From the Ground: The Real Israel-Palestine

ICAHD Visit

This afternoon, we met with Jimmy Johnson of the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions (ICAHD). Highlights:

• 20,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished

• There are four reasons for the demolitions: targeted assassinations, punishment for violence, military strategy, lack of building permit (many obstacles)

• The system forces many Palestinians to choose between a safe home in the West Bank without economic opportunities or an unsafe home in Israel with economic opportunities

• “Like all peace organizations in Israel,” ICAHD is “universally ineffective” within the country

• 70% of Israelis support a Palestinian state, but no action has been taken. In general, the Israeli public is now “done with the occupation as an issue”

• The wall is not an effective deterrent. Potential suicide bombers can easily get around it

• Barack Obama is barely liberal

• Ramallah is safe to visit