On the occasion of U.S. Congressman Mike Huckabee’s visit to East Jerusalem, tens of activists from across the leftie spectrum gathered in Sheikh Jarrah this week to protest recent settlement expansion. Traditionally Huckabee has aligned himself with the aspirations of settlers to build in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and has supported the expansion of settlements despite diplomatic efforts to halt their growth. The protest took place outside the Shepherd Hotel, just meters away from the site of recent house evictions in East Jerusalem. Over the last several weeks Sheikh Jarrah has become the center of Netanyahu’s plans to evict Palestinian families from their houses and replace them with Jewish settlers.
A West Jerusalemite protests Congressman Huckabee's support of settlement expansion
Getting lost on my way to the protest, I passed by Mr. Hanoun standing across the street from his former home. A member of the most recent family to lose their house to Netanyahu’s forced evictions, Mr. Hanoun gathered with several friends to discuss the fate of the neighborhood. In recent weeks, protesters, UN representatives and members of the press alike have gathered in the same spot to advocate in various tones for an end to house evictions. On this day, there were no international activists standing with Mr. Hanoun, nor were there members of the UN, the EU, or the Quartet. Even to the most dedicated activists, the evictions have already happened.
The protest took place just meters away from the Hanoun residence and attracted a mix of moderate to radical leftists from Israel, Europe, and the United States. Not far away right-wing settlers organized a counter-protest to show their support for a Jewish Jerusalem and a Jewish homeland inclusive of all the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River.
Settlers and supporters of Jewish Jerusalem organize a counter-protest at the Shepherd Hotel in East Jerusalem
The demonstration was organized by Peace Now, a moderate Israeli organization that advocates for a two-state solution and Palestinian self-determination within the 1967 borders. Most unexpectedly heartening about the protest was the political range of participants. While standing in the midst of rallying cowbells I overheard conversations between self-identified radicals from Sweden, a young Israeli who refused army service, and a politically moderate elderly man who lost his child in a suicide bombing years ago. My own political convictions aside, it was refreshing to see the full gamut of self-identified leftists chanting the same slogan in solidarity with the movement to end house evictions.
Activists attend a Peace Now rally in protest of settlement expansion and house evictions
My guess is that in any other setting, like that of the cyberworld or a conference on Zionism or militarism, many of the participants would likely fall into unpleasant rivalries with one another while debating the wall, or checkpoints, or the facts of 1948. But in the presence of a common antagonist, activists from across the fragmented left abandoned the dichotomies and intellectual nuances of daily life and came together for a couple hours over something simple: the problematic nature of settlement expansion. Ironically, for this rare glimpse of leftie unity we have Mike Huckabee to thank.
Hi Rachel,
I got behind in my reading, hence my long silence. I continue to be “smartened up,” and am grateful for your broad perspective.
Best, Herb (and Cristy)