What a shame!!! Israel which
claims to be “the only democracy in the Middle East” has been harassing a
little town called Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah. Not only have they confiscated their land to
put a settlement in the midst of this Palestinian country side, they also confiscated
their spring of water. So their water
supply is irregular and unpredictable, and not more than 12 hours per
week. That is why they have to rely on
water tanks and be very very careful. Moreover, that Spring area was their only
recreational ground. How ironic that Israel
is determined to build walls of separation, yet the settlers choose
to live in our midst and make life hell
for us. Nabi Saleh is just one of those
sites that have been coveted by the Israeli settlers. Any body that has common
sense or compassion would understand why the old and young people have been
demonstrating regularly against such a brutal injustice. How many in Israel or the US would sit still
if their land is confiscated illegally and their water is not flowing through their taps regularly on daily basis?
Ahed Tamimi grew up in this
atmosphere of daily harassment. Her reaction to the news of the shooting of
her fifteen-year-old cousin in the head
with a rubber bullet, requiring the surgical removal of part of his skull, was not surprising.
This young courageous woman got
out all her anger, and with her bare hands, with no stone or knife, simply slapped those two soldiers to show them
that they were not welcome in the courtyard of her house. Maybe the shock of the slapping made those
soldiers act with restraint, thinking
that after all she was a child. The
whole episode might have ended as a joke had the incident not been documented
on video, and hence went viral. That is why “the most moral army in the world” could not
face this insult and the plan now is to
teach Ahed a lesson that she and other young people of her age will never
forget.
With all the international pressure
and petitions to release her and her mother, dare we hope that this “moral army”
will drop charges and put an end to the suffering of the whole Tamimi family
who have already lost four of their family Bassema in 1993, Mustafa in 2011,
Rushdi in 2012 and most recently Musaab in 2018. Who is going to try the murderers of those
young people? Will Israel be allowed to
continue flouting international law? It
is time this occupation comes to an end and with it, the colonial settler
project that is causing so much suffering for the Palestinian people and hindering
peace in the region.
Over 350 Palestinian minors are currently in Israeli jails and Bibi is mired in legal battle for his political life.
ReplyDeleteI pray Godspeed on 'a child' leading them out of the dark and God Bless Ahed Tamimi for being a leader -who has been compared to Joan of Arc.