On Wednesday, Israeli forces demolished five homes in the Bedouin community of Abu Nuwar, in the Jordan Valley area of the West Bank. The 25 residents, 17 of whom are children, were not given time to collect their belongings before their homes were bulldozed, and are now homeless in the middle of winter.” (Medical Aid for Palestinians)
This is what happens when self-righteous, un-compromising followers of organised religion are allowed free rein. Perhaps we could debate the moral difference between chopping off the heads of non-believers (as per Daesh) and demolishing people’s houses, destroying their possessions and dumping small children out into the winter cold with nowhere to go. I suppose the Bedou still have their heads, filled with despair as they no doubt are.
I support the efforts of Medical Aid for Palestinians, as I suppport Doctors without Borders, and send money to both. These doctors are brave and apparently fearless. But they should not be placed in these dangerous situations in the first place. And Bedou families, who have inhahabited the land for centuries, should not have their homes demolished without warning and be left to fend for themselves. Christians shouldn’t be tolerating it, and Epicureans certainly do not do so. Religion 1- Humanity 0.
I have to say I’m very disappointed at this. Of course people’s homes should not be destroyed without warning, even if they are built illegally.
Having said that, the building of illegal villages is a huge problem. The villages are unsafe, lack proper sanitary facilities, are poorly constructed, and are often located in inappropriate places. Add to that the enormous birth rate of the Bedouin people, and the result is chaos. The Bedouin people live separate lives, (especially with women) are badly educated, and are largely not interested in integrating into the wider Israeli society. The Israeli government is quite rightly doing something about that, but more work remains. They need to be properly trained to do well paid jobs, as a means of escaping poverty. They also have to accept the modern world, and that some of their bizarre and antiquated traditions will have to be abandoned.
Its in the interests of Israel for the Bedouin to be treated equally. This means that the Israeli government must start taking better care of them. But it also means that the Bedouin must be interested in becoming Israelis, and not nomadic tribesmen. The Israeli government must be criticised when it gets it wrong, as you have rightly done. But it must also be praised for trying to do the right thing. I don’t believe the Israeli wants anything from the Bedouins, as they don’t have anything of significance. So I’m afraid I disagree when you imply that the demolitions are motivated by religion or a desire for conquest.
For what it is worth, below is a report from the New Israel Fund, two days old. I report it verbatim for no other reason than because most people do not realise what is going on in Israel, driven by extreme Zionists and fundamental religious people. It will not persuade those convinced that all the bad things are done by Palestinians, but moderate, thinking people will be very concerned.
“The offices of B’Tselem, Israel’s leading human rights group, were burned down in
Jerusalem tonight. One person, who was not a B’Tselem staff member, was evacuated from another floor in the building with light injuries from smoke inhalation. Police are still investigating, but arson seems to be the likely cause.
We’ve been in close touch with B’Tselem’s leadership. True to their character, they have
repeatedly told us that they will not allow this incident to deter them from their work exposing the realities of the occupation.
It is never easy to work for a watch-dog organization like B’Tselem. Your job is to make the public aware of things that make all of us uncomfortable, to bring to light facts that many would rather pretend did not exist. And, yet, this work provides a check-and-balance on government power that is essential in any democratic society.
As you and I know, it’s been getting harder and harder to be a champion for human rights
in Israel. Ultranationalist groups who claim to “monitor” NGOs or to “defend Zionism” are creating a climate where terrible things can happen. Government officials at the highest levels have not simply refused to condemn this incitement, they have joined the fray.
NIF has always stood for human rights. Today is no exception. If need be, we will turn to our Emergency Grant Pool to make sure that B’Tselem has the resources it needs to carry on its important mission. If you feel moved to help support these activities, please click here.
We will stay in touch. Israel’s voices of sanity will need us — individuals who believe in the values of equality and democracy — to step up again and again to help return Israel to a better place.
Daniel Sokatch, CEO
New Israel Fund