Welcome, Friday 04 July 2008, 01:59

Public Meeting with Jeff Halper, from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Jeff Halper Peace Activist and Co-ordinator of the Israeli Committee against House Demolitions Jeff certainly wanted to emphasise the fact that, behind the euphoria of the headlines about ceasefires and peace talks, the Israeli government is still continuing to harass and intimidate the Palestinian population both inside Israel and in the West Bank and Gaza. This was a timely reminder of the daily reality for most Palestinians. The first half was taken up by a film of 2 house demolitions and a house re-build. Jeff’s organisation chooses to focus on the house demolition issue as a potent symbol of the Occupation but also because a loss of house/home is something every individual can relate to. The film was very powerful. We saw the Palestinian families working alongside activists to hold up the inevitable process of demolition. Some of the houses in the film had been re-built and demolished four times. The whole situation was like a Kafka novel where the Palestinians cannot get a building permit from the Israeli authorities so they decide they have no choice but to build anyway. The family is fined and then sent the bill for the demolition costs!! There is sometimes a stay of execution but finally the soldiers and the “bulldozers” come and calculatedly destroy a family home. Every detail has been thought through to cause maximum impact. We then see the family left living under canvas and totally distraught. (If you want to get a copy of the film, please contact ICAHD UK) This is simply one graphic example of what Jeff has termed the Israeli ”Matrix of Control “ over the Palestinians which creeps into aspect of daily life. Jeff explained how the idea of a viable Palestinian state has been/is being eroded by the continued action of settlement expansion and the Israeli stranglehold over the Palestinians. He referred to the current Palestinian territory as “bantustans” and likened the situation to the apartheid of South Africa. The “Wall” is going to trap Palestinians in a huge prison and they will be given a level of control over the prison, but no real self-determination. For more detailed information regarding the “Dismantling the Matrix of Control”, click here to read Jeff’s paper (MS Word - 55k) Give these facts on the ground, what can we do? Jeff was optimistic that civil society had a role to play in mounting a campaign of awareness-raising as well as a boycott/sanctions/divestment campaign on the South African model. The momentum is building and we should remain steadfast in our support for the Palestinians and their fight for justice. Photos   Contact Webmeister: fuad@exeterpsc.org.uk All text and graphics © Exeter PSC 2003-7, and/or their respective owners.