Demolitions
According to the United Nation, Israel demolished 431 Palestinian buildings throughout 2010 and another 356 in the first six months of 2011. More than 1000 Palestinians were displaced due to the demolitions in 2011 alone. While Palestinian homes and buildings are being destroyed on the one hand, Israel continues its rapid building of illegal Jewish-only settlements on Palestinian land.

Israel killed 180 Palestinians in 2011
Statistics show that during 2011, Israel perpetrated the following acts:
● 180 Palestinians killed (including 21 children)
● 3,300 Palestinians arrested
● 495 homes demolished
● 18,764 olive and fruit trees uprooted
● 26,837 settlement units across the Occupied
Territories approved, including 1,664 housing units in and around Occupied Jerusalem (despite international condemnation)

Icon of peace destroyed

Just before midnight on Monday, 23 January, Israeli bulldozers demolished the home of Salim and Arabiya Shawamreh, in Anata, near Jerusalem. This couple is known to many who met them while they both toured Britain in 2010 and Salim returned again in 2011. They came to tell their story of suffering four home demolitions by the Israeli authorities. It has now been demolished for the fifth time.

The Israeli Supreme Court had ruled in 2009 that the house was illegal because it didn’t have a building permit. This is the excuse Israel gives as it rarely grants building permits to Palestinians yet Israel is the guilty party as it continues to award permits to Israelis and the building of illegal settlements continues. Palestinians need somewhere to live and are forced to build without permits.

After each demolition of the Shawamreh home, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) rebuilt it, as an act of political resistance to Israel’s heinous demolition policy and to demonstrate that there are Israeli partners for peace. After the fourth demolition in 2003, the house was rebuilt as a peace centre and named Beit Arabiya. Thousands of internationals have been welcomed to their home and served Arabiya’s famous ‘maklouba’. Hundreds of internationals have stayed there during ICAHD’s annual summer rebuilding camp. But now even this icon of peace is reduced to rubble. Not one of their many fruit and olive trees remain and every vine has been uprooted.

ICAHD has rebuilt 185 demolished Palestinian homes in the past 15 years, all funded by donations. ICAHD will rebuild Beit Arabiya as well as the other homes demolished on Monday night. The coming together of Palestinian families and community members, Israeli activists and international peace-makers to rebuild homes is one of the most significant forms of resistance,  solidarity and mobilization. 

For further information, visit www.icahduk.org