What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine too
It’s happening once again, this time in Sheikh Jarrah. Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes in West Jerusalem are slated to be evicted from their homes in East Jerusalem too. Why? Because the homes in which they’ve legally resided for 160 years or more were built on land that was once owned by Jews.
On the face of it, it is merely a real estate dispute. But in actuality, it is an event that holds much wider implications. It is yet another outrageous instance of the extent of Israeli discrimination and oppression. The Palestinians who fled or were expelled from Jerusalem have no shortage of property. Almost half the city is built on their lands. So what’s the problem? The Jews can go regain the lots they absented in the eastern part of Jerusalem and the Palestinians will go regain their property in the western part. But this is where the Zionist trick comes into the picture: Only Jews may sue to claim property from which they fled or were expelled. Palestinians are only entitled to forget the properties from which they fled or were expelled.
This is the unique version of justice that is practiced around here: What’s mine is mine forever, and what’s yours – is also mine forever. In the Jewish Mishna, someone who behaves this way is called an “evildoer.” In the Jewish state, someone who behaves this way is called a “religious Zionist.”
This ongoing injustice can be traced back to a most malicious law passed by the State of Israel before it was even two years old – the Absentee Property Law. It should have been called the “Law Authorizing the Theft of Palestinian Property.” Israel used this law to steal nearly all the Palestinian private, public, business and agricultural property. [Continue reading…]