Visiting a family in a demolished house in Jerusalem
In the morning of April 2, the Ecumenical Accompaniers in Jerusalem receive a message that a house demolition is underway in Anata. Two of the team-members have already gone; I change my plans for the day and begin to
work out how to get to Anata. Bus 75 downtown then bus 54 to Anata. I asked the driver and some other people if they knew anything, but they had no information. In the Disabled Center in Shu'fat Refugee Camp, near Anata, I got directions to the Hamdan house. It had taken me an hour from hearing the news to reaching the house.
I met a friendly man who told me about his own and his family’s experience of receiving a demolition order; his house had been destroyed one year ago and he had tried to get permit to rebuilt it on his own land but the Israeli administration had rejected his plans. “We try to make peace and what are we given back? Where should Palestinians go?” I have no answer to his questions.
However I was there to find out what has happening this morning. I had missed the soldiers by fifteen minutes. “They were more than hundred around here when the bulldozer came. And they took also a Jewish man, put plastic bands to his hands and threatened him before they arrested him,” another of the neighbours told me. I 
walked up to the house, only 100 meters away, and it was totally levelled. Outside, on the street, I could see the furniture and other things which the Israeli police had removed. Five men were loading them on to a lorry.
I could also see three young boys jumping on the remains of the house. Some ladies were standing nearby and I could see one of them with tears in her eyes. I went to them, told them my name and that I was a volunteer with a programme called “EAPPI”. One of them responded: “I'm Mother Mohammad and this house was my home. Where should I go now? Everything is broken and we are poor. Some of the Israelies have helped us to rebuild our house – now others have destroyed it”. After our conversation, another neighbour invited me to visit and the mother of Mohammad thanked me for coming. As I leave, she presses a gift into my hand – a bag of sweets!
Background:
The Hamdan house in Anata was demolished at first time in December 2006. It is located inside the Jerusalem municipality border, near Hebrew University and French Hill in the occupied territories of East Jerusalem. The Hamdan house was rebuilt by Israeli Commitee Against House Demolishing - ICAHD - and volounteers during summer 2007 and twelve people lived there. The Israeli Commitee Against House Demolishing was founded by professor Jeff Halper, who was ”the jewish man" the police arrested because of his protest this morning.
