Friday, July 24, 2015

2015-07-24 PALESTINE: ‪#‎SaveSusya‬

2015-07-24 PALESTINE: ‪#‎SaveSusya‬
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Israeli journalist Amira Hass: "European foreign ministers roll the name of the tiny village of Susya, as if it were a suburb of Brussels"... Bulldozers were standing ready to demolish the village this Tuesday, but the Israeli government back out, after the European Union foreign ministers defined the action “Transfer” - a war crime.
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Susya, Palestine, July 24 - a few hundred demonstrators descended today on the tiny Bedouin village of Susya, in the desert south of Hebron in the scorching heat in support of the villagers resistance against attempts by the Israeli government to demolish the village.
The Israeli government appears to have been frustrated this time. The demolition was scheduled for this past Tuesday. However, following a decision by the European Union Foreign Ministers, defining the action "Transfer" - a war crime - the Israeli government backed out. As usual, the Israeli Supreme Court found the action perfectly legal...
The demonstration was organized by Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli NGO, which supports Susya in recent years, and by Combatants for Peace - an Israeli-Palestinian organization. The crowd was mostly Israeli and Palestinian, but also included international representatives - Anglican priest from Bet Hanina, Scottish priestess from Jerusalem, Swedish volunteer from World Church Council, Nepalese volunteer from ActionAid, etc, etc...
The villagers lived on location for decades, if not a century or more. Initially, mostly in caves, but later also in huts and tents. The local micro-agriculture is based on olive trees and wheat, growing in the areas benefiting from the rain watershed. Otherwise, two wells, not much different than those used thousands of years ago water some fruit trees. Traditionally, the Bedouins also roamed with herds, but today that practice is practically gone. The men typically work outside the village.
Their land of Susya was taken over the decades of the occupation by the building of an archaeological park on the one side, site of the Talmudic period Jewish Susya, and an Israeli settlement, also named Susya, on the other side. Therefore, there are three Susyas today over less than 2 miles.
Regardless of the extensive Israeli development in the area, the Bedouin village is not permitted to be connected to the electrical grid or the general water system, and is slated for demolition and transfer.
In striking contrast with numerous other demonstrations in Palestine over recent years, there was absolutely no military to be seen... Apparently low profile was the order of the day... On past occasions, it was enough for 5-10 people to show up in nearby Hebron, and the military would immediately appear and stand watching and videotaping, or in other cases, block the movement of visitors or demonstrators...

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