Settlers steal homes at gunpoint

[Comadreja]

Gunmen evict family at dawn from home in King David's city

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0%2C3604%2C1172860%2C00.html

Israeli settlers use force to take over homes belonging to Palestinians in east Jerusalem

Chris McGreal in the City of David

Friday March 19, 2004 (The Guardian) -- The first Ruad Ajlouni knew that the Israelis were moving in was as he awoke in the early hours to find a group of armed men standing over his sleeping children.

The 30 or so Jewish activists had quietly clambered on to the terrace roof of the three-storey apartment block in run-down Arab east Jerusalem, drilled their way through the locks of the outside doors and surrounded the Ajlounis before they had a chance to stir.

"They said they had bought the flat and were moving in," said Mr Ajlouni. "At three o'clock in the morning. I said: 'Good for you. Show us the documents and I will help you move the furniture'."

But there were no deeds, only weapons. Within a few minutes, the Ajlounis and their five children, the youngest just 18 months old, were out of the door. The furniture followed.

When the Israeli police finally arrived, after the Ajlounis had spent hours pleading for help, the officers said there was nothing they could do: it was a matter for the courts - and they nearly always back Jewish over Palestinian property claims.

"This area is a prime target area for the settlers because they claim this is King David's city. They want to evacuate as many Palestinians as possible and replace them with Jews so they can say there are no Arabs in it," said Mr Ajlouni. (more)

[madrchsod]

1. i think your post

needs to be within the rules and needs a link but thanks for the article. if the muslim brotherhood decides to act it maybe hell on earth in the middle east.

[wtmusic]

2. Link

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1172860,00.html

You mean as in "acting to defend their rights"?

[aquart]

3. I thought they were already doing that.

You seem aghast at the hostility the Israelis feel.

Seen an exploded bus lately? Nobody blows up Palestinian buses. Do they? You don't think the Israelis might have a little collective PTSD? Making them a trifle brusque?

Poor pitiful Palestinians. How much blood will it take to make them happy?

As long as Palestinians have the right to blow up schoolchildren on buses, or restaurants, or markets, or any damn thing they please, it's going to be real hard to respect their other "rights."

Gosh, why are the Israelis so mean?

Did none of you notice that the guns didn't shoot? That they took the home and left the family alive with their belongings?

The Palestinians don't leave 'em alive.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sir_captain]

5. Can you clarify?

Are you saying it's ok to blow up schoolbuses and restaurants and innocent civilians because the Palestinians don't have helicopters with missiles?

[PsychoDad]

6. So you think it's ok...

To have armed thugs to illegaly seize your home in the middle of the night?

What's yer address, I'm sure someone out there needs a home. :silly: And you'll be more than happy to oblige at 3 in the morning.

[Gimel]

14. Need more info here

This article is written by a Guardian reporter, who obviously wasn't present at the events he reported. It's second hand hearsay.

The full background of the property, ownership, and the incident needs to be presented with such accusations.

[Carl21014]

11. How much blood is good question!

Especially when Israel kills three Palestians to every one Israeli.

Not to mention the crimes of denying freedom, stealing homes, stealing water, destroying crops. Israel is an entire country of criminals.

[debsianben]

13. Moderation please?

How is it that openly racist posts like this are allowed?

If some one posted an article about white supremacists kicking black people out of their homes at gunpoint, and some one posted an openly racist response harshly mocking all African Americans as a group and pointing to the high crime rate in the African American community as a justification for the white supremacists' actions, would the moderators allow this?

[Jack Rabbit]

15. Touche, my good man, it's a tu quoque

The article is about one injustice, not unique in its kind, and you respond by citing other injustices. That's a classic tu quoque argument if ever there was one.

Are we supposed to think it is justified to one Palestinian family from its home in the occupied Palestinian territory because other Palestinians commit crimes against Israelis in Israel? Are we supposed to be happy because this family was booted out of their homes at gunpoint because they lived to tell the tale?

Do you really think the thugs in this story really acted properly? If so, we'd like to hear your justification. If not, it wouldn't hurt you to express some outrage.

[bluesoul]

7. So not surprised

by this. Standard Israeli policy. That's why they won't get my support. Not until someone like Rabin gets in power and really makes some change (withdraw completely from the OT, stops harrassing Palestinians, destroying their land and agriculture and making living hell for them)...

Enough said

[lumpy]

8. Sharon protects those

zealot settler thugs. Why? Because they are Jews and the Holy Land belongs to little Israel. Bet nothing will come of this continuing outrage.

[redqueen]

9. Jesus!

Have these people lost their minds?!

I wonder what we in the US would think if Native Americans started doing that here!

:puke:

[fla nocount]

12. Invitation?

Pointless really, the land itself struggles against them. Only time and a steady assimilation into the indigenous group will save that mess. When the burden upon the resource becomes too great only those with knowledge and respect for the resource will survive........their thoughts won't be wasted upon politics, religion nor race but survival. All displaced, agrarian and indigenous people know this. Some of us belong here, some of us don't. We're not all going to make it folks.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

10. Beautiful to see how democracy works. <sarcasm>