Images and videos of the demolishing of Palestinian homes continue to surface across social media, particularly Twitter. Young children and families stand traumatised, weeping as the homes they have built their lives in are reduced to rubble before their very eyes. All that remains of their memories is the wreckage of the place they once called home.
House Demolitions as a tactic
The practice of house demolitions has been used by the Israeli government ever since it emerged during the infamous Six-Day War in 1967. While the tactic was used to achieve various aims back in 1967, today, Israeli officials cite a lack of building permits and the presence of suspected militants as reasons to routinely demolish homes.
The sheer scale of the exercise became apparent after a report from the Israeli information centre for human rights revealed that the Israeli authorities have demolished at least 1,176 Palestinian housing units in East Jerusalem between 2006 and 2021 alone.
Not only do countless families become homeless, but they are also forced to witness and even participate in the obliteration of their homes. If they refuse, they face up to 18 months in an Israeli detention centre and a fine of $2,500.
Many critics argue that Israeli officials use house demolitions as a way to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian population in the occupied territories. By destroying their homes, they are destroying any form of cultural influence the Palestinian residents have created in these areas.
Home as memory
The demolition of homes in Palestine is not merely a physical devastation but also an emotive one. In Palestinian culture, homes are not purely viewed as a form of shelter but a physical representation of memories and identity: Palestinians hold a strong attachment to their homes as it resonates with their history.
After the majority of their land was conquered by Israelis in 1948, today, Palestinian’s cling to their homes as their only form of sanctuary. Their homes represent their joys, their sorrows, and all their memories.
The demolition of Palestinian homes does not just physically destroy Palestinian people’s shelter and livelihoods, it also wipes out the memory and footprint of the Palestinian people. The loss of their homes represents and reinforces a loss of hope consistent with Palestinian history.
Twitter outrage
Twitter has been active when it comes to shaming house demolitions as a tactic against the Palestinian people. Images and videos of young children watching their homes being destroyed are constantly being shared and retweeted across the site.
One image that went viral last year was the image of two-year-old Celine, clutching onto the doll she was gifted for Eid while sitting in the rubble of what once was her home. Like many Palestinian children, the destruction meant that Celine no longer had a place to sleep, eat, play, or call home. Everything she once knew had vanished before her eyes. The memory of her home no longer exists.
The image helped shed light on the harsh reality of Palestinian lives being ruined in an instant. Since then, more images and videos have been shared showing the pain and suffering of Palestinians. Palestinian children continue to suffer the consequences of generational struggle and violent conflict between Israel and Palestine.
These images allow people all over the world to see and understand the Palestinian struggle – almost as if it were their own. It allows people to witness the injustice and inequality that Palestinian people are facing at the hands of the Israeli government.
These children are losing their homes and watching their parents suffer. Their confusion and lack of understanding only make the horrific destruction even more painful. How can any parent explain to their child that their home has been destroyed in their sleep?
Palestinian homes and memories are reduced to rubble. Their futures are practically destroyed before their very eyes. All Palestinian children know are the atrocities of war and violence.
ICC investigation
Now, not only is house demolition being seen as wrong from a moral perspective, but also a legal one. The demolitions of these homes are done under the impression that Israeli authorities suspect these Palestinians of being dangerous and potentially using violence as a threat against Israel.
Now that the ICC has the approval to pursue Israel for war crimes, this could lead to Israel being required to rebuild the houses it has destroyed.
The ICC is currently investigating Israeli authorities for evicting and destroying the home of the Salhiyehs family. The family has stated that they are in contact with lawmakers in the American Senate and Congress as well as several law firms in the United States.
If the ICC rules in the Salhiyehs family’s favour, it will give other Palestinians in the same situation the courage and confidence to fight for their homes, and in turn their lives.
Investigations like these give the Palestinian people the support they need to reclaim their space and their identity amid the Israeli onslaught.
Disclaimer: This piece was written in 2022 and some of the details may not be up to date.