Palestinian village undergoing 'ethnic cleansing' by Israel

The Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative Movement Mustafa Al-Barghouti said on Monday that the Palestinian village of Susiya is experiencing “ethnic cleansing” by the Israeli occupation.

Khirbet Susiya, a Palestinian Bedouin village of an estimated 300 people, has been under imminent threat of demolition since May, when the Israeli High Court approved the demolition of villagers’ tents and homes. One of the tents serves as a school.

“Demolishing the village reinforces that the Israeli settlers, who expropriated the land, are thieves,” Al-Barghouti said in a press release. “This decision will not break the insistence of the village, which residents have previously rebuilt.”

Al-Barghouti predicted that the destruction of the village would contribute to increasing international solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

He called for countries around the world to interfere and prevent Israel from demolishing the village and to protect its residents.

“It is time to let Israel understand that it is not above international law and that the Palestinians must not be subjected to its persecution,” he said. “What is going on in Susiya proves again the impossibility for achieving peace in the light of continuous settlement.”