Will we have a place to return to when the pandemic is over?

Yesterday evening, at 19:40, S. from Shushala called and said that two Israeli soldiers were in front of his house, demanding that he leave. What should he do, he asked, indicating with this question the extent to which his and his family members’ lives are exposed, having no one to turn to. For three days it was quiet and no one expelled them from home. Now all of a sudden the two soldiers were there, and they themselves did not quite know about the family’s flat refusal to leave. They called their superior officer, who alerted another three Israeli soldiers.

Explanation: Shushala is a tiny and ancient Palestinian community, presently under reconstruction, considered an outshoot of the nearby village/town of Al Khader (adjacent to Bethlehem on the south side). The Jewish settler-colonists of the Etzyon Bloc, supported by the Israeli army, are interested in erasing this hamlet in order to complete Judaizing the area that lies between Road 60 and the Green Line. As part of this struggle, the Palestinians are forbidden to stay there overnight, among other restrictions that aim at forcing them out.

Until the auxiliary force arrived, S. asked whether I could speak with the soldier (how painful and naïve on his part to think that we, being Jews, could somehow be of help…) The soldier takes the phone and asks, “Who are you?” and I answered, “A friend of the family.” What did he think? That I was their lawyer?

The soldier explains, “This is the law.” I answer, “International law stipulates that it is forbidden to settle on occupied land and expel its indigenous population.” “I don’t owe you any explanations,” he answers and returns the phone to S.

An hour and a half later I called to see what had followed. So today, for a change, the family’s IDs were not confiscated. But S. was afraid that they would not be allowed into Al Khader because of the Coronavirus.

Explanation: whoever returns from Israel to the West Bank is quarantined by the order of the Palestinian Authority. The latter considers anyone crossing road 60 eastward (road 60 runs from north to south, mostly inside the West Bank) as coming from Corona-virus-stricken Israel.

I called today to check whether they have arrived safely at Al Khader. They all had, no one remained in Shushala. He is concerned that when they get back to Shushala at the end of this pandemic, they would not have anything to return to. Shushala would have been the ideal place to wait out the pandemic, enjoy nature, and do farm work. But this is a privilege reserved for the Jewish settler-colonists of Nave Daniel and its outpost Sdeh Boaz.

Happy Passover (Feast of Freedom…) to all Jews.