Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement

Update from the "Peace Court" this morning: Suhaib case was delayed until Thursday, at least. There was no progress in the case, which is in itself an absurdity: He allegedly breached the conditions of his house arrest, in that his mother, who was escorting him from school, stepped into the bathroom. This year, as we approach the Day of Atonement and think of the ways that we have collectively sinned, let us think of 14 year-old Suhaib Alawar, who will be sitting in the Russian Compound in Jerusalem, waiting to have his fate determined by a system which fails to see him as a person.

This past spring, Suhaib's story was told after he was held for a month in Israeli prison, abused and then prevented from returning to school upon release. After a long legal process, Suhaib was finally allowed to return to school this fall. However, two days ago, on his way back from school, he was arrested by Israeli police who claimed that he had violated the conditions of his house arrest. He is currently being held in the Russian Compound in Jerusalem. The details are unclear still, but what is clear is this: This is a story of a 14 year old boy who has suffered trauma and is likely suffering more at this very moment at the hands of Israeli authorities who illegally occupy his village and consistently make life for most of the residents of Silwan miserable. Please spread this status, and message us for more on how to show support to Suhaib and against such injustice.

The background story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/moriel-rothman/a-silwan-story-palestinian-child-arrested_b_1551856.html

A Silwan Story: Palestinian Child Arrested, Abused by Israeli Authorities and Barred From Finishing. Are the arrests in Silwan aimed at remedying the violence present among many youth living in Israeli controlled territory, or are they part of a larger strategy to frighten the Palestinian population of Silwan in particular and East Jerusalem in general into submission?

Nir Hasson reports, following Solidarity's demonstration on Thursday: "A leftist activist who demonstrated in East Jerusalem against the Elad Association was fined by a Nature and Parks Authority inspector for “using a megaphone” outside the right-wing organization’s annual convention..." http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/leftist-activist-fined-for-using-a-megaphone-at-e-jerusalem-protest.premium-1.463702.

Leftist activist fined for using a megaphone at E. Jerusalem protest A Nature and Parks Authority inspector fined a demonstrator for ‘making noise’ outside a meeting of right-wing group Elad, despite the use of a sound system at the event itself.

This is not "Archeology''-- it's extreme right wing ideology. Come, this Thursday at 6pm, to protest ELAD's annual conference in the City of David/Occupied Silwan: http://www.facebook.com/events/473781579318742/

In the South Hebron Hills, near Susiya and the 918 Firing Zone, the IDF destroyed residential dwellings and water cisterns in the village of Zenuta.

http://972mag.com/israeli-army-destroys-water-cisterns-and-dwellings-in-southern-west-bank/54743/

+972 Magazine | Israeli army destroys water cisterns and dwellings in southern West Bank Israeli bulldozers entered the Palestinian village of Zenuta in the South Hebron Hills Tuesday morning and demolished water cisterns, residential dwellings and sheep stables, devastating the small community of only seven families. By Sean O’Neill…

Zvi Beninga's reflections on a visit to a Jerusalem village "beyond the wall" (read: the Palestinians living in Kufr Akeb are denied virtually all services by Jerusalem Municipality, and are also not permitted, by Israel, to be served by the PA). "Among the services denied of the enclaves are also emergency services: there is no policing, no fire department and ambulances cannot pass through. For example, recently when a resident called the police to report an ongoing assault, no unit was deployed, and instead he was told to cross the barrier and report the event on the other side." http://972mag.com/beyond-the-separation-wall-a-visit-to-jerusalems-forsaken-enclaves/54368/

+972 Magazine | Beyond the separation wall: A visit to Jerusalem's forsaken enclaves Israel’s policy in East Jerusalem continues to be a double game: It does not provide Palestinian residents with services it is obligated under its own law to provide, but will not allow anyone else to fill…

Now is the time to act! Save the Palestinian village of Susya from destruction and its residents from forced transfer! There is a lot of information on the following site http://sos-susya.org/, in English and in Hebrew. We will update shortly about what you can do to stop this crime.

Now is the time to act! Save the Palestinian village of Susya from destruction and its residents from forced transfer! There is a lot of information on the following site, in English and in Hebrew. We will update shortly about what you can do to stop this crime.

Stand with Susiya via facebook! 1. Change you "cover photo," 2. Add the picbadge, 3. Upload a photo of yourself outside/inside your home to the Stand With Susiya page! http://www.facebook.com/StandWithSusiya

Stand with Susiya - No to Demolition The Israeli "Civil Administration" has recently issued orders to demolish the entire Palestinian village of Susiya http://bit.ly/1Ldwm0w

"The complaints gave the names or descriptions of about 35 different policemen, along with medical records, videotapes of the demonstrations and the names of dozens of people who witnessed the alleged assaults. But all the cases were closed without charge due to 'lack of evidence'...Yet when the rights group requested the case files to prepare its appeals, it discovered that they contained almost nothing beyond what the complainants themselves had submitted."

Justice Ministry lets off cops who use violence in East Jerusalem According to NGO, the department closed the probes without making even minimal efforts to investigate the allegations.

"The Torah, the backbone of the Jewish people and religion, has a wide range of commandments and imperatives, some chauvinistic and some universalistic, some peaceful and some violent, some which contradict others. However, the most repeated commandment in the Torah, appearing in different forms 37 times, is the imperative to 'love the stranger,' for we were strangers in the land of Egypt."

Israel Is Not a Jewish State: On the Destruction of Susya and the Expulsion of South Sudanese The Israeli State has not only failed at any sort of "loving the stranger," but it has, especially recently, constructed policies that are hateful and oppressive to "strangers" living in our midst.

A response to Arutz Sheva's claim that Susya is "an illegal Arab outpost" by Moriel Rothman on the Peter Beinart's blog on the Daily Beast: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/20/why-susya-is-illegal.html

Why Susya is "Illegal"