Images of Occupation

What do we mean when we use the word "Occupation"?  I have been involved in IfNotNow (INN), an organization fighting to end the American Jewish support for the occupation, since February.  Being part of INN has been really meaningful - finally I have the opportunity to really engage in conversations, learning, and activism around Israel/Palestine.  But what do we mean when we say occupation?  Before joining the Center for Jewish Nonviolence in the West Bank five days ago, it was, in some ways, a very vague concept to me.  I knew there were horrible human rights violations, I knew there was military force being used against Palestinians, and I knew about settlements, walls, and checkpoints; but I couldn't really visualize any of this.  My hope in sharing some images and captions is that I can start to spread the atrocities being committed against Palestinians under military occupation.  This is only a start.

This is Claire.  In this picture she is standing between her house on the left and the wall on the right.  Her house is surrounded on three sides, she has lost significant business and says that this feels like being imprisoned.  Between 1996 and 2004, Claire and her family were subject to extreme military invasion.  She shares stories of Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers invading her home to use her roof as a lookout and times that her home was nearly destroyed.  The wall illegally runs into Bethlehem in this area so that Israelis can visit nearby Rachel's Tomb.  Learn more about Claire here.

This is the Carmel settlement.  It runs along the fence of Umm al-Khair, a Palestinian village.  Settlements allow Jews to live in the West Bank and even live in the middle or on top of Palestinian villages, thus splitting or displacing groups of people.  Settlements are supported by Israel with military protection and all of the rights of being an Israeli citizen (like water and electricity...see next picture).  Settlers are not allowed to expand their settlements without permits, but they often do expand by creating outposts.  Outposts are illegal; however, while the case goes to court, the IDF protects the families and they are allowed to build infrastructure.  By the time the case is heard, the outpost is so established that it becomes a legal settlement.

This is a picture taken in the Palestinian village of Susiya of their solar panels and water system.  Many Palestinians live very environmentally friendly in Area C (Israeli controlled parts of the West Bank) because they are not given access to the grid for water and electricity.  Another way Israel does not grant the same rights to Palestinians in the West Bank as it does to the settlers.

I shared this picture in my previous blog post.  It is a picture of a demolished home in Susiya.  The IDF is able to issue demolition orders to many buildings in Palestinian villages and they can then be demolished at any time.  The destruction of homes is dehumanizing and a shocking show of military power.

The settlement of Susiya is built in the middle of the Palestinian village of Susiya.  Palestinians were forced out of their homes by settlers and the Israeli government and their homes were turned into an archaeological site.  This marker, pictured above, is found at the archaeological site of Susiya and shows that it was funded by Americans - someone from Silver Spring, MD and the Jewish National Fund.  American Jews contributed to the displacement of Palestinians.  This is why it is so important to end the American Jewish support of the occupation!  Also, not surprisingly, there is no acknowledgement of Palestinian history at this site - it only tells stories of Jewish history.

This is a street in Hebron that used to be a main street - a bustling area of commerce and social life.  Hebron is divided in two parts - H1 (Palestinian control) and H2 (Israeli control).  H1 makes up about 80% of the city and H2 is about 20% of the city.  The settlements make up about 3% of H2.  Between 2000 and 2016, the Palestinian center of H2 has become a ghost town.  Shops were closed, doors were welded shut, families were forced out.  There are complicated laws about which streets Palestinians are allowed on and road laws change block by block.  Some residents are not allowed on the streets outside the front of their houses.  The pushing out of Palestinians in H2 was extremely strategic.

 Most Palestinians living in H2 have built cages around their windows in order to protect themselves from settler violence.  Settlers are given significant protection by the IDF and police, Palestinians are not.  They literally have to cage themselves in.

This sign stands at the entrance of all Area A (Palestinian controlled) cities.  It reads "This road leads to Area "A" under the Palestinian Authority, the entrance for Israeli citizens is forbidden, dangerous to your lives, and is against the Israeli law."  This sign and the law it represents further separates Israelis and Palestinians.  It strikes fear in Israelis and everyone who drives past it (I want to note that I have felt very safe everywhere I have visited in Area A so far) and it draws attention to the real, concrete, militarily, legally enforced barriers to living as a Palestinian in the West Bank.  The blocking of roads is an important tool used to keep Palestinians restricted from certain areas and Palestinians and Israelis separate.