Category Archives: Freedom

House Speaker Paul Ryan needs to give up his push for a border tax on imports to help pay for the GOP package to lower taxes, Rep. Jim Jordan told CNBC on Wednesday.

"We shouldn't operate in this revenue-neutral tax policy world, because that's just a fancy way of saying the tax burden is going to stay the same. We're going to shift around who pays what," said Jordan, a member of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus.

"In that scenario, what always happens in this town is the connected class get a good deal and the middle class families get a bad deal," the Ohio Republican argued on "Squawk Box," while urging GOP lawmakers to "just lower the rates, design a good tax system that's conducive to growth, and move from there."

Revenue-neutral is Washingtonspeak for legislation that pays for itself.

"Let's cut spending" instead, Jordan said.

Republicans leaders are trying to make their tax cuts revenue neutral in hopes of getting the support of GOP lawmakers concerned about raising the budget deficit and Democrats who won't even consider a bill that doesn't pay for itself.

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GOP tax cuts should not have to pay for itself, says House Freedom Caucus' Jordan - CNBC

by Ian Tartt

So many modern problems, from excessively powerful corporationsto the high cost of living, are blamed on the free market. Using thatterm in a negative way in front of most audiences will generate applause and cheers. But is that consistent with reality? Are the problems we now face the result of too much economic freedom? Lets take a look at some ways in which government intervention in the economy hurts people.

Many people are concerned about big corporations and conglomerations. They think that government is necessary to prevent such accumulations of wealth and market power. However, the reality is far different. Regulations, which have steadily increased over time, make it more difficult for businesses to thrive. Small businesses in particular have trouble complying with all the regulations and paying the taxes and fees that are levied upon them. This makes it easier for older and larger businesses to keep a greater share of the market. Thats why businesses often lobby for additional regulations, protective tariffs, or other forms of government intervention in the economy. Rather than innovate and provide better products at lower prices than their competitors, theywould rather use the government to crush competition.

Another example of the harm of government intervention in the economy is inflation (the increase in the supply of money and credit). Inflation has numerous harmful effects. The most immediately apparent effect is the way it lowers the purchasing power of money. Like everything else, money is affected by the law of supply and demand. The more money in circulation, the less each dollar is worth; the less money in circulation, the more each dollar is worth. Thus, inflation devalues money, which means prices go up in response. However, prices dont go up immediately and uniformly across the economy. When new money is created, those with strong ties to politicians get it first, before prices increase. By the time people in the middle and lower classes get the new money, prices have risen. This increase the cost of living, which is especially troublesome for those who have very little already. Further, inflation devalues money stored in savings accounts and similartypes ofaccounts; anyone dependent on something like that is thus hit even harder by inflation.

Another negative consequence of inflation is the business cycle. This is the term for a great economic boom followed by a depression or recession. When the Federal Reserve engages in inflationary policies, it leads to a great misallocation of resources as a result of people taking on ventures they normally would avoid. New businesses open up, more jobs are created, and the economy takes off. But when the bubble pops, all of that comes crashing down, and the bad investments are liquidated during the recession. Since Herbert Hoover, its been standard procedure for presidents to intervene in recessions with the hopes of making them as short and painless as possible. However, intervening actually makes them longer and more severe; businesses take longer to recover and people cant return to work as soon as they could without the intervention. So in addition to causing bad investments during the artificial boom (which deprives people of opportunities and products they could have had without the artificial boom), government intervention also hurts people during the inevitable crash.

Government policies have facilitated inflation. For most of US history, money was either made of a valuable commodity or backed by one. Precious metals such as gold and silver tended to be used because, among other things, they are scarce, durable, and retain their value over time. This kept inflation in check, reduced the frequency and severity of business cycles, and restricted the governments ability to spend and expand its own power. Over time, however, money was gradually changed into the fiat currency we use today. Precious metals were phased out of coins, the amount of gold backing each individual dollar was reduced numerous times, and eventually the last remaining tie to the gold standard was severed. As a result of these changes, our money has already been significantly devalued and is being continuously devalued through inflation.

