‘Israel wanted a silent, perfect victim. We refused’
Rafat Sub-Laban protesting outside his family’s home in the Old City of Jerusalem after they were expelled by Israeli police to make way for Jewish settlers, 11 July 2023
Yahel Gazit writes in +972:
It’s 5:15 p.m. at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City. Rafat Ghaith-Sub Laban arrives late for our meeting after sitting in traffic at the Hizma checkpoint, which connects occupied East Jerusalem to the rest of the West Bank.
The son of Nora and Mustafa, Rafat works as an officer for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Ramallah. Over the past months, he had to take a break from the fieldwork he usually conducts in the Jenin area — both due to burnout, and in order to help his parents keep the family’s home in the Old City from being taken over by Israeli settlers. On July 11, following a decades-long legal battle, Rafat’s parents were expelled.
…. …. ….
First of all, how are you holding up?
As a family, we feel like we were targeted and harassed by Israeli governments, the army, police, and settlers. This is exhausting. It takes everything from you: physical health, mental health, and your daily life.
My mother in the 1980s was going to court hearings after giving birth. If one attempt to evict us failed, they started a new one. My mom has been on anti-depression and anti-anxiety medication for over 8 years. And just looking at the last few months, it was really hectic. We tried our best to put all of our efforts into raising our voice, and the world heard us. The world listened. And it wasn’t enough in the end. But for us, fighting with a loud voice meant everything; Israel wanted a silent, perfect victim, and we refused to allow it.