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July 2nd, 2021 
Awake Goy 
Israel has begun demolitions in the al-Bustan area of Silwan. Most Democratic congress members have largely ignored the destruction, but a small group of progressive House members have criticized Israel actions on Twitter with many using the #SaveSilwan hashtag.
“Homes are next in Silwan, East Jerusalem. 1,500 Palestinians—including 900+ children—face displacement right now,” tweeted Illinois Rep. Chuy Garcia. “Residents defending their property are met with extreme violence by Israeli forces. We must not look away.”
Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley called on the Biden administration to act.
“I stand in solidarity with the residents of Silwan’s Al-Bustan neighborhood who are facing the demolition of their homes by the Israeli government,” she tweeted. “The violent dispossession of Palestinians is a clear violation of international law. [Secretary of State Tony Blinken] must act.”
Indiana Rep. André Carson: “Palestinian people in Silwan continue to live under threat of home demolition and displacement. When the U.S. fails to uphold its values in foreign policy, people notice and children suffer the most.”
Information about the demolitions was also retweeted by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
The strongest condemnation came from Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, who referred to Israel as an apartheid state in her tweet. “The Israeli military forces Palestinian families to demolish their own homes,” she wrote. “If they don’t, the military demolishes them, and the families face exorbitant fines. We demand our government stop funding this traumatic, apartheid system.”
Protests in Silwan erupted this week after Israeli forces demolished a neighborhood butcher shop for allegedly not having a proper permit. Israeli soldiers injured over a dozen protestors during the demonstrations. Israel has ordered 100 families to destroy their own homes or pay the demolition costs.
“They [Israel] say we have ‘illegal construction’, or buildings without permits, or that the fight to take over our homes and our land is a ‘real estate dispute’. But at its core, it is a political and ideological battle,” al-Bustan resident Quteibah Odeh told Mondoweiss correspondent Yumna Patel. “If you look outside your window in Silwan you can see the al-Aqsa mosque. We hear the sound of our prayers from the mosque here in Silwan. It’s a strategic location for the occupation.”
“And this is the real battle: Israel is trying to move settlers in and push Palestinians out, so they can change the reality on the ground,” he added.
Congressional Democrats are being pressured to stop the ethnic cleansing. On June 28 there was National Day of Action drawing attention to the situation. Activists mobilized in front of congressional offices and launched a campaign to flood Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer with phone calls.
“The calls for Palestinian freedom and justice are more popular than ever,” said US Campaign for Palestinian Rights executive director Ahmad Abuznaid in a statement. “Defunding apartheid is the minimum. We demand the Democratic Party leadership act to end these expulsions immediately, including by ending US military funding to Israel.”
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