Now that weve looked at some problems, lets examine some solutions. Drastic reductions in regulations, taxes, and fees would lead to more competition among businesses by creating a level playing field. Businesses would have to earn the support of customers through providing quality products at reasonable prices and would no longer be able to lobby the government for special favors that give them unfair advantages over their competitors. Returning to commodity money or hard money would ensure that money retained its value over time rather than lose it. Additionally, this would keep the cost of living in check and reduce the risk of economic recessions. If recessions still occurred,they could be quickly sorted out by politicians and bureaucrats keeping their hands off the economy and allowing the necessary correction phase to occur in as short a time as possible.Think about the economic growth and stability that would occur if these measures were put in place.

Its easy to see that the cause of so many of todays problems is not the free market, but the lack of a free market. Some great resources for learning more about these issues include Economics in One Lesson, Meltdown, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, and End The Fed.Anyone whos concerned about the status quo and what the future will hold should do what they can to advocate for a return to a free market as quickly as possible.Some ways to do this include asking politicians to support steps towards more economic freedom, convincing other people of the benefits of a free market and encouraging them to get involved as well, volunteering with organizations that support economic freedom such as Americans for Prosperity, and refusing to vote for ant-free market measures at the voting booth. Those who take up such a challenge have a long road ahead of them, but with the proper dedication and strategies, its certainly possible to return to a free market and enjoy all the benefits that that entails.

Americans For ProsperityCapitalism: The Unknown Idealcorporate welfareeconomic freedomEconomics in One Lessonend the fedfeesfree marketgovernment interventionInflationmeltdownMoneyregulationstaxes

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The Case for Economic Freedom - The Libertarian Republic

Grist

Religious freedom isn't just for Hobby Lobby it's for indigenous rights, too Grist Last week, the Standing Rock Sioux celebrated what they believe is a ground-breaking legal victory in the protracted fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the ...

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Religious freedom isn't just for Hobby Lobby it's for indigenous rights, too - Grist

I think of freedom in positive, aspirational terms such as found in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms," or in the uplifting songs of freedom sung by oppressed people everywhere.

But right-wing ideologues have fabricated a negative notion of "freedoms" derived from their twisted concept of individual choice. You're "free" to be poor, to be politically powerless or to be ill and uncared for, they say it's all a matter of decisions you freely make and our government has no business interfering with your free will.

This is what passes for a philosophical framework guiding today's Republican congressional leaders. For example, they say their plan to eliminate health coverage for millions of Americans and cut such essential benefits as maternity care for millions more is just a matter of good 'ol free-market consumerism. As explained by Jason Chaffetz, a Utah tea party Republican: "Americans have choices. And so maybe, rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and they want to go spend hundreds of dollars on that, maybe they should invest in their own health care."

Lest you think that Jason must simply be an oddball jerk, here's a similar deep insight from the top House Republican, Speaker Paul Ryan: "Freedom is the ability to buy what you want to fit what you need." Yes, apparently, you are as free as you can afford to be. As Vice President Mike Pence recently barked at us, Trumpcare's you're-on-your-own philosophy is all about "bringing freedom and individual responsibility back to American health care."

The GOP's austere view is that getting treatment for your spouse's cancer should be like buying a new pair of shoes a free-market decision by customers who choose their own price point, from Neiman Marcus to Goodwill. And some go barefoot ... but then, that's their choice.

Meanwhile, congressional Democrats have finally gotten a clue. A majority of Dems in the U.S. House are responding to the rising public demand that decent health care be treated as a right for everyone, rather than being rationed by profiteering insurance conglomerates. Nearly six of 10 Dems in the House have now signed on to Rep. John Conyers' "Medicare for All" bill, which is being carried in the Senate by Bernie Sanders. (Minus Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who says "the American people" aren't ready for it, meaning the narrow slice of the public that inhabits her world health industry executives, lobbyists and campaign donors aren't ready.)

To help push both the party and the issue forward, go tonationalnursesunited.org.

You can contact Hightower at jimhightower.com.

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Enjoy your freedom to die - Colorado Springs Independent

Phoenix, Ariz., Jun 21, 2017 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In recognition of their promotion of religious freedom, the founder of Alliance Defending Freedom and his wife will be inducted next week into the Order of St. Gregory the Great.

Alan and Paula Sears will receive the honor, granted to individuals for extraordinary service to the Church, at a June 29 service led by Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix at St. Bernadette parish in Scottsdale, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix.

Bestowing the honor on the Sears is a well-deserved recognition of their many years of defending religious freedom, standing up for the true meaning of marriage and family life, defending the dignity and right to life of every human person, and faithfully living their lay vocation in their home, their parish, and the public square, Bishop Olmsted has said.

