The oppressive, pervasive, dehumanizing effects of Israeli power and control in the Occupied Territories were far greater than anything we had imagined.
Before going on the study tour, group members were generally aware that life was neither easy nor just for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. However, once we saw first-hand the daily realities of people living under occupation, we were all stunned by:
- The extent to which Israeli actions (and words) in their control of the Occupied Territories clearly communicated disdain and contempt for Palestinian culture and Palestinians.
- The fact that dehumanization is required by a Zionist ideology that makes a claim to a Jewish state controlling all of the land of from “Dan to Beersheba.”
- The incredible greed for land at all costs.
- Israel's ingenuity in devising “legal” methods for removing Palestinians from their land which reminded us of the 18th century Clearances in Scotland, or a “soft” version of ethnic cleansing.
- The far-reaching economic, political, educational, psychological and social damage of Israeli policies on Palestinian people.
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