Nakba #49 - Nabil Sa‘id al-Kurd

“In 1954, UNRWA reached an agreement with Jordan, which at the time governed East al-Quds, to build 28 houses in Sheikh Jarrah. We were one of the families who were to live there, and when the houses were completed in 1956, we moved in. But everything changed when Israel occupied East al-Quds, and in 1972 they evicted twelve of our neighboring families. In 2009, I extended our house. The authorities considered it an illegal construction that was to be demolished. When I refused, the police took the keys to the new section and stationed four guards in front of the house—two Druze and two Bedouins. That same year, 1,000 Israeli soldiers with dogs evicted another couple of our neighbors, the al-Ghawi and Hanoun families. My extension remained sealed off and stood empty for nine years. In 2018, the police gave the keys to some fanatical settlers and allowed them to occupy the new section. My original house has only a few small rooms where we sleep. That is why we are having this conversation outdoors. After a new court decision in 2021, we—the remaining fourteen families—also risk being evicted from our homes in Sheikh Jarrah. But I continue to fight for what is mine; my home is my fortress. I grew up here, received my education here, and got married here. The settlers continue to harass me. They attack me physically, and I defend myself with my fists. They stole half of the gate to my plot of land. When I called the police, they did not care. I see them stealing our water and various things from the garden, but the police do nothing. Itamar Ben Gvir, who sits in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, has been here and led a demonstration against us. But I continue to fight for my house, with my fists if I must. I am always on guard. In the evenings, I walk around the neighborhood until midnight. I have installed surveillance cameras to keep watch in case the Zionists come to evict me. How is it possible that a thief can claim ownership of my house?”