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Journal Entry #1 June 1st Pic 149 is a photo of a photo of a young Palestinian man, whose family name I know but I don't know his first name, who was cut-branded with the Star of David (he's Muslim) by Israeli border police in East Jerusalem (allegedly Palestinian land) for being not a criminal, not a rock thrower, not a doer of any wrong except being Arab and being around young border police (regarded as the low-end of Israeli police/military enforcers b/c typically only the poor get stuck in a border police position). He was isolated, taken to a hill away from his friends, and cut with either knife or glass--cut with the image of the Star of David. His is not an isolated offense. I believe he was cut with a knife, but several Palestinians have been inscribed with the Star of David with either knife or broken glass--just as a means of psychological, religious, cultural roughing-up/torture. I don't know when this took place--I photographed the photo yesterday, and I believe it happened within the past few months, if not in the past several weeks.
The other two photos are of “Mariam’s” (names changed for protection) no-longer-standing home, the foundation of it, and a photo of her with one of her six children. Their home was demolished last Monday, May 2_ (a week from tomorrow, its Sunday night here now, look up the date). Their home was less than one year old. The home was demolished b/c it was "illegal." Although this is in Arab East Jerusalem, in Palestinian Occupied Territory, it is "illegal" for them to have a home, not b/c they don't own the land, and they do. It was illegal b/c they did not have the necessary paperwork for building a house--this was no fault of their own: the family is certain that it had all of the necessary document, but, once they turned in forms which they had previously turned in (but the Jerusalem authorities said that they had not), then the municipal authorities said, We're sorry, but now your file has been lost. The home was slated for demolition previously, but a court injunction was preventing it (so, there had to be some agreed legitimacy to their claim of having all of the necessary paperwork for the courts to intervene). The family was, and is, working with an attorney to process their house as a legal dwelling; since the court previously sided with them in staying the demolition until the family's counter-claim and the Jerusalem municipal authority's claim could be assessed, the family felt sure that all would be straightened out. Needless to say, they were quite surprised to hear police, border police, and a demolition crew (apparently not a bulldozer, but men with jackhammers) arrive at their house at 9 am on Monday morning last.
The trailer you see on the right was brought in by the father to be used while they rebuild yet again. We visited yesterday, Saturday 31 May. From Monday until Saturday, the family had clear the mound of debris, reached the foundation, and has already begun rebuilding the walls; they are about three feet high now on three sides. The father was not home when we visited yesterday as he had to take one of the children to the hospital for some illness. I am sorry to not have a close-up photo of “Mariam’s” face b/c her face was pointedly tragic--full of loss and grief, and entirely absent of hope. She looked to be a broken woman, and it is beyond belief how she could have hope--her family, her husband was accused of no crime, he is employed full-time, has not been accused of being a "terrorist," "criminal," or anything else--they were simply guilty of building a home on land that they do own, but not having the proper paperwork (through no fault of their own).
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