Israel emptying Jerusalem of Palestinians by bulldozing their homes

http://www.palestinemonitor.org/updates/israel_emptying_jerusalem_of_palestinians.htm

Orders from the Israeli Interior Ministry distributed yesterday stipulate the demolition of a further 24 Palestinian houses in the East Jerusalem communities of Beit Hanina, Shu'fat, and Al Isawiya.

The destruction of these East Jerusalem houses clearly illustrates the political agenda driving Israel’s relentless demolition policy. As Zaid Hamouri explained, the real issue behind these demolitions is Israel’s attempt to alter the demographic make-up of the city.

In conformity with international law and as stated in the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, Jerusalem is the subject of permanent status negotiations. International law not only establishes Israel’s annexation and authority over East Jerusalem as illegal it also states that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying power, which purport to alter the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal validity.

However, since the occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel, has zealously attempted to counter Palestinian demographic strength by encouraging Israeli Jewish immigration into the city and by employing discriminatory policies of restricting Palestinian building, revoking Jerusalem residence rights, almost completely abandoning the provision of social services to Palestinian neighbourhoods and isolating communities from one another and from the West Bank.

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East Jerusalem housing battle heats up

JERUSALEM -- With their guards slinging assault rifles, the Jews moved in by moonlight, carrying mattresses, chairs and tables into their new apartments. By daybreak, their Arab neighbors were hurling rocks at the new arrivals and at the police sent to protect them.

To the Israeli Jews in East Jerusalem, their March 31 occupation of eight apartments in the solidly Arab Silwan neighborhood was one step toward correcting an injustice. In 1938, the last families of what had been a thriving Jewish neighborhood on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, which includes part of Silwan, moved out in the wake of Arab riots.

<snip>

The settlers disagree. In Silwan, as in other neighborhoods where such disputes have arisen, they presented papers they said proved ownership.

http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/world/ny-wojru233779721apr30,0,4519819.story?coll=ny-worldnews-print

Oh yeah...vee haf zee papas!! (and an army)

On Edit: I wonder if these "Israeli Jews" hold racist beliefs like the majority of Israeli Jews. On second thought, I don't wonder at all.

It seems we have here a sort of "right of return" being exercised to address an flight from violence in the course of the old Arab Rebellion in the Mandatory days....

aware of their existence.

http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/world/ny-wojru233779721apr30,0,4519819.story?coll=ny-worldnews-print

<edit>

But Arab Israelis living in the Galilee region of northern Israel, where many new government-subsidized Jewish settlements are springing up, have found themselves the subject of a community drive to oust them.

Community councils, Gissin acknowledges, have the right under Israeli law to exclude anyone deemed out of character with the community.

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Council of Conservative Citizens groups that are popular in the Southern U.S.

equating zionism and racism is anti-semitic. Basically the philosophy that these lands belong exclusively to the Jews legitimizes these sort of actions. I'm not a scholor of zionism, but I'm pretty sure that the previous is the basic jist of the philosophy.
These are the same "demographic concerns" which have driven every racist Israeli policy since and including the 1947 expulsion of East Bank Arabs from their homes.
Sarcastic analogy alert:
"I don't want to live around blacks and I think that I should be able to kick them out of the surrounding areas because manifest destiny was only promised to the white people." Is that a legitimate demographic concern?

Your charges of racism are unfounded. Arabs throwing rocks at newcomers is an obvious sign of rejection. Why is it wrong, in your view, for Jews to live in Jerusalem? What is wrong with a homeland for the Jews, who have been kicked out of every European nation and Russia, as well as every Middle Eastern Muslim nation?

Perhaps you missed this heart-warming little article.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x67584

Arabs throwing rocks at newcomers is an obvious sign of rejection.

Do tell, I would have never guessed. BTW, sneaking into other peoples apartments at night with an armed escort is a sign of what?

Why is it wrong, in your view, for Jews to live in Jerusalem?

Unless you can produce a link where I said that, you should consider apologizing for making shit up.

What is wrong with a homeland for the Jews, who have been kicked out of every European nation and Russia, as well as every Middle Eastern Muslim nation?

Again, you are making up facts that do not comport with reality. Now you owe even more apologies. Every European nation indeed. Nor have I ever stated there is anything wrong with a "homeland for the Jews" and unless you can provide a link pointing to where I did say such a statement you should retract your erroneous assertions.

On Edit: I retract the statements where I thought you were asserting I had said things I clearly didn't say as I now see you were not responding to my post. My apologies.

and the right of anyone to live anywhere they feel, which is why I oppose the segregationist "demographic concerns" of Israel. I am sorry that the Arabs did not welcome Jewish emigrants, and continue to be intolerant of their presence in Israel. I am also sorry that Israel believes in segregating their society along ethnic and religious lines.
I mean, what happens if Arab Israelis outnumber Jewish Israelis someday? If 900,000 Arabs had not left Israel during the war for Israeli independence would Israel be Jewish today? Did Israeli leaders consider this and expell some of those 900,000? Heck, I probably would have if my ultimate goal was a sustainable Jewish state. When, in other words, is "demographic concern" shorthand for segregation, and what does it justify?

Had the U.N. Partition been accepted, and there been no war, the Jewish state would have had origionally a populace of about 5/8s Jews and 3/8s Arabs. A reasonable expectation of Jewish immigration from Europe and the United States, to which you would seem to have no objection, would have altered this in about two years to something on the order of 2/3s Jews to 1/3 Arabs. That would probably have been sustainable as a Jewish majority state. The great bulk of Arab Palestinians put to flight during the war which actually occured fled from areas originionally allotted to the Arab Zone, that were overrun by Israeli forces as the fighting developed.