Last weekend we all took a bus to Jerusalem and met with two very good organizations: B'TSelem and Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD).
At the B'TSelem offices we had an overview of the situation by their Director of International Relations, Risa Zoll. Risa described their work in documenting human rights abuses and countering popular myths and mistruths. She talked about the huge increase in illegal Israeli settlements AFTER the 1993 Oslo Accord. She talked about the facts vs myth of the Wall: how it is claimed to be for security but the majority of the wall is being built on Palestinian land. According to their research 95% of Jewish Jerusalemites have never been to a checkpoint into the Occupied Territories even though there is one just ten minutes away! B'TSelem is going to open an office in Washington DC ..... it is much needed.
Next we met with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). For several hours we drove around Jerusalem to see with our own eyes how Israel has established a 'matrix of control' to change the population of the area and make life increasingly difficult for Palestinians.
A few of the highlights:
* Views of illegal ettlements encircling Palestinian neighborhoods.
* Visit to Ma'ale Adummim - huge settlement of 33,000 with its ironic 'library of peace' in an ethnically pure zone which is further dividing the West Bank. All built on Occupied Territory.
* Visit to site of a demolished home and presentation how Israel makes it nearly impossible for Palestinians to get building permit.
* Visit to the wall on the road south which put Jerusalem's Al Quds University and the Palestinian parliament on the 'wrong' side of the wall.
We were all impressed with the clarity and good works of B'TSelem and ICAHD.
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