The title of this piece comes from the Biblical book of Kings I, Chapter 22, verse 19. Ahab was a rich and powerful Israelite king, who coveted the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. Naboth refused to sell his only possession to the King, for he was greatly attached to his family plot. So Jezebeel, the King’s wicked wife, set Naboth up. She bribed some wicked men to accuse Naboth of a false crime, for which he was stoned to death. Then Jezebel told Ahab to take possession of the dead man’s vineyard.
In those days there was a God who cared about justice, so he sent his prophet Elijah to rebuke Ahab: “Will you murder and also take possession? [Ha'ratzakhta v'gam ya'rashta?] Thus saith the Lord: In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick your blood as well…”
This sentance is often used in modern Hebrew as a phrase to rebuke particularly egregious crimes. It came to my mind today, when reading about the latest actions of the Israeli government.
First, the news from yesterday’s new York Times:
“The Israeli government secretly approved a measure last summer that says it can seize land in East Jerusalem owned by Palestinians who live elsewhere, the government and a lawyer for the Palestinians said Monday.”
“The lawyer said the decision could affect hundreds of Palestinian property owners and thousands of acres of land.”
“‘This is state theft, pure and simple,’ said Hanna Nasser, the mayor of neighboring Bethlehem, home to many of the Palestinians who could lose land they own in Jerusalem. The mayor linked the Israeli decision to the West Bank separation barrier that Israel is building in the same area. ‘When Israel started building this wall, they stopped letting people use this land,’ he said.”
“For many years Palestinian landowners living in the West Bank generally had access to their property inside the Jerusalem boundaries that Israel unilaterally established after capturing the eastern part of the city in the Arab-Israeli war of 1967.”
“In the last two years, access has become difficult if not impossible because of Israel’s West Bank separation barrier, which includes walls and fences separating Jerusalem and Bethlehem. But until recently the Palestinians still believed that they retained ownership of the property, most of it olive groves and grape orchards that have been in the families for generations.”
“Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government approved the confiscation measure in July as a clarification of the Absentee Property Law, which has been on the books since 1950. Israel has invoked the law to seize thousands of homes and parcels of land that belonged to Palestinians who fled or were driven out during the 1948 war over the founding of the state of Israel.”
“The government did not announce the move, which requires no compensation for the land, when it was made, but acknowledged the new policy after a report last week in the daily Haaretz.”
“‘All the government decisions on this issue are made secretly,’” said Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer representing many of the landowners. ‘It is treated like a security issue, not a property issue.’ He said he intended to file suit unless the government rescinded its decision.”
“Jerusalem’s fate is one of the most complex and incendiary issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, though its annexation of East Jerusalem has never been recognized internationally. The Palestinians seek the eastern sector for the capital of a future state.”
“In many cases the Palestinian landowners in the Bethlehem area live only a short distance from their Jerusalem property, and in some cases are right next to it.”
“Johnny Atik lives in a house next to his eight acres of olive trees. His house is in Bethlehem, while the olive grove is on land that is part of Jerusalem, according to Israel. The Israeli separation barrier runs through Mr. Atik’s backyard, separating him from his olive trees, Mr. Seidemann said. In November the military sent a letter telling Mr. Atik that his grove now belonged to the Custodian of Absentee Properties in Israel, according to Mr. Seidemann.”
“Israeli officials declined to comment, though the prime minister’s office issued a brief statement on Monday citing the action taken by the government’s Ministerial Committee for Jerusalem Affairs.”
I have written often enough about my views on Israel as a “democracy.” So this story should come as no surprise. But there is a nasty twist here that leaves one with a particularly bitter taste.
Natan Sharansky, who was jailed in the USSR by being falsly accused of being a spy for Israel, was once a hero of mine. He was a person who undertook an heroic fight against tyrrany. But since moving to Israel, he somehow found in his heart to justify treating Palestinians the way the KGB treated him. His excuse for all such abuse, is that the Palestinians do not live in a democratic society.
He recently wrote a book on the subject of democracy and tyranny. Apparently Bush & Co are claiming that W’s inaugeration speech was influenced by Sharansky’s book.
Sharansky is the Minister of Jerusalem in the current Israeli government. By the quote noted above, it is clear that if Sharansky was not the initiator of this action, at the very least he was intimately involved in the decision and most certainly approved it. The only reaction I have is: “Natan, will you murder and also take possession?”
An update to this story may be found here.
Tags: Human Rights, Hypocrisy, Logic of Occupation, Settlers, War Crimes
