Shu'afat, at the Abu Khdeir Home
Justice is a privilege, or justice is meant only for the privileged
When I read about the intention now forming to shorten the sentence and grant amnesty to the murderers of the boy Mohammad Abu-Khdeir, I went to visit his parents and be with them as I did back then, several days after the murder – hold their hand and say nothing. I thought we might keep silent together for a while.
But as soon as I came in to the living room which a memorial to the child who is still burning, tongues were loosened and words gushed out in endless memory and pain.
The parents feel greatly disappointed with the judicial system and its lackeys who even conceive of freeing the most detested of murderers.
The parents said that on Sunday, December 3, the court would hold session regarding the amnesty and lessened sentence – a session in which they, parents of the victim and in fact the living victims themselves, are not allowed to attend. The person who will represent them is their lawyer, in whose hands they have placed the evidence file and their feelings of pain, fear and deep offense.
I read somewhere – don’t remember where – that “Justice is a privilege”, and knew that when human beings suffer inequality and some are more equal than others, and when equality is graded even where applying just laws is concerned, and when our neighbors are not equal to us and their life, death and relative freedom are very shaky – the values of morality too are fragile, to say the least. More to the point would be to say that justice is for the privileged between the river and the sea, that justice has been exiled, perhaps even robbed and is at the hands of the Ben Gvirs, the Smutriches, the Levins and their troupes. Even hundreds of reasons and excuses could not launder such a murder – the hands of the perpetrators, the coverers and justifiers are blood-stained and could never be cleansed.
In face of the atmosphere at the Abu Khdeir family home, I am most concerned about the reaction of Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem if and when the court, the Ministry of Justice and the State’s President would confirm and approve the requests for amnesty etc., for in that case a thousand firefighters could not put out the fire that would rage in the streets.
Checkpoint Shu'afat camp / Anata-Shu'afat (Jerusalem)
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The Shu’afat checkpoint is located in the northern part of East Jerusalem at the exit from the village of Anata and the Shu’afat refugee camp, which are located in the area annexed to Jerusalem in 1967. The refugee camp borders the Shu’afat neighborhood to the west, Pisgat Ze’ev to the north, the French Hill neighborhood to the south and the planned expansion of Ma’aleh Adumim to E-1 in the east. It was established in 1966 for 1948 refugees from the West Bank and was populated after the Six Day War by persons who had been expelled from the Jewish Quarter. Today its population comprises some 25,000 people holding blue ID cards and some 15,000 people with Palestinian ID cards. The camp lacks adequate infrastructure and services, and suffers from poverty, neglect and overcrowding. All its buildings are connected to the public electricity and water infrastructure, but not all are connected to the sewer system. The camp’s services are provided by UNRWA, except for those such as health clinics and transportation of pupils to schools in Jerusalem. In 2005, the Israeli High Court of Justice rejected a suit by the residents requesting that the route of the separation fence be drawn such that the camp would remain on the Israeli side, but conditioned its approval of the route on the establishment of a convenient and rapid crossing facility for the inhabitants of the neighborhood, most of whom are residents of Jerusalem.
A temporary checkpoint operated there until December, 2011. It was extremely congested during rush hours, and dangerous for pedestrians (especially children) because of inadequate safety provisions. The new checkpoint was inaugurated south of the old one, for public and private transportation and for pedestrians, intended solely for the residents of the camp – holders of blue ID cards, and those with Palestinian ID cards who possess appropriate permits. There are five vehicle inspection stations at the checkpoint, and two for pedestrians (one of which is currently closed) where scanners have been installed but are not yet operating. According to the army, representatives of government agencies will also be present to provide services to residents of the neighbourhood. The pedestrian lanes are very long, located far from the small parking lots, and accessible through only a single revolving gate.
Anat TuegNov-30-2023Anata: new traffic circle at the exit junction
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