In the absence of public housing, Ovadia is on a hunger strike: – Newsletter of Parashat ‘Teruma’ ›

Parasha / E-Letter | ‏| 21.02.12

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Ovadia Ben Avraham in protesting his impending eviction in front of Amidar. photo by Hamaabara

Parashat “Teruma”: The weekly report of Rabbis for Human Rights

Again demolitions in South Hebron Hills, another Rabbi is against trees uprootings in the territories and “K”‘s brave speech in the Knesset on the International Day for Defeating Poverty. We will not stop fighting for social justice and human rights. Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Gil Nativ finds in parashat Teruma the way to make peace in the world. The month of Adar that begins on Friday, contains joy and a new message.

A call to help Ovadia in the absence of public housing:

  • A demonstration – helping Ovadia and handing out flyers – Ovadiah stays now in front Amidar offices in Jerusalem, 17 Jaffa Road. Ovadiah demonstrates there until the eviction order issued by Amidar against him will be cancelled. Let us come and show Amidar that Ovadiah is not alone. Our support will help get Ovadiah to through the cold days. There is a possibility of handing out flyers and explaining to passers-by the reason for the demonstration. Please call Hilla for coordination and flyers tel: 052-8392013
  •  Protest rallies -  Will take place on Tuesday, February 21st and on Thursday February 23rd at 10:30, in front the Amidar Offices on Jaffa Road (opposite Kikar Safra).
  • Helping on the eviction day – Every one who wants to help on the eviction day, February 27th , please call the office of Rabbis for Human Rights, Rivka – 02-6482757, or Rabbi Arik Ascherman – 050-5607034.
  • Sending faxes – We will appreciate sending faxes to Amidar. Last week Amidar called on activists to ask them to stop sending faxes.

As a part of : “‘Don’t cut them down; for is the tree of the field man’,”: Tu Beshvat Halachic project” we are pleased to bring Rabbi Eliezer Altshuler’s response on the issue of cutting down trees. Rabbi Altshuler is a Rabbi in the settlement of Susya, in South Hebron Hills.  Despite the agreement with the State Attorney, the Civil Administration illegally demolished structures in Ta’ale in South Hebron Hills. A description of a destruction that could have been avoided.

Last week was a week of “mistakes” made by the security forces. On Wednesday, after we succeeded in stopping the bulldozers in Ta’ale, the security forces did not want to “waste” a working day and continued on to uproot trees between Mafquara and Avigail outpost.

As we were on the way to Ta’ale, our field worker called to inform that trees were uprooted in Turmus Aya. The farmer claimed that he had started planting after he won a case in court 12 years ago. Adv. Knafo called an officer from the Attorney General of the occupied territories office and verified that the farmer had won the case, but, he said that the uprooting took place on a different land nearby. The next day, when we came and checked the uprooting order and the map, we realized that the Civil Administration’s people did not know how to read maps, and had uprooted trees that were not included in the order. But the trees are already no more…

Israel demolishes West Bank villages as Jewish outposts remains untouched: “Israel’s eagerness to demolish renewable energy installations in a West Bank village is seen as an ugly riposte to the European Union.” Watch: IDF demolishes in the Palestininan villages of Saadet Tha’lah and Ar Rakeez (Video) – South Hebron Hills

Last week in the Supreme Court there was a hearing on a petition we submitted a year and a half ago in the name of 56 signatories regarding private Palestinian lands around the settlement of Susya in South Hebron Hills. During the hearing, the state could not give an exact date of when they would finish their investigations of the lands that are the subject of the petition, this would enable Palestinian owners access to their lands and the eviction of the settlers who invaded the lands. In its decision the Supreme Court demanded from the state to stipulate a timetable for their investigations and enforce law and order in the area.

On Tu Bishvat the IDF allowed the settlers to plant trees on robbed land of outposts that were built thanks to systematic and aggressive discrimination. But when Rabbi Yehiel Grenimann and volunteers of Rabbis for Human Rights wanted to help Palestinians to plant trees on their land, they were violently expelled.

Rabbi Idit Lev Brings the speech given by “K” on a special conference that took place in the Knesset on the International Day for Fighting against Poverty. “K” represented the Arab women in Israel and spoke bravely on the universal struggle of women to achieve equality. Write to the new site of the fight for public housing. Who are the poor people in Israel 2012? The answer is simple: it can be every one of us. A special opinion for the International Day of Fighting against Poverty.

Dror Etkes who works with us in Rabbis for Human Rights said to “Haaretz”: from an examination of aerial photography it seems that settlers invade lands in places where the civil authority belongs to the Palestinian Authority (Area A). In addition an open letter, that was published in Haaretz, to the Chairman of JNF, Efi SHtentzler: stop the bulldozers! We demand that the JNF will commit to stop its afforestation-expulsion work on all lands belonging to the Bedouin in the Negev.

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Shabbat Shalom