An interesting comparison
"CPTnet
26 December 2007
AT-TUWANI REFLECTION: Clearing the land
by Jan Benvie
The landscapes of the Southern Hebron Hills remind me of my own Scottish Highlands. They both share the same poignant, barren beauty. Here the ragged, rocky hillsides are more sparsely covered, but the sad ruins of forsaken homes and villages litter both landscapes
The Scottish ruins date from a period of history (over 200 years ago) known as the "Highland Clearances." In the civil wars of 1715 and 1745, the Highlanders supported the defeated Jacobites (those who wanted James Stewart as King) and the victorious government wanted to get rid of these rebellious citizens. Some land was sold in shady deals, some taken by the government and given to their supporters. Few Highlanders had legal papers proving land ownership, so the victors stole the land "legally." The new owners forcibly evicted between 150 and 250 thousand people. Many Highlanders, deprived of their homes and livelihoods, lived and died in broken-hearted poverty in far away towns and foreign lands.
The "Palestinian Clearances," here in the West Bank, began when Israel occupied the land during the 1967 war. Many Palestinians, like the Scottish Highlanders, have no papers proving land ownership. Some ownership papers are in the name of great-great grandfathers, and the Israeli courts do not accept their legality. The Israeli government has simply taken Palestinian land for Israeli settlements and roads. As in the Highlands, the victors have used pseudo-legal means to steal land. An ancient law from the period of Ottoman rule (1516-1918), allows the state to claim ownership of land that is uncultivated for three years or more. Israel uses military and other means, including the separation barrier, to block Palestinians from their land. The land then "legally" becomes state land; Israeli settlers build new housing and harass neighbouring Palestinians, forcing more to leave.
Settler violence forced villagers from nearby Saroura, Humra and Khoruba (the ruins I pass every day) to abandon their homes in 1997.
Israeli governments also use the guise of security to evict Palestinians from their land. Many Israeli settlements, illegal under international law, began as trailers/caravans in military bases. The Israeli government has declared most of the Jordan valley (Palestinian land west of the River
Jordan) a closed military area, evicting the Palestinian residents. In the 1970s, the Israeli military requested an area from south of At-Tuwani to the Green Line (the armistice line of 1949) as a military firing zone. Soldiers evicted villagers and demolished homes. Although the Israeli Supreme Court issued a temporary ruling that the families could return, but those who returned live in constant fear of eviction.
The Highland Clearances are a historical fact. Attempts at land reform in the Highlands have returned some land to the few remaining communities, but such reforms cannot undo the pain and suffering inflicted 200 years ago.
The Palestinian clearances are current and ongoing. We can, and must, work to undo the injustice happening in Palestine now.
For photos of ruined homes & villages in the Southern Hebron Hills go to:
http://tinyurl.com/2cmrmo"
26 December 2007
AT-TUWANI REFLECTION: Clearing the land
by Jan Benvie
The landscapes of the Southern Hebron Hills remind me of my own Scottish Highlands. They both share the same poignant, barren beauty. Here the ragged, rocky hillsides are more sparsely covered, but the sad ruins of forsaken homes and villages litter both landscapes
The Scottish ruins date from a period of history (over 200 years ago) known as the "Highland Clearances." In the civil wars of 1715 and 1745, the Highlanders supported the defeated Jacobites (those who wanted James Stewart as King) and the victorious government wanted to get rid of these rebellious citizens. Some land was sold in shady deals, some taken by the government and given to their supporters. Few Highlanders had legal papers proving land ownership, so the victors stole the land "legally." The new owners forcibly evicted between 150 and 250 thousand people. Many Highlanders, deprived of their homes and livelihoods, lived and died in broken-hearted poverty in far away towns and foreign lands.
The "Palestinian Clearances," here in the West Bank, began when Israel occupied the land during the 1967 war. Many Palestinians, like the Scottish Highlanders, have no papers proving land ownership. Some ownership papers are in the name of great-great grandfathers, and the Israeli courts do not accept their legality. The Israeli government has simply taken Palestinian land for Israeli settlements and roads. As in the Highlands, the victors have used pseudo-legal means to steal land. An ancient law from the period of Ottoman rule (1516-1918), allows the state to claim ownership of land that is uncultivated for three years or more. Israel uses military and other means, including the separation barrier, to block Palestinians from their land. The land then "legally" becomes state land; Israeli settlers build new housing and harass neighbouring Palestinians, forcing more to leave.
Settler violence forced villagers from nearby Saroura, Humra and Khoruba (the ruins I pass every day) to abandon their homes in 1997.
Israeli governments also use the guise of security to evict Palestinians from their land. Many Israeli settlements, illegal under international law, began as trailers/caravans in military bases. The Israeli government has declared most of the Jordan valley (Palestinian land west of the River
Jordan) a closed military area, evicting the Palestinian residents. In the 1970s, the Israeli military requested an area from south of At-Tuwani to the Green Line (the armistice line of 1949) as a military firing zone. Soldiers evicted villagers and demolished homes. Although the Israeli Supreme Court issued a temporary ruling that the families could return, but those who returned live in constant fear of eviction.
The Highland Clearances are a historical fact. Attempts at land reform in the Highlands have returned some land to the few remaining communities, but such reforms cannot undo the pain and suffering inflicted 200 years ago.
The Palestinian clearances are current and ongoing. We can, and must, work to undo the injustice happening in Palestine now.
For photos of ruined homes & villages in the Southern Hebron Hills go to:
http://tinyurl.com/2cmrmo"
posted by dm at 12:00 PM
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