Dear David Singer,
In a previous article you described with elation the prospect of the diaspora (presumably including yourself) populating the West Bank. Is this why your country is engaged activities of the following kind:

http://palsolidarity.org/2007/12/2860
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Stealing From Children: Azzoun Children’s Park Further Threatened by Impending Demolition
Posted on: December 8, 2007 | ShareThis
Only a few months from now the entire children’s park on the outskirts of Azzoun will be in ruins, demolished by the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF). The reason given is the lack of building permit from the Israeli authorities, even though the park is located on Palestinian land.

It was in early 2006, when the IOF first razed the children’s park, demolishing it within an hour. The park, just off the road between Azzoun and Jayous, attracted many children both from Azzoun but also from the many surrounding villages, being the only of its kind in the region. The cost of US $200,000 was financed mainly by USAID through the YMCA, with some money coming from the village of Azzoun. The justification given by the IOF for the demolition was that the park lacked a building permit for that specific ground, an area which falls within Area C, thus under Israeli civil and military control. Building permits for Area C are notoriously unattainable, applicants are denied by the Israeli-run Civil Administration, even when building on private land. The IOF had, prior to the demolition, several times given the order to stop the building but despite that, the village decided to continue, strengthened by the knowledge that the building was taking place on Palestinian land.

On the morning of February 22nd, 2006, bulldozers accompanied by Israeli soldiers arrived and demolished half of the park – which consisted of two swimming pools and changing rooms. The park had been near completion, after 18 months of building work.....

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cont...

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Almost one year later, that part of the park is still in ruins. The other half of the park, consisting of a large playground and an amphitheater, for the time remains untouched, but looks to meet the same fate soon enough. Approximately one year ago, the Azzoun municipality received a notice informing them that the remaining area of the park was to be demolished. The pretext is the same – without a building permit they are illegal structures. Upon applying for a building permit, the Azzoun municipality was told that they could build on land on the other side of the hill, an expensive and inconvenient proposition. The park area in question is currently in a location accessible to many.

The question now remains whether the planned demolition of the second area of the park can be stopped. An Israeli lawyer is working together with the Azzoun municipality on the case, and has succeeded in getting the demolition postponed until March 15th, 2008. She is now planning to take the case to the Supreme Court, in the hopes of overturning the IOF imposition of an illogical and inaccessible building permit, a barrier which in this case is serving as a barrier to children’s recreation. Particularly in a region suffering from Israeli military invasions, road closures, town curfews, and the losses that come with Israel’s Apartheid Wall, a children’s park was a fragment of hope in very dire circumstances.

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Of course this is but one of 1000s of examples, given that over 18000 homes of Palestinians have been demolished since 1968: http://www.icahd.org/eng/

#grateful

Only 5% of the Arab population of the West Bank reside in Area C which is under the security and administrative control of Israel.

Building an unauthorized and therefore illegal playground in that area is designed to create a precedent for other illegal structures being built in Area C. Involving children in such political games is designed to elicit sympathy on an emotional basis and has obviously sucked you in without understanding the facts. This is unfortunately the nature of Arab propaganda.

As the article points out the courts in Israel will deal with the issue of the validity of the demolition of this playground

Such Courts will ultimately make that decision as they did when ordering the reopening of Route 443 which had been closed to Arab vehicles following many terrorist attacks on Jewish cars traversing that road. That is how democracies and the rule of law operate.

The West Bank Arabs could do with more playgrounds, swimming pools and recreation centres. It would make far more sense to build them where the overwhelming majority of the West Bank Arab population currently resides in Areas A and B and where Palestinian Authority permission only - not Israel's permission - is required.

Regrettably the West Bank Arab children suffer whilst their political master - the Palestinian Authority - cruelly denies them these facilities by wasting donors money pursuing political instead of humanitarian objectives in the location of those facilities.

If you think I am elated - I am not. It is a crying shame to see the West Bank Arabs used as pawns in the Palestinian Authority's chess game.

That is why the Palestinian Authority must be replaced by Jordan as Israel's negotiating partner to divide up sovereignty of the West Bank between their respective states.

This solution offers the hope that the sound of children's laughter will be heard in West Bank Arab towns when they once again become Jordanian citizens as existed between 1950-1988. They have had no future under Palestinian Authority rule for the last seventeen years and this will continue until Jordan steps in.

