Monday, August 3, 2009

Palestinians Out, Jews In

Joseph Dana and Mairav Zonszein have made a must-see video about the expulsion of the Palestinian families from their homes (see below) in Sheikh Jarrah, where they have lived for over fifty years, and the entrance of the settlers. For an explanation of the situation see my post below on Israel's Hamas, and their post at the ibn ezra blog here. Please wait until the end of the video to hear the reaction of the Israeli religious woman to the expulsion. We'll see how the apologists try to dismiss here.She's not drunk, she's not American, and she's not shouting obscenities. Nor are the others in the video.

16 comments:

David L. said...

Jerry-I'm convinced that this event, and the attack on the Tel Aviv Gay Centre, are indicators of the national sickness of the Jewish people. Hopefully, we will all make use of Elul wisely.

LeaNder said...

I have to admit this really get's close to me and yes, I wonder if this is somehow related to the fact that Mr. Hanoun closely ressembles a German friend. He in fact could be his brother.

But the whole story is highly confusing. I have many, many questions.

In fact I'd like to know every little detail of this story, especially it's history. A close-up of the whole series of law suits surrounding it and the main players involved.

To choose one question: If an Israeli court ruled the deeds used fraudulent in 2006, how could the settlers sell the land in 2008? How can a court now, as I read somewhere, evict the people based on the fact that they paid no rent. It all doesn't make any sense. It would only make sense if by making them pay for years based on a fraudulent deal you somehow can acquire rights under Israeli laws. Would these laws ignore fraud? One would expect that after the 2006 ruling the rent paid over the years would have to be paid back, and this issue would be closed. Or would that have needed a separate proceeding, the defendants missed, or couldn't afford due to a series of earlier suits, that left their pockets empty?

Another one, why wasn't the land registered by Jordan or why didn't the UN take care it was.

And why does Fatah allow this to happen? How many Palestinian legal experts are in Israeli jail? One comes to mind. How many families are involved? Who are the buyers and their networks, settler groups, lawyers. Who are the legal experts on these cases?

Jerry Haber said...

Lea, I will try to get the details. But as I understood it, the court evicted them because their lawyer had agreed, with their consent, to pay rent to the Jewish "owners," which they stopped pay. So while one set of documents were ruled as fraudulent, the fact that the residents had reneged on their agreement was enough to do it. We are talking about different sets of deeds for different properties.

The Jordanians registered the land as absentee property, then allowed UNRWA to purchase it. Israel reclaimed it after they took possession of that territory.

Why does Fatah allow this happen? Because the only thing Fatah can do is blow up Jews. And see where that got them.

Lea, with due respect, you don't expect me to be your research assistant. You have google, the web and a library to find out the answers to your questions.

Devir said...

How can Israelis behave in such a barbarian way? And even worst: how can they do it legally? What kind of Court allows such a crime? And how moraly degraded have the new tenants to be to accept living in a new home knowing that families had to be evicted from it so they could move in? Apart from politics, this has to do with simple and plain decency. And the majority of Israelis are becoming less and less decent...unfortunately.
Luis Almeida From Lisbon , Portugal

Devir said...

"The Magnes Zionist"...The posts in your blog look everything but zionist. How do you explain the contradiction between contents and name ?
Zionism to me is the most anti-jew as it could be ( a bit like nazism was the most anti-german...) and it will ruin Israel as a state.
I don't believe in that " Chosen People " crap.
Jews, like the rest of us, belong to a zoological species: the "homo sapiens"...
Luis Almeida
From Lisbon, Portugal

LeaNder said...

I am sorry, it was a bit emotional, as I was addressing the wrong person.

A friend said yesterday, It happens anywhere. So what? Life isn't fair.

That got me immediately grounded.

But yes, I have to admit, that I don't trust Israel's authorities on these issues. As research would surely would lead into complex stories and conflicting laws and positions that, as everywhere, can be exploited.

But yes, admittedly I wished these people had more support, I am sure the settlers are well-connected. Maybe I start with Gershom Gorenberg's Accidential Empire.

Jerry Haber said...

Luis,

My sort of Zionism is what is known as cultural rather than statist Zionism. It is a call for cultural and national revival of the Jewish people Historically, it was defended by Judah Magnes, Martin Buber, Ernst Simon, and Hannah Arendt -- all of whom opposed the founding of a Jewish ethnic state against the will of the native Palestinians.

Read my post, Zionism Without a Jewish Ethnic State.

Devir said...

