Waleje

> Waleje--Jan. 29,05>Wachers: Neomi R, Nora O and Nina M (reporting) > >We went to see if the renewed "peace process" created by a new relationship between Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority has any implications on our neighbors in Walaje village (5 min driving from Jerusalem ZOO). I am not going to repeat facts described in excellent reports from January 18 (written by Aya K) and from January 25 (written by Michaela R). > >It is worthwhile to go and to see by your own eyes how ethnic cleansing of Palestinians is executed. I will just describe what we saw today. > >We saw a young blind and mentally challenged man who(together with his parents and siblings) was expelled from his home which was too near to an army checkpoint or to the railway tracks. We saw this house into which family is forbidden entry. His father managed to build a small house for the family which was recently destroyed, because it was built without a permit, which is never given to Palestinians with Palestinian ID, and this young man with a big stick went around the village and shouted. > >We saw many places with rubble –remains of destroyed houses. Nearly every house in this part of the village is under threat of a house demolition. We were told that just few days ago an official from Jerusalem municipality arrived and told people that all chicken and sheep pens (main income of people) have to be destroyed. > >We saw young men sitting outside with no work to do. They are all illegal in their own homes –they live in Jerusalem , but have a Palestinian ID. > >We saw a blocked road leading to Beit Jala through Cremisan. The only way to go to the hospital is through the checkpoint in Beit Jala.. After 7 pm there is no way to seek emergency help, because the checkpoint is closed. There was a case of a death from heart attack of a 40 year old man-he was not allowed to pass through the checkpoint on his way to a hospital in Bethlehem. Going to Hadassah hospital which is within 10 min driving is out of question-Walaje people are not allowed to enter Jerusalem. > >We saw the border police jeep chasing a car. This is a tool to harass people for everyday use. The chances that a driver has a wrong license, a wrong passenger , a wrong ID are so big that it does not require a special creativity to find a way to hassle and to humiliate people. > > We were stopped by a flying checkpoint in the entrance to the village. When we entered the village at 7:45 AM nobody was there, but 12 o'clock at noon was a right time to pester passengers of a regular bus which circulates between the village and Bethlehem. > >Citizens of the village asked us to write that they are happy to see Israelis who take interest in their fate. They also want that their young generation will learn that there is different kind of Israelis.