Standing in the way of the machines preparing to destroy an entire village

Palestinian and Israeli activists block a bulldozer in the West Bank village of Khan al-Ahmar, October 15, 2018

Karen Isaacs writes in +972, “I am tired and my body hurts. I have slept very few hours this week and except for this morning, I have woken up at 5 a.m. while it was still dark. I don’t understand why I should have the right to live in my own home and the people of Khan al-Ahmar should not. I don’t understand because there isn’t a way to understand…Every time a home is destroyed, people lose a significant part of their world. But in this case it isn’t just a home: it is a community, their land, their school, and their place in the world, which they have worked hard to build after becoming refugees from their first home.”

Israeli policemen arrest a Palestinian protester, as demonstrators try to prevent an Israeli army bulldozer from laying the groundwork for the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar

“In recent days I have seen people put themselves in the way of the machines — actual machines and humans in uniform machines — preparing to destroy this village. I have watched people young and old hold on to friends as tightly as they could for as long as they could until they were pulled and pushed and thrown to the ground. I sat and caught my breath with people I know and trust and other people I have only known for days, and have quickly learned to trust through their actions.” (more…)