Leafy sees

This week in #SheikhJarrah Salah Diab, our friend,

spoke about being broken from the inside,

heartbroken from the severe beating he endured during his arrest

by the Israeli army last week

. His broken leg healed, but his heart hasn’t

yet he insisted on coming & make a speech.

Salah said that the Israeli government has decided to turn

#SheikhJarrah, East #Jerusalem to a second Shuhada Street, Hebron,

another open-air prison full of checkpoints,

with soldiers asking for IDs upon exit & entry.

The children said Salah is afraid to leave their homes.

The neighborhood has become a closed militarised zone.

Salah seemed tired,

but he kept saying that he was optimistic,

that he believes that the end of the occupation is near.

He has thanked his supporters

for

over thirteen years of joint struggle.

Salah was the one to pay most dearly for those peaceful protests, a

a few years ago, he was incarcerated for several months over his political activism.

Salah kept describing the process called

“Hebronization” of East Jerusalem

– the Palestinians are prisoners, locked in their homes

and the settlers walk freely,

and many refer to

Hebron as the capital of Israeli apartheid

because of that.

Now, Salah said,

the neighborhood is

becoming increasingly similar to a closed military zone

, with new cement barricades

and security cameras recently installed

It seems that despite thirteen years of struggle

full of goodwill and intentions, the situation in

Sheikh Jarah East Jerusalem is only getting worse

in terms of creeping annexation

and discrimination against the Palestinian residents

But Salah asked

to encourage and support his audience,

to assure us that even though the situation is dire t

he is worsening of conditions

is only temporary

“We have already made history,

all of who protest here every Friday.

Some of you have made sacrifices,

got arrested, got injured.”

he said. “

You are all in my heart and in my head.”

he added warmly before leaving the stage.

I had to leave early because it was Shabat and

---

I was afraid to miss the Palestinian bus to West Jerusalem.

The service ends early on Friday.

On my way back home

I heard that the police forcefully dispersed

hundreds of peaceful protesters at Sheikh Jarah.

Despite that, the protest was most peaceful

Still, this is a protest in

East Jerusalem during times of discomfort and unrest

I try not to think about this too much so I won’t get upset.

The world cares mostly about dead Palestinians

I can’t help but be Puzzled by

how different things are between Israelis and Palestinians

. Palestinians live under military law.

They are not allowed freedom of expression

Not even peaceful protest is

allowed for Palestinians

. Even if it is allowed, it is unheard of and uncovered.

While unsung heroes such as Salah Diab walk among us.