Activist Zuheir a-Rajibi speaks about his community, Silwan

"and yet they still come and try to convince me that this is a democracy. I'd love for someone to show me one democratic thing in this country. you speak up, you're arrested. you protest, you're arrested. you put up a flag, you're arrested. this entire enterprise - who pays for it? we do. it comes out of our taxes - we foot the bill. the private security guards that just left the settlement now - their salaries are paid by our taxes. the police and border police, who are here to protect the settlers only - we pay their salaries with our taxes. there are two permanent installations - one for the private security guards, one for the police and border police - 24/7 presence paid for by us. what can a person do, what can a human being with their two hands do in front of these machines? a machine that wants as simply as this: no Palestinians and to give to settlers." - Zuheir a-Rajibi, community leader of the Batan al-Hawa neighborhood in Silwan.

these videos are from a tour at the end of July 2021 with diaspora Jews, Israelis and internationals interested in learning more about the immediate and dire situation of the eviction and demolition orders on Palestinian homes throughout Silwan by a state that seeks to instead gentrify the neighborhood with settlers. this is forced displacement, this is occupation, this is apartheid. translation by Isaac Rose.