Thanks, Jerry for for having enlightned me. I realize now I was wrong to think Zionism only had a pejorative ( for anti-zionists, like myself ) meaning. I have to further study zionism more deeply and thoroughly. I don't like ( as I often say ) to praise ignorance but apparently I was doing it now...
I belong to a ( Lisbon based ) portuguese movement called MPPM ( Portuguese Movement for Palestine & for Peace in the Middle East ). We try to agitate the portuguese people, our Government & Parliament ( and through them the EU authorities in Brussels ) and my vision so far was from the palestinean side.
You would be amazed, however, with the quantity of excelent Israelis I have met, personaly and by mail, since I work politycally with this movement.
I came to realize that they need our help almost as much as the palestineans do. 'Cause they are a minority and they are under siege.
Our movement web-site is mppm-palestina. It has a button for the english version but it is mostly in portuguese.
The MPPM official position is, of course, the UN one: the two-state solution, but I, personnaly, am starting to doubt it is feasable. Specially with this government and this majority in the Knesset and with the increasing divisions in the palestinean camp ( even within Fathah...)
I also agreed with the part I understood of what LeaNder said...
Best regards for you both from this side of the Atlantic!
Luis

faceless said...

I'll say thanks for clarifying that there is indeed more than one type of Zionist. Can't you pick a different name though? It would make it a lot easier for me to insult those inhumane bastards who have appropriated the concept!

all the best

Devir said...

I didn't wish keep posting in your blog, not because it doesn't appeal to me, but the world is so vast, my tasks here are so demanding, that I have to manage my time by priorities. And also because you, Jerry, and most of your posters are too american and too jewish and I can't cope with you: you write about these subjects, from the inside ( you even make hebrew quotations transliterated into latin characters...) with a deep, specialized knowledge, that I lack...
So, I'll revert to you but much more sporadically.
But to end this posting cicle let me tell you I made some research on Wikipedia ( for starters... ) on Judah Manes, Martin Buber, Ernst Simon and Hannah Arendt ( the only one of the four I had heard about and read something of )and it got me to conclude that nothing is simple ( most simplifications are mutilations...)
I have to admit now the possiblity ( to be certain I have to do better than just the Wikipedia...)
of someone being zionist AND progressive. The two concepts excluded each other to me, before...
As to names ( and in a way to answer faceless), we all know that american troops in Viet Nam called "vietcongs", pejoratively, to vietnamese from the north. And we also know that they, themselves, proudly adopted the insult as a war nickmame and started to use this word "vietcong" when they referred to themselves !...
Luis

Margaret said...

No comments by Yaacov?

Pictures are worth a thousand words.

Jerry Haber said...

Devir,

Yes, there are a lot of Americans here. What we ought to do is build a website which pulls together many of the progressive blogs from Europe and Israel on Israel Palestine.

But who has time?

Devir said...

True, who has time ?...
And in addition to my work in support of Palestine I now have two forthcoming elections in my own country, locals ( municipalities ) in September and Legislatives ( Parliament ) in October to which campaigns I intend to devote some time, in spite of my not-so-young age ( 65 )...
Fortunately I am now retired from my life-long job ( ground assistance to big transatlantic vessels in Lisbon Port )!
Be good,
Luis

Devir said...

I forgot to inform you that in Brussels it has just been created a Court named The Bertrand Russel Tribunal for Palestine ( named after the one created in the sixties for war crimes in Viet Nam )
Their site is written in french and in english ( statutes, aims, etc in a total of about 7 pages ).
They are accepting individual and/or organizations from practically all countries around the the world ( even from remote countries as New Zealand ) to integrate or create what they call "National Commissions" in each country.
One of founders is Pierre Garland, former socialist senator to belgian senate and well known european leader of movements in support of Palestine.
One of the main elegebility items to become a member is " not to profess any racist and/or anti-semite ideology"...

Be good again,
Luis

Y. Ben-David said...

Margaret-
Since I am not familiar with the case, I did not make any comment, and I have no intention of getting into arguments about the legal ramifications of it, but since you missed me, I can only say that it was done with the blessing of the Israeli court system, those who moved into the house paid for them (i.e. to the Arab owners who took control of the properties after the Jews were forced out in 1948) IN ADDITION TO HAVING ORIGINAL (pre-1948) title, those evicted did not pay rent which they were legally required to pay (as I understand it, there are other Arabs in neighboring buildings who do pay rent and were NOT evicted) and this does not serve as a precedent for Arabs who lost their houses in 1948 because they have not paid the current owners living in them. I find it quite amusing that having Jews move into a neighborhood with Arabs is called "ethnic cleansing". Would "progressives" use the same term about Arabs who move in to Jewish homes in Lod, Ramla, Akko, Yafo and other mixed cities? That's all I have to say about the matter.

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