Israel's Desecration of Graves
Israeli's Ethnic Cleansing of the Living and the Dead
As if ethnic cleansing of the living was not enough, Zionists carry out ethnic cleansing of the dead by the desecration of Christian and Muslim graves the past few weeks.
Bulldozing and Destruction of Palestinian Joint Christian/Muslim Cemetary
To the horror of dozens of families descended from the Palestinian village of Barwat-al-Muhajara, on January 13, they learned that the Israelis had desecrated their graveyard. This is not only an attack on the sanctity of life and a disregard of religious practices, but a crime against humanity. Knesset member Baraka called this ethnic cleansing of both the living and the dead.
Background of Ethnic Cleansing of Barwat-al-Muhajara
In 1948, the village of Barwat-al-Muhajara, just outside of Akka (Acre) in Northern Palestine, was ethnically cleansed of its Palestinian inhabitants after forced expulsion and relocation, which in many instances meant death. Once emptied of its Arab elements (Christian and Muslim), the newly occupying Zionists put their own settlement right on top of this village and named it Hayayahud.
It did not take long for the Jewish inhabitants of the Hayayahud settlement to begin erasing every physical trace of Arab/Palestinian civilization previous to their arrival, including religiously significant landmarks and sights both of Christians and Muslims. Unfortunately, that is just a drip in the bucket compared to the 520 +/- Palestinian/Arab villages literally wiped off the map during the Nakba.
Two Weeks Earlier Graves Destroyed at Kfar Birim (Bar'am)
It was also recently uncovered that two weeks prior to the incident at Barwat-al-Mahajara, the Maronite Christian cemetery of the village, Kafr Bir’am, was violated and demolished. The village of Kafr Bar’am is located about 5 kilometers from the Lebanese border in the upper Gallilee. It is another of the 520+/- ethnically cleansed villages. Some of the villagers were relocated to the village of Jish, some to Lebanon, and some were sent to Argentina in an Israeli failed attempt to deport all Palestinians to Argentina - a significant number of the villagers died when forced out into the desert with promises of being able to return in a week in 1948. In 1953, all of the houses belonging to these predominantly Christian Palestinians were bombed from above and the village was basically turned into rubble.
The 4000 + villagers and their descendants of Kfar Bar'am recieved an additional insult by the desecration of the graves of the families and forefathers - to the point that bodies were apparent.
Knesset member Zahlaqa said, “What would Israel do if someone desecrated one of their graves anywhere in the world? Are the graves of Jews any more precious to them then the graves of Arabs are precious to them?”
What was the Point of Such Wanton Destruction?
These insults to humanity were for the sole purpose of converting the cemetaries into cow pastures. It is not the first time that the Zionists have destroyed graves or houses for the sake of cow pasture.
One of the displaced villagers of Kfar Bar'am, Ibrahim Isa, 70, now living in Jish, says regarding their expulsion for the sake of cows: “Ten-thousand dunums for grazing only 50 cows of Kibbutz Bar’am! We told them that we were ready to live with the 50 cows and to feed them if necessary. We even suggested that we would buy the fodder for the cows, but they refused. They prefer the cows over us.”
Israeli Defense Force Involvement
Last January (2007), a group of 500 Zionist settlers headed for the village of 'Awara where they destroyed graves and wrote graffitti on others, all while under the watchful eye of the Israeli Defense Forces, according to villagers there. Earlier, on July 31, Israeli soldiers themselves were responsible for destroying graves and exposing the dead in Marah Albaqar as reported by Khalid Amayreh.
These are not isolated instances - they represent a pattern. Somehow, these stories are not relayed in the mainstream press - for whatever reaon. Tampering with anyone's grave is an abomination. It is as despicable for Muslims and Christians, as it is for Jews. The more the world turns a blind eye, the worse this situation will get... for everyone.
For a detailed historcal account of Kfar Bar'am click here