Here is an except from a report providing the statistics on house demolitions from the "Israeli Committee against the Demolition of House Demolition". As you know it is virtually impossible to obtain a permit to build so the Palestinians must choose continue to live in run-down and over-crowded housing or build illegally. Jews on the other hand have no such problems. You know this. You ignore this. That would make you complicit in these crimes, would it not?

For the whole report see: http://www.icahd.org/eng/docs/ICAHD's%20updated%20House%20demolition%20statistics.pdf
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STATISTICS ON HOUSE DEMOLITIONS (1967-2009)
ICAHD estimates that some 24,145 Palestinian homes have been demolished in the Occupied Territories since 1967, based on information gleaned from the Israeli Ministry of Interior, the Jerusalem Municipality, the Civil Administration, OCHA and other UN sources, Palestinian & Israeli human rights groups, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, our field work and other sources. Last updated on 7 April 2009.

Types of demolitions
.....

2. Administrative demolitions: Houses demolished for lack of a building permit. This happens in Area C and in East Jerusalem, under exclusive Israeli authority, though prior to the existence of Areas A, B & C it occurred in other areas as well. It is important to point out that in almost all cases, Palestinians have no choice but to build "illegally" as permits are almost impossible to obtain. It is also the case that in Area B, if a house is in close proximity to a military base or a road used by the military or settlers, it may also face administrative demolition. Israeli officials explain this type of demolition by stating that Palestinians are violating the zoning and planning laws and that the demolitions are merely law enforcement. This type of demolition accounts for approximately 26% of defined demolitions. Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention declares that the destruction of property “is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.” With these demolitions there is no pretense of military action, and are as such clear violations of international law.
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# grateful

You are becoming quite tedious quoting Arab propaganda - and even worse believing what you read without questioning or looking further.

The crime presently being committed by West Bank Arabs is building illegally and without a permit.

I am sure that wherever you live the same kind of conduct is not permitted and unauthorized structures are likely to be demolished. That is called the rule of law.

If people flout the law - no matter how unfair or oppressive they might claim it to be - then they have to face the consequences.

By all means advocate a change to the law but don't shed crocodile tears for those who knowingly and willfully choose to break the existing law.

Aggrieved persons have the right to appeal through the Israeli legal system against demolition orders. Sometimes the authorities do get it wrong or there are extenuating circumstances and that is why Israel has Courts to redress wrongs for Arabs who are not even its citizens. That is called the protection of individual legal rights.

When a person appeals to the Court in Israel the order for demolition is automatically stayed until the authority proves to the satisfaction of the Court that the demolition should proceed.

At present there are 400 cases of appeals against demolition that have not been proceeded with by Israel because the State does not believe the demolition order can be justified. One such case goes back to a demolition order issued in 1997.

You can live by the law or die by the sword. The Palestinian Authority has chosen the latter. They are fools and those who support their stupid and irresponsible actions over the past 17 years in encouraging or supporting the building of illegal structures are as well.

Further negotiations with the Palestinian Authority are a complete waste of time. They have proved quite simply unequal to the task.

David you say: “You are becoming quite tedious quoting Arab propaganda - and even worse believing what you read without questioning or looking further.”

What Arab propaganda?

The "Israeli Committee against the Demolition of House Demolition" are all Jews living in Israel. If you watch their videos you’ll see just how easy it is for Israelis and Palestinians to work together and enjoy each others company. No need for apartheid: http://www.icahd.org/eng/video.asp?menu=video&submenu=video

And here are some photos of Israelis and Palestinians working together in rebuilding efforts: http://www.icahd.org/eng/campaigns.asp?menu=4&submenu=2

David you also say: “I am sure that wherever you live the same kind of conduct is not permitted and unauthorized structures are likely to be demolished.”

Where i come from (Australia) they do not discriminate based on ethnicity or religion in issuing permits. Furthermore, if a structure such as an extension is built without a permit from my experience the council will inspect it to see if it complies with safety requirements and if there are no objections from the neighbours will in fact authorise the structure. The notion that such a society can exist appears foreign to you. So where do you come from?

Anyway, back to my question: Are you complicit in the violation of fundamental human rights?

You know that your fellow human beings are being denied permits to build because they are not Jewish and this is forcing them to choose between either living in increasing crowded and dilapidated dwellings or risking their savings by building without a permit. This is the choice they are forced to make. This is obviously unjust. Yet you defend and parrot the official line.

Pretty sickening when you consider the number of families that have been left homeless and traumatised.