"Stop demolition in East Jerusalem," Aref Assaf,
Herald News, 06/16/05
The Israeli government recently announced its intention to demolish an entire
East Jerusalem neighborhood - 88 homes housing 1,000 Arab residents - in Silwan
village, near the Old City of Jerusalem.
The reason is that this area is an important cultural and historical site for
the Jewish nation because it stands on the site where King David established his
kingdom.
Israel aims to return this densely populated Palestinian part of the city "to
its landscape of yore," according to the city's engineer, Uri Shetrit.
This will be among the largest demolitions of Palestinian homes in East
Jerusalem , occupied Israel since 1967.
The United States has both the moral obligation and practical means to stop this
flagrant violation of acceptable human and civil rights.
The U.S. government must make it clear that Israel should desist from any steps
that would prejudice the status of East Jerusalem in a negotiated two-state
solution.
After all, we give Israel more than $4 billion annually. Our complicity cannot
be overstated.
The people who own these homes have committed only one crime: being Arab in a
Jewish state that treats non-Jews as second-class citizens and deprives them of
the equal protection of the law.
It is incumbent upon our president and elected officials to send a clear message
to Israel that our support for its illegal and reprehensible treatment of
Palestinians has had a devastating impact upon our relations with the Muslim and
Arab worlds.
The time is now for all people of conscience to speak up against terrorism by
Israel against the Palestinian people.
Aref Assaf, president, American Arab Forum, Denville
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