Police Violence in Jaffa: Deadly Results
This morning a Palestinian man was murdered by the police in Jaffa's "Fleamarket" area.
The police are always on the look-out for "illegal aliens", Palestinians coming to work in Jaffa, in order to provide for their families. Usually without a permit, as it is impossible to get these permits these days. Many of them, have been coming for years, working for the same employers, in the same area, nice friendly courteous people, simply trying to provide for their impoverished families.
Especially since the construction of "the Wall" and the closures and checkpoints in the occupied territories, it is difficult to get into Israel, so once you get in, you stay there. The economic situation in the occupied territories is such that poverty and lack of basic food stuffs, force people into becoming "illegal workers", permission-less employees, working very hard, to provide for their families.
They live in small rooms, storage facilities, on roof tops, the beach, wherever they can find a place to lay down their tired heads after a long and tiring day of work.
They are literally chased as "wild life"by the police and when caught, if lucky, they are thrown over the border, yet in many cases they go to prison for 6 months, for the horrible "crime" of trying to provide for their families.
Today it ended in a different way: A Palestinian man was simply shot by the policeman who wanted to arrest him.
At first the police told he tried to steal their gun, a story found to be untrue.
Another victim of ruthless police violence in Jaffa.
Police harassment and violence have reached a new peak in Jaffa, yet there is nothign surprising about it. So many people i know have been harassed, abused ,degraded.
And they are scared to complain, as the harassment may become worse, or they may be arrested for some cooked up complaints, as happened to friends.
People have become scared of the police. Men, because they harass them, women, because they are sexually harrassed while walking on the streets.
Trusting the police? There ain't such a thing, in Jaffa.
The police are always on the look-out for "illegal aliens", Palestinians coming to work in Jaffa, in order to provide for their families. Usually without a permit, as it is impossible to get these permits these days. Many of them, have been coming for years, working for the same employers, in the same area, nice friendly courteous people, simply trying to provide for their impoverished families.
Especially since the construction of "the Wall" and the closures and checkpoints in the occupied territories, it is difficult to get into Israel, so once you get in, you stay there. The economic situation in the occupied territories is such that poverty and lack of basic food stuffs, force people into becoming "illegal workers", permission-less employees, working very hard, to provide for their families.
They live in small rooms, storage facilities, on roof tops, the beach, wherever they can find a place to lay down their tired heads after a long and tiring day of work.
They are literally chased as "wild life"by the police and when caught, if lucky, they are thrown over the border, yet in many cases they go to prison for 6 months, for the horrible "crime" of trying to provide for their families.
Today it ended in a different way: A Palestinian man was simply shot by the policeman who wanted to arrest him.
At first the police told he tried to steal their gun, a story found to be untrue.
Another victim of ruthless police violence in Jaffa.
Police harassment and violence have reached a new peak in Jaffa, yet there is nothign surprising about it. So many people i know have been harassed, abused ,degraded.
And they are scared to complain, as the harassment may become worse, or they may be arrested for some cooked up complaints, as happened to friends.
People have become scared of the police. Men, because they harass them, women, because they are sexually harrassed while walking on the streets.
Trusting the police? There ain't such a thing, in Jaffa.
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