“My name is Hala, I am seven years old. I live with my eight siblings in a small house in the city of Al-Khader. Our house has been demolished 2 times already, and I feel afraid all the time that the Israelis might come and demolish it again. I can see my parents are worried, my dad has already lost his legs and is disabled because he was injured during the first demolition of the house.

I dream of becoming a singer! I want to be popular and beautiful. Do you like my dress? My mom bought it for me, for my 8th birthday. She says as long as I do well at school I can become whatever I want in the future.”

This quote was taken from a powerful conversation with Ali’s daughter Hala during our solidarity visit to their incomplete house in Al-Khader, a town near Bethlehem. Not mentioned above is the huge burden that Ali carries due to financial hardship as he was the sole breadwinner of his big family, until he had to have his injured leg amputated. Under this stress, Ali’s sons had to quit school at a very young age and look for jobs to financially support their family.

Unknown to Hala, Ali has just received the third warrant for their house demolishing from the Israeli Military.

Israel has been demolishing and ordering Palestinian families evacuation of areas in the West Bank in favor of making more places for settlements and settlers to move in for decades. Coronavirus has done nothing to slow down the rate of demolitions.

Over the last ten years, Israel has demolished over 6,000 Palestinian homes and structures, meaning that over 100,000 men, women, and children have been made homeless. Some of these demolitions are ‘punitive’ – the authorities claim they are the homes of terrorists but many more are administrative or due to zoning. Basically they are a way of moving Palestinians from land the Israeli government want to control. This is illegal under the Geneva Convention and other human rights declarations.
 
Since 2007, Holy Land Trust, often working with our partners Amos Trust in the UK, have rebuilt 10 homes giving safety, security and dignity to 10 families.

We are determined to make the dream of a new home a reality for Ali, Hala and the rest of the family. We want Hala to enjoy her childhood and find a way of becoming all she wants to be.

Please help us by raising awareness off what is happening in Al-Khader with embassies and Government representatives in your region. Help us by raising awareness through the media, in your place of worship and among friends and family. Support us financially if you can and most importantly please pray that this house will be built and will remain standing despite the threats for its demolition.

Ali and his family need a miracle. We are doing all we can to work with them to make it happen. Please join in and together we may see injustice challenged and hope restored.

keep their home through writing formal emails to their embassies, government and parliament presenters…etc.]

This appeal is a cooperation between Holy Land Trust and Taghyeer.

Elias Deis - Executive Director
Holy Land Trust’s E.D., Elias Deis has worked for over a decade at Holy Land Trust. He was formally the Travel & Encounter Program Director and serves on the Beit Sahour City Council.