The world has come to know the dire situation in Palestine via graphic eruptions of violence such as those we witnessed recently at the Great March of Return — state violence purposefully enacted against men, women, children, disabled people, journalists, and medics. Yet little of the day to day acts of oppression and humiliation — acts that indeed drive people to despair — are reported, rendering our understanding of the human crisis in Palestine extremely limited.

But a recent event points out the unrelenting, devastating nature of the Occupation, illuminating the Kafkaesque and immensely cruel program of Israeli dominance and humiliation. Israel’s continued construction of illegal settlements on the West Bank has resulted in the demolition of Palestinian homes, buildings, and entire villages for some time now. Israel is now requiring Palestinians to destroy their homes themselves, or face prison time, as Al Jazeera recently reported.

To understand this tactic of erasing a people requires a thorough understanding of the Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Territories.