In recent years, Israel has continued its intensive destruction activities in the Jordan Valley, South of Hebron and Ma’ale Adumim (Area E1). This destruction is accompanied, and sometimes initiated by violent harassments by Jewish settlers who do not enable thei Palestinians to lead a normal life. Based on a study by B’Tselem the map shows 70 Palestinian localities threatened by total destruction. 

 

Here there is information also about two villages outside the West Bank, in Israel. Umm Alhiran and ‘Attir are non going to be added to the map in the coming updated version.

 

Upon their future erasure, these will represent the “natural” continuation of the Israeli destruction project. For years, they have been suffering from massive house demolitions, and their chances of survival are minimal. Without significant international intervention, it appears that in the future, when we update the map, these too will be included under the category of localities completely destroyed since 1967.

 

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Jordan Valley

 

Badu al-Mashru‘

Location on the map: M17

On 21 January 2016, authorities demolished three huts used as a residence by a family in the community of Badu al-Mashru‘, on the outskirts of the city of Jericho. The huts, donated by a humanitarian aid agency after a demolition in 2013, were used by a family of 13, including eight minors. 

http://jps.ucpress.edu/content/ucpjps/45/4/1.1.full.pdf

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Zra’ ‘Awad

Location on the map: M14

On April 2015 representatives of the Civil Administration (CA) served temporary evacuation orders to some sixty families, numbering some 410 people including approximately 120 minors, in seven Palestinian communities in the northern Jordan Valley. The orders required some families to leave their homes