For the non-Jewish half of Jerusalem, celebrations for the 'unified' city were inappropriate and offensive
By Seth Freedman
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday June 11 2008
"Slumped on a cheap plastic chair in the protest tent that has become his second home, Jawad's eyes blazed momentarily as he vented his rage. "Just because we're Palestinian, does that mean we have to believe their lies?" he spat, when asked how he felt about the claim that Jerusalem was now a "united" city.
"Everything's become worse [since the occupation]", he continued. "We pay almost 50% of the municipality's budget, and get less than 2% of the services in return. Our families are scared to visit us in Silwan, ever since the settlers set up home here; the settlers have stolen all of our trade by encouraging the tourists to only buy from them; they're trying to turn the whole of our village Jewish – and there's every likelihood that they'll succeed".......
For Jawad and his peers in Silwan, there was no question that the event was just another chance for the Zionist nationalists to kick them while they were down – and, it seemed, those doing the kicking weren't denying it either. "Life's tough"; "I don't feel guilty…"; "From the Nile to the Euphrates"; phrases that rang out far louder than the music emanating from the stage, and sentiments that showed the true colours of those championing the cause of conquest and capture for another year. "
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