The Order of St. Gregory the Great is granted to individuals for extraordinary service to the Catholic Church. It is one of several orders of pontifical knighthood, which the Church bestows to continue chivalric traditions and recognize merit and service. It can be given to both Catholics and non-Catholics, and was established in 1831 by Gregory XVI.

Previous recipients include Leo Nester, professor emeritus of choral and sacred music at the Catholic University of America; Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics; Chen Chien-jen, vice president of Taiwan; Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus; and Polish composer Henryk Gorcki.

Alan Sears founded Alliance Defending Freedom in 1994. The non-profit legal organization advocates for religious liberty, and has defended the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family, and has upheld the rights to free speech and conscientious objection.

Paula and I are more than humbled by this honor. Christians and people of goodwill everywhere should have the freedom to live what they believe and to follow their conscience, what James Madison called the most sacred of all property, Sears said in a June 15 statement.

We have counted it a privilege, with Gods grace, to do our part to protect these freedoms. Pope Francis repeatedly has spoken strongly about religious liberty, marriage and family, and the sanctity of life, so it is a distinct honor to be recognized by him for our work in those areas.

Paula added that the world benefits when the Gospel is freely preached and lived We are blessed to have had the opportunity to support and encourage those who have sacrificially shared that message and their lives with others. We are very humbled and grateful to Pope Francis for this honor and additionally thank him for his leadership in these areas.

Since founding Alliance Defending Freedom alongside several other Christian leaders, Alan Sears served as the organization's president, CEO, and general counsel until the beginning of 2017. He has since transitioned into a founder's role at the non-profit.

He was succeeded as president, CEO, and general counsel in January by Michael Farris.

Farris commented that I am personally grateful for Alan and Paulas 23 years of sacrificial service to ADF and, therefore, also grateful to Pope Francis for bestowing them with this incredible honor. Its amazing to be part of an organization that would not be where it is today without their tireless efforts and service to the body of Christ and beyond.

Alan Sears served in several positions under the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations in the Departments of Justice and the Interior. He earned his doctorate in law from the University of Louisville School of Law, and had previously graduated from the University of Kentucky.

He is a member in good standing with the American, Arizona, California, District of Columbia (inactive), and Kentucky bar associations.

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Religious freedom advocates to receive papal honor - Catholic News Agency

A closely contested game saw the Florence Freedom, presented by Titan Mechanical Solutions, drum up just enough support for starter Marty Anderson, who turned in the best start of his professional career in a 2-1 victory over the Normal CornBelters on Tuesday night at the Corn Crib.

Anderson (5-1) tossed a career-high seven and one-third innings, holding Normal (17-17) to one run on six hits, walking one and striking out four. The left-hander bent, but never broke, against a resilient CornBelters lineup, as he left the go-ahead run stranded three times throughout the evening.

Julio Vivas (3-2) took the loss for Normal, despite nearly matching Anderson. Vivas also pitched seven and one-third innings, but gave up the decisive run in the seventh inning, as he uncorked a wild pitch with the bases loaded that allowed Garrett Vail to score from third for the Freedom (23-11).

Florence had taken a first-inning lead in the game, as Daniel Fraga led off with a double and scored on a double by Taylor Oldham. Collins Cuthrell would single to left field three batters later, but Oldham was thrown out trying to score from second by left fielder Jesus Solarzano. The CornBelters tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the second, as Justin Fletcher led off with a double, advanced to third on a flyout by Diego Cedeno and scored on a Miguel Torres sacrifice fly to center field.

When Anderson departed with one out in the eighth and a 2-1 lead intact, Yeixon Ruiz stood on first base after a single as Matt Pobereyko entered to pitch. Representing the tying run, Ruiz stole second and took third on a Pobereyko wild pitch. But Santiago Chirino flew out to right field, and Ruiz, attempting to tag up and score, was tagged out at the plate on a strong throw from Cuthrell in right field to end the inning. Pobereyko would work around a pair of one-out walks in the ninth and struck out the final two batters of the game to seal the victory for the Freedom.

The series continues Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at the Corn Crib. Right-hander Cody Gray (5-1) will start for the Freedom against CornBelters right-hander Charlie Gillies (2-2).

The Florence Freedom are members of the independent Frontier League and play all home games at UC Health Stadium located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, KY.The Freedom can be found online at FlorenceFreedom.com, or by phone at 859-594-4487.

Florence Freedom

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Freedom continue strong play with win over Cornbelters on the road in series opener - User-generated content (press release) (registration)

LA Freedom Festival 89.3 KPCC The Freedom Sculpture will be unveiled and officially gifted in a free public ceremony at the culmination of the inaugural L.A. Freedom Festival, which will take place on Tuesday July 4, 2017 from 5:30pm to 10:00pm at a street-closed section of Santa ...

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LA Freedom Festival - 89.3 KPCC

Student was sent into a forced labour camp for stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel

STUDENT Otto Warmbier was plucked from the passport control queue and arrested as he tried to leave North Korea.

The tourist was held for stealing a propaganda poster from his hotel, and his pal jokingly told him: Well, thats the last well see of you.

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The quip was actually a grim look into his future. Two months later he was paraded on state television, weeping as he begged judges to find it in your hearts to allow me to return home.

That was the last time his family heard him speak.

Two weeks later he was sentenced to 15 years in one of dictator Kim Jong-uns brutal labour camps.

Reuters

AP:Associated Press

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After 17 months, Otto, 22, was last week flown home to the US in a coma, unresponsive and severely brain damaged. On Monday, he was dead.

His parents, Fred and Cindy, said: He was unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands.

He looked very uncomfortable almost anguished. Although wed never hear his voice again, within a day the countenance on his face changed he was at peace.

He was home and we believe he could sense that.

The University of Virginia student travelled to Pyongyang, the capital, as part of a group trip organised by Young Pioneer Tours. Founded by Brit Gareth Johnson, the company claims to offer bizarre experiences.

How Otto ended up dead is likely down to North Koreas notorious labour camps, some of which are so big they can be seen from space.

AP:Associated Press

AP:Associated Press

AP:Associated Press

One, Camp 16, holds 20,000 political prisoners and is twice the size of Birmingham.

A United Nations Human Rights report in 2014 described the abuse in the camps as brutality that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world.

North Korea claimed Otto fell into a coma after suffering a rare and extreme form of food poisoning.

Yet medics in the US could find no sign of the illness and believed Otto, from Cincinnati, Ohio, suffered a heart attack after his brain was starved of oxygen. There was no evidence of physical torture but former detainees have told of daily deaths due to starvation and intense work.

Jeong Kwang-il, who was released in 2003, said: Too much work was expected of prisoners, so they could not get food because they failed to meet their quota. Thus they get weaker and die because of starvation.

American Kenneth Bae, who was released in 2014, recalled being interrogated for 14 hours a day for the first month then forced into labour for ten-hour days, six days a week.

AP:Associated Press

Barcroft Media

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His toil included carrying rock and shovelling coal.

Testimonies given to the UN told of child prisoners, women disappearing after being raped by guards and detainees forced to dig their own graves. Currently, three other US citizens and one Canadian are being held.

Otto arrived in Pyongyang on December 30, 2015, with British tourist Danny Gratton, from Stone, Staffs.

Danny said Kim Jong-uns barbarity was something the West cant grasp, the evilness behind that dictatorship.

Before his trial in February last year, it is believed Otto confessed in the hope of securing a lenient sentence.

Nothing was known about his condition until US officials were told this month that he had been in a coma for more than a year.

Young Pioneer Tours said it would no longer offer North Korea trips to US citizens, while the Home Office warns of the risk of detention.

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Parents of tragic Otto Warmbier heard their son begging for freedom on TV then never heard his voice again - The Sun

VALDOSTA On June 19, 1865, Union Gen. Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops marched into Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves.

President Abraham Lincoln had issued the famed Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier, but it wasnt until Granger arrived in Texas that the law was fully enforced in all parts of the South

June 19 has been a celebration of freedom ever since. Known as Juneteenth and observed all across the country, it is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

Saturday, residents gathered at the courthouse square in downtown Valdosta to join in on the celebration with Community Awareness Day.

The event featured a festival-like atmosphere, including fun activities, comfort food and sweet treats, dance performances, proclamations from Valdosta and Lowndes County officials and the chance to learn about local organizations.

Dr. Beverly Richardson-Blake, a coordinator of the event, said the day was all about imparting knowledge and promoting unity.

Juneteenth sometimes referred to as the African-American Fourth of July has been celebrated locally for the past 25 years, but many still dont know its history.

Debbie Smith had a tent set up at the event and was selling a little of this and a little of that: clothes, purses, jewelry, even fidget spinners, the hottest new toy.

Smith, 35, is African-American but said she never knew what Juneteenth actually celebrated until recently. She always thought it was just a fun summer holiday.

It wasnt until last year when a friend told her of the days historic and meaningful beginnings. As kids played in a colorful bounce house nearby, Smith said its important to teach people the important history of Juneteenth at a young age.

Richardson-Blake agreed, saying Community Awareness Day was meant to help people understand the meaning of Juneteenth and its significance in the community.

It is a day of freedom, she said as Walking on Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves blared across the square. I think back to my ancestors, some of the difficulties that they went through. While were not faced with all of those today, there are still some struggles that we need to overcome.

So were still working in that direction of becoming free. Its a critical holiday. Its good to look back and see how far we have come and then look ahead and see how much farther we have to go.

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Commemorating Freedom: Community celebrates Juneteenth - Valdosta Daily Times

Eyal Shani arrived at Sumud Freedom Camp at midday, just as Fadhel Aamar was waking up, emerging from the shadowy cave he now inhabits. It was a hot and dusty Ramadan day, and Aamar had been up all night, chatting and eating with the Jewish American volunteers.

Two days earlier, the IDF raided the camp for the third time, confiscating five dozen mattresses, two tents, food, and water. They also slashed the camps banners with knives. Earlier raids ended with the detention of Mohammad Aamar, Fadhels son, and the confiscation of his car.

Aamar, a 55-year-old farmer, was born in the caves of Sarura, a depopulated Palestinian hamlet located 10 miles south of Hebron. But in 1997, he said, the violence of settlers from the nearby outpost of Havat Maon forced him and his family to relocate to the Palestinian village of Twaneh.

They would burn our crops and our tents, and threw animal corpses and chemical substances into our wells to destroy them, he said.

Fadhel Ammar sits in one of the caves located on his land in Sarura. (Photo: Elhanan Miller)

Sarura is one of 12 Palestinian communities in the South Hebron Hills evicted in late 1999 when the IDF declared the lands they sit on Firing Zone 918. Residents of the communitiesestimated by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel to number 1,300have been fighting the decision in court since 2000. Meanwhile, the army considers them seasonal farmers unworthy of compensation.

Six months ago, a coalition of Palestinian organizations and left-wing Jewish American groups decided to take up Aamars cause. On May 19, 300 activists arrived on the site and set up the Sumud Freedom Camp, Arabic for steadfastness. The group, which included 130 volunteers with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, erected tents and began clearing rubble from the abandoned caves, preparing them for repopulation.

Organizers say about 200 international volunteers have worked in the camp, mostly from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Western Europe. Many of them are temporarily based in Israel as students, international aid-agency workers, or members of All Thats Left collective. Some 80 Israelis have also come to Sarura, representing groups like Combatants for Peace, Taayoush, Haqel, and Free Jerusalem.

Shani, a tai chi teacher with bright blue eyes and a thin gray ponytail, had loaded his jeep with a slightly lopsided pingpong table and a rusting basketball hoop he found discarded in the dumpster of his BeShevasuburb. Im a kind of garbage collector, but one persons garbage is another persons treasure, he said. Over the past four years, Shanis visits to the Palestinian mountain community have been almost daily.

He cheered the camp dwellers up with a large box of vegetables, as well as rosemary and fig saplings, donations from the Bedouins of Laqiya.

***

The Israeli 49-year-old was an odd man out in the camp. Its mostly English-speaking residents arrive regularly from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for daytime and nighttime shifts, struggling at times to communicate with the local Palestinians. Three female volunteers, from the United States, Switzerland, and the U.K., began their day at Sarura cleaning up discarded water bottles and cigarette butts, trying to mend Sumuds slashed paper banner. They lifted two handwritten placards reading Occupation is not my Judaism and Trump is a Shmuck off the ground, leaning them against the outer wall of one of the caves.

Tamar Lissy of Basel, Switzerland, 23, helped set up the Sumud Camp on May 19 as part of the international delegation of the Center for Jewish Nonviolence. That night, a Friday, members held a traditional Kabalat Shabbat service at the site. Her parents, Jerusalem residents who sent her to Bnei Akiva as a child, supported her decision to lend a hand to the Palestinians. After graduating from sociology and Islamic studies at Brandeis University, she volunteered to help integrate Syrian and Eritrean refugees into Swiss society for a nonprofit based in Zurich. It feels really nice to be part of this community of Palestinians, Jews, and Israelis together, she said. I was told this wasnt possible, but it is, and its really meaningful for me to be here and see it happen.

(Photo: Elhanan Miller)

Natasha Westheimer was born in Melbourne, Australia, but educated in Maryland and Oxford, specializing in water management. A resident of Tel Aviv for the past three years, Westheimer came to Sarura as a member of All Thats Left. I saw this sort of nonviolent resistance as a critical opportunity to uplift the Palestinian nonviolent movement, she said. As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, theres no doubt in my mind that the Jewish values of justice, freedom, and equality are sacred.

Asked why All Thats Left has to state that occupation does not reflect Judaism, Westheimer said that the State of Israel often speaks on behalf of the Jewish people and is perceived as their representative. Living in Tel Aviv, you see the 18-year-olds getting on the train, eating McDonalds hamburgers, changing into their bathing suits to go to the beach. These are the same people who are showing up here in uniform, destroying, demolishing, confiscating, and disrupting life, she continued. Its critical for me to make the distinction between the individual soldiers and the system of military occupation.

Dealing with Israeli soldiers as a left-wing activist has been a particularly difficult emotional process, Westheimer added. She said that acknowledging her privilege as an American Jew able to travel freely throughout the landas opposed to the situation of the Palestinians she came to supportwas a process wrought with confusion, shame, and embarrassment.

For Anna Roiser, who took a break from her career as a divorce lawyer in London to volunteer in Jerusalem for six months, meeting Israeli soldiers in conflictual situations has also caused some cognitive dissonance. Growing up in the Zionist religious youth movement Bnei Akiva, she never remembered discussing Israels policies in the West Bank and Gaza.

Part of the problem with the discussion about Israel in the U.K. is that youre not even supposed to talk about the occupation. The maps of Israel we had didnt have any dotted lines; it was presented as a miracle God gave us the entire land, she said.

The idea of being a Zionist and supporting Israel is conflated with supporting the occupation. Theyre not separable. I think thats very problematic because then many people reject the occupation and reject Israel. Its a great shame because I think theres a great case to be made for Israel that is also honest.

More worrying, perhaps, she said, was the growing detachment of Jewish students at Cambridge University, which she attended in the early 2000s, from Jewish organizations on campus. Following the Second Intifada, there were Jewish people who didnt like what was going on in Israel, and for that reason chose not to go to Jewish Society, she noted. Numbers of people attending Jewish Society would go up and down depending on what was happening in Israel.

***

The distinction between Jews and Israelis seemed lost on Mahdi, Fadhel Aamars 15-year-old grandson, who was hammering away on a guitar one of the volunteers had lent him, and speaks only Arabic. We want to get our land back from the Jews, he said. They move step by step to get us off the land.

Members of the Aamar family awake from a nap during Ramadan. (Photo: Elhanan Miller)

But Fadhel Aamar, who spent his entire life working as a home renovator for Jewish contractors, said his struggle to remain in the cave would surely fail without the support of the Jewish volunteers from abroad. Netanyahu and the settlers lie to the media as though its a matter of Arabs attacking Jews, but God will show the truth, he said. These people showed my truth to the entire world. My endurance here is thanks to them.

According to architect Alon Cohen-Lifshitz of Bimkom, an Israeli nonprofit specializing in planning rights, some 180 Bedouin and agricultural communities across the Israeli-controlled portions of the West Bank face a similar threat of eviction and relocation to Palestinian cities and suburbs.

The shepherds of Sarura have no real alternative since this is the only land they have for sheep herding, Cohen-Lifshitz said. All of the states proposals to move shepherd communities to populated areas far from herding areas are not taken from the point of view of the shepherds but from the Israeli perspective, and are therefore doomed to fail.

He noted that nearby Havat Maon, an illegal Israeli outpost supposedly dismantled by the government of Ehud Barak in 1999, continues to thrive untouched.

***

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Elhanan Miller is a Jerusalem-based reporter specializing in the Arab world. His Twitter feed is @ElhananMiller.

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Elhanan Miller - Tablet Magazine