Giving Compass' Take:
- A new report details the devastating effects of home demolition by Israeli authorities on Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
- How can you advocate for the rights of Palestinian children suffering under Israeli occupation and colonization?
- Read about the growing solidarity between Palestinians in Israel and Palestine.
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Four out of five children in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem whose homes have been demolished by Israeli authorities say they have lost faith that anyone can help or protect them and feel “abandoned by the world”, child rights organisation Save the Children has found.
The report published on Monday comes as Palestinians living in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhoods of occupied East Jerusalem face expulsion from their homes to make way for Israeli settlers, pending decisions by the Israeli Supreme Court.
The report, titled Hope under the rubble: the impact of Israel’s home demolition policy on Palestinian children and their families, consulted 217 Palestinian families across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, all of whom had their homes demolished by Israeli authorities in the past ten years.
Of the children surveyed, 80 percent said they had lost faith in the ability of the international community, authorities, and even their parents to help and protect them. They reported feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness about the future, the report found.
“Nobody stopped them – or could stop them again – from destroying our home, our lives. So why should I bother to dream about a good future?” Fadi, 16, told Save the Children.
The report also found that 76 percent of parents and caregivers feel powerless and unable to protect their children after losing their homes. A majority also said they feel shame, irritation, and anger while 35 percent said they felt emotionally distant from their children.
Read the full article about the rights of Palestinian children at Al Jazeera.