Learn about the history of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, equality and justice by exploring major events in the history of their oppression on this day of the year.
19 June
NUMEROUS REPORTS OF NEVER-ENDING ETHNIC CLEANSING
On this day in 2004, an Amnesty Report noted more than 3,000 homes, hundreds of public buildings and commercial properties, and vast areas of agricultural land had been destroyed by the Israeli army in Israel and the Occupied Territories in the previous three and a half years. Tens of thousands of Palestinians had been forcibly evicted from their homes and made homeless or have lost their source of livelihood. Thousands of other houses and properties have been damaged, many beyond repair.
تقارير عديدة عن التطهير العرقي الذي لا نهاية له
19يونيو
From ICAHD (Israeli Campaign against House Demolitions)
"It was another of those routine tragedies that are never publicized. At eight in the morning we at ICAHD (the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) received a call that the Border Police, Israeli police and Jerusalem Municipality bulldozers were massing below the Palestinian village of Anata, poised to begin another day of home demolitions.
Tens of thousands of Palestinian families live with demolition orders on their homes, some 22,000 in East Jerusalem alone, where fully a third of Palestinian homes face demolition at any time.
Shaadi Hamdan and I were ...accosted by a slim, blond Border Policeman, probably of Russian origin. “I was born to demolish Palestinian homes,” he informed us mockingly, a big smile on his face, a swagger in his movements. “I love demolishing homes. I wake up in the morning hungry to demolish homes.” With that he walked away...the bulldozer commenced its evil work, I noted what I often see at demolitions: police and soldiers standing around laughing among themselves, eating sandwiches, swapping the latest sports news.
The demolitions don't stop for a lethal virus
Israeli demolitions and police raids on Palestinian towns ‘threaten public health’ as coronavirus cases soar...How can Palestinians and Arab citizens stick to quarantine rules when their houses are being demolished and they are homeless.
"In recent years, large numbers of civilian properties have been destroyed in the course of hostilities and military operations, mostly in the Gaza Strip. Properties have also been subject to demolition or confiscation as part of the Israeli-imposed planning and zoning regime in Area C and East Jerusalem parts of the West Bank, and to punitive demolition or sealing following attacks on Israelis. In some areas, properties are also destroyed by settlers, who engage in politically-motivated attacks and, for example, set agricultural land on fire, leading to reduced access to services, loss of income and more.
"The destruction of property in an occupied territory is prohibited under international humanitarian law, unless absolutely necessary for military operations.
"More than 100,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished in Israel and the Occupied Palestine Territory since 1948. In 2019, 623 structures were demolished and 914 people displaced in the Occupied Palestine Territory (OPT) alone.
3-minute video: forced demolition of Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem
https://youtu.be/5godujnyQ9E
3-minute video: Palestinians thrown onto the street to allows ettlers to take their home