Thursday, May 05, 2005
The making of an Israeli factoid
An excerpt from the excellent story by Rima Merriman in today's Jordan Times.
Both inside Israel and on the West Bank, Palestinian villages and towns (the ones that haven't been erased from the map entirely) are surrounded by Jewish settlements, their common lands confiscated, their water resources depleted or gone. The Jewish settlements are provided with superior roads and public services; the Palestinian ones are impoverished. But most crucially, land is grabbed from Palestinians in various ways and means and transferred into Jewish hands. The rights of displaced Palestinians or refugees are enshrined in international law that Israel refuses to acknowledge.
Both inside Israel and on the West Bank, Palestinian villages and towns (the ones that haven't been erased from the map entirely) are surrounded by Jewish settlements, their common lands confiscated, their water resources depleted or gone. The Jewish settlements are provided with superior roads and public services; the Palestinian ones are impoverished. But most crucially, land is grabbed from Palestinians in various ways and means and transferred into Jewish hands. The rights of displaced Palestinians or refugees are enshrined in international law that Israel refuses to acknowledge.
