Beit Arabiya demolished for the sixth time
Beit Arabiya, the home and peace centre in East Jerusalem owned by Salim and Arabiya Shawamreh, was demolished last night for the sixth time in 15 years by the Israeli authorities.
Beit Arabiya hosts groups visiting the area, including those from Greenbelt and Amos Trust, and has come to symbolise Palestinian resistance to home demolitions and unity between Israelis and Palestinians opposed to occupation.
This is the second time this year that bulldozers destroyed the home. Following the first demolition in January, Beit Arabiya was rebuilt in July by a team of local people and international volunteers.
Greenbelt signed a letter of support when the house was previously demolished, and we again stand with the family against this act of aggression and intimidation.
Greenbelt director Paul Northup said this morning:
On my first visit to Beit Arabiya in 2008, as part of a Greenbelt trip to Israel-Palestine, I was overwhelmed with the warmth of the welcome and the hospitality we enjoyed. What Salim told us that day about the way in which his family had been so traumatised when their house was first demolished has haunted me since. Yet Salim and Arabiya’s determined and dignified resistance to occupation and house demolition is like a deep well of water, stronger and more eloquent than walls and fences and bulldozers will ever be. My hope is that their example and courage in the face of gross injustice will fuel Greenbelters’ ongoing commitment to campaign for a just peace in the Land once called Holy.
