demonstration began around the Hanoun residence, with participants holding candles and signs bearing messages including "Why did you steal our homes?", "Say No to Ethnic Cleansing in Sheikh Jarrah", and quotes from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s remarks on the evictions a week prior.
Continued below.... and some commentary on this continuing creative nonviolent struggle for peace and justice in Jerusalem.
(continued from above)Members of the evicted families also took part in the protests. The protest was accompanied by a heavy police and military presence, which remained relatively subdued until the crowd attempted to move from the Hanouns’ home to the Ghawi residence at around 9 pm, at which point the police declared the protest "illegal" and instructed participants to vacate the area. Around this time, Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights Rabbi Arik Ascherman was violently arrested by Israeli authorities and detained. Protesters remained and gathered outside the police barrier sealing off the section of the street on which the Ghawi family is currently sleeping. From Alternative Information Center
Here is some video
This is not going away. The Hanouns are not going away. The Palestinians are not going away.
Everyday there is more examples of Palestinians and Israelis working together to protest the ongoing Occupation, and together taking the consequences from an increasingly repressive regime. (see my diary of yesterday on Ezra Nawi, an Israeli that faces prison time (sign the petition to keep him out of prison) for his support for human rights). Again, i believe in this is creating an alternative future, where people will live together on the basis of equality and justice and respect and decency.
President Obama and Hillary Clinton have both condemned the evictions, in fact Israel was warned against the evictions shortly after Obama took office replacing a supporter of the Israeli Occupation. (those of you who wish to argue in support of the evictions might explain why Bush was right and Obama is wrong, just for starters.)
In Israel, Netenyahu is getting flak from his own Sister-in-Law, Ofra Ben-Artzi who was arrested protesting the evictions. She sees an ominous future if things stay as they are:
Their are no words to describe the injustice and folly of this, we are walking with our open eyes into the abyss. If we will not be smart enough to live together, Arabs and Jews, as in the days of the [British] Mandate when there were two mayors in Jerusalem, then we will be dragged into transfer, and if this is not enough, what will we do then? Erect concentration camps? From here
In closing, i want to share this powerful video of Ezra Nawi's arrest that came in a nonviolent protest of the bulldozing of homes. Some people being "tractored out by the Cats"
At the end of the video, Ezra says to the soldiers who destroyed the homes: "the only thing that will be left here is hatred" The soliders are amused.
I will say this, because of this solidarity by Ezra at the site of that bulldozing shown above, and the Jewish Israelis who are joining the evicted families in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem... we have the seeds of a new order. Something can grow from that.