This is heart wrenching. I will never get used to the ongoing destruction of Palestine, never. Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh writes from his blog Popular Resistance.

Our hearts broke when we arrived to find that much of the Israeli uprooting of Palestinian olive trees was already done in Al-Walaja today. The old farmer Mohammed Al-Atrash (Abu Wajih) was standing there in shock, speechless, wondering where humanity is on this black day. Israeli authorities picked the day well: it was the day of returning to school and to work from the 5 day Eid (Holiday) at the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan. They brought massive forces starting at dawn and circled an area of over one square mile declaring it a closed military area. No media presence was allowed (so much for “democracy”) so that we could not even videotape the destruction as it happened, only its aftermath. Dozens of olive, almond, za’rur, and pine trees were destroyed. This despite the fact that there is a court case pending on this land to be heard at the end of this month. The villagers called for presence in the village tomorrow (Tuesday morning Sept 6). I cried for this old gentlemen, who already suffered one heart attack and who reminded me of my late father. I also cried for the apathy of so many people and for the cruelty of Israeli contractors, their (Arab) workers, the Israeli private “security” guarding the bulldozers, the Israeli “soldiers” and “border police” who reminded me of mafias and of other fascists and racists.

It is a shame that some Palestinians who refuse to reconstitute the PLO insist that they will continue “security cooperation” with the apartheid regime. Some even continue to meet with Israeli war criminals. Meanwhile the US administration in Israeli-occupied Washington DC is mobilizing its diplomats to try to stall and convince Mr. Abbas to go back to “negotiations”; the same useless negotiations between a prisoner and prison guards where the guards can determine everything (3). 20 years of this “peace process” should by now have demonstrated that it is nothing but a farce. Returning to it means giving more time for colonialism to finish their ethnic cleansing and finish the walls around the remaining “people warehouses”/ghettos/Bantustans. Al-Walaja is one such place as it will be surrounded on all sides by walls (an open air-prison). Also the settlers are on a rampage and today they burned a mosque in a village near Nablus while they are recruiting foreign mercenaries to serve in their ranks.

The text and photos are from today, the video from August 13th. More photos available at ryan rodrick beiler photography.

Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh teaches and does research at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities in occupied Palestine. He serves as chairman of the board of the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People and coordinator of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Beit Sahour He is author of “Sharing the Land of Canaan: Human rights and the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle” and “Popular Resistance in Palestine: A history of Hope and Empowerment”

(hat tip CigarGod and Anna Rogers)