Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The turtle and the hare


Once upon a time there were two friends, a hare and turtle, and they both joined the Jerusalem Police.

The swift hare was kept very busy in the police, all the time running here, there and everywhere. He was in Sheikh Jarah, helping to expel Palestinian families and let settlers take over their homes and beating up any demonstrator who dared protest. And he went running to Shuafat, raiding and arresting in the late hours of the night and during the day confronting youths on the streets and spraying them with tear gas. A very very busy life he had, the swift police hare.

His friend the police turtle was given an important task: to approach the settlers in that illegal seven-floor house erected in the middle of Silwan, of telling them that they must at last obey the Supreme Court's ruling and get out of there. The turtle was given the eviction order, and he duly set out for Silwan – at a snail's pace, naturally. And get there he will. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps next year, who can tell? You can’t hurry up a turtle!