Invasion in Abu Dis which is now joining the terror happening all over the West Bank. “We haven’t seen anything like this since 1967”, we are told.
On Saturday night Al Quds University was invaded by Israel soldiers. On Sunday night, the university and now the town filled up with soldiers. They often come with ten or twenty. This was hundreds of Israeli soldiers, first walking and then in vehicles. They were everywhere, climbing and jumping in and out of buildings. Going into houses, not even asking whose house it was. They didn’t stop anyone in the streets – the issue was to invade the houses. They chose more than thirty houses – ones on hills, ones in valleys, ones in the main town, big buildings, flats. These houses were searched and messed up; at least three houses had their gates blown up as soldiers entered.
There were tear gas, sound bombs and shooting. Four people at least were arrested: three of them under 18. The whole area was invaded in this way – Sawahreh, Aizariyeh, the Bedouin area as well as Abu Dis.
This all started with reports of three Israeli young people going missing near Hebron a week ago: there is no clear picture of what happened to them. Following this, a military operation involving 15000 Israeli soldiers has turned the lives of people in the West Bank upside down in what feels like a vast collective punishment. In the last week, several people have been killed including a thirteen year old; many hurt; house invasions in all areas of the West Bank; five hundred arrests. Gaza has been under attack again and people injured.
People in Palestine are trying to work out what this is about. They are subject always to vast racism – the kidnaps of their own children have gone un-investigated for years: so is this about something else. Is it to bring down the unity government? Or is it military training: Israel preparing not for them but for the next war?
A news report here: http://www.maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=707014