Jewish activists lead protest in Palestinian village of Sussiya

As around 30 mostly American and Israeli-American Jews brought in Shabbat with Hebrew prayers, a strong wind carried the muezzin's evening call for prayer from the nearby Palestinian city of Yatta, interweaving the Jewish and Islamic melodies. This group of Jewish activists spent Friday night in the Palestinian village of Sussiya as part of a “global Shabbat against demolitions,” which gathered around 300 Jews from some five countries to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian villages of Sussiya, Umm el-Kheir, al-Arakib and Umm el-Hiran. These villages are illegal under Israeli law as they were built without permits, and Sussiya is slated for demolition by the government. The village of Sussiya has been at the center of long-raging debate over the legal status of the Palestinian village. NGOs like Regavim, which is aligned with the settler movement, contend that Palestinian villagers are illegal squatters. Moreover, Regavim argues that the Palestinian Authority is behind the Sussiya construction in order to ensure a foothold in Area C. For Israelis living in the West Bank and in the adjacent Jewish settlement of Sussiya (it shares the same name) the Palestinian village hinders the growth of their settlement and preservation of an adjacent archeological site containing an ancient synagogue from the 4th and 5th centuries. Palestinian residents of Sussiya contend that they have a historic connection to the land stretching back multiple generations. For the Palestinian villagers the Israeli demolition orders are unjust and hypocritical as it is extremely difficult for Palestinians to obtain building permits in areas under Israeli civil administration, thus creating a Catch-22. According to the July report of the Middle East Quartet, from 2009 to 2013 under 2% of Palestinian building permits in Area C were approved. A child places a Palestinian flag on a protest tent against the demolition of the village of Susiya (Courtesy) The Sussiya controversy has also ignited a cadre of left-wing Jewish activists who are harnessing their interpretation of Jewish ethics towards defending the village. “I know that tonight in the [Jewish] settlement of Sussiya, they are singing the same prayers as we are, but they have a different interpretation,” said Frima Bubis, a participant on the trip whose friend attended high school in the settlement. Bubis was raised in a Conservative family with a strong connection to her Jewish identity, and served in the IDF in the Civil Administration of Nablus. According to her, those in the settlement movement have good intentions but do not understand the extent of Palestinian suffering. “I know that the heart that mourns for Gush Katif is the same heart that can mourn Palestinian suffering,” she said, referring to the Gaza settlements that were evacuated in 2005 in a traumatic episode pitting Jewish settlers against the IDF. “They just need to visit [Sussiya] to understand,” stated Bubis, who works for the controversial group Breaking the Silence. While her current activism has given her a “different relationship with Israel,” it has nevertheless strengthened her connection with the country and her Jewish identity. “I think that having to constantly insist on our connection to Israel and our legitimacy as Jews has actually strengthened my connection,” she stated. These activists do face attacks on their Judaism, or usage of Judaism towards Palestinian causes. In an August 14 Jerusalem Post op-ed, Josh Hasten, the international director of Regavim accused the Jewish Sussiya activists of “simply expressing anti-Israel bias by supporting thieves and squatters.” Over the weekend, activists from Israel, the UK and the US hosted Shabbat dinners in more than 10 cities and five countries, including New York, London, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Belgium, and Australia; and protested in front of the Israeli Embassy in London and consulate in New York. Overlooking the South Hebron Hills Jewish activists lead a Kabbalat Shabbat service complete with Hebrew prayer, reflection, and poetry (Courtesy) The global protest is coordinated by All That's Left, an anti-occupation collective of Diaspora Jews in partnership with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence and T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. The ground zero for this movement of mostly young Jews standing with Palestinians is in Sussiya, the heart of the conflict over housing demolition. Here overlooking the South Hebron Hills, young Jews have assembled with Palestinian residents and activists to oppose Israeli policies head-on. “We are speaking for a growing portion of the Jewish community that realizes the situation is unsustainable and we need to work with Palestinians to build a common future,” stated Erez Bleicher, an organizer with All That's Left. With a population of only 400, the Palestinian village of Sussiya has garnered international attention as it faces a demolition order from the government. Last year, Sussiya residents and the Civil Administration for the West Bank started a dialogue to see whether the two parties could come to an agreement. The negotiations, however, halted as Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman considers the government's stance on Sussiya. The High Court of Justice ordered Liberman to submit his position on the demolition of Sussiya by August 15, however, he requested a two day extension. At the time of publication Liberman has yet to submit his statement, which was expected to arrive Wednesday evening. For these Jewish activists, many of them coming from a background of involvement in Jewish summer camps and with Jewish institutions, the mainstream Jewish community has turned a blind eye toward some Israeli policies which they consider unjust. According to a statement by All That's Left, the purpose of the Shabbat protests is to “say emphatically that forced displacements, dislocation, and demolition do not represent our values... As members of a people who have experienced expulsion, persecution and dispossession, we stand with all Palestinian communities facing eviction.” In Sussiya the residents clearly appreciate the presence and impact of the Jewish activists. Nassar Nawaja, a resident and field researcher for B'Tselem, was happy that Jewish activists were supporting the village in its dispute with the Israeli government. “It is extremely important that Jewish people tell our message to the world,” he stated. Fatimah Nawaja, the head of the South Hebron Hills Rural Women's Association, which is based in Sussiya, told the Magazine that the presence of Jewish activists “feels very special.” She thanked the activists for their visit and said “it is good for Jews to stand behind us in nonviolence.” The Shabbat against demolitions campaign comes as Israel is facing increasing pushback from the United States and some American-Jewish organizations protesting a possible Israeli demolition of Sussiya. A senior diplomatic source said that demolishing the village would be “crossing a red line,” as reported in The Jerusalem Post last week. The State Department Press Office director Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters in Washington last week that any demolitions would be “very troubling.” A letter from the president of the Union of Reform Judaism, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, to Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer urged Israel to preserve the village, while a recent J Street petition asking US Secretary of State John Kerry to “stop the demolition of Sussiya” has received thousands of signatures, according to J Street. “We urge you to share with [Liberman] our strong support for a solution to this impasse that recognizes the interests of Sussiya residents and does not lead to the community's destruction,” the Union for Reform Judaism letter read. While the small village has gained a lot of international attention, the activists hope that their distinctly Jewish voices will help the Palestinian village in its quest to avoid demolition. “I think it will contribute to a larger effort pressuring the US and governments in Europe and Australia to pressure Israel not to go forward with these demolitions,” said Bleicher. “This global Shabbat against demolition is one representation of a Jewish mass movement that is emerging.”

Jewish activists lead protest in Palestinian village of Sussiya

While the small village has gained a lot of international attention, the activists hope that their distinctly Jewish voices will help the Palestinian village in its quest to avoid demolition.

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Jewish activists lead protest in Palestinian village of Sussiya

While the small village has gained a lot of international attention, the activists hope that their distinctly Jewish voices will help the Palestinian village in its quest to avoid demolition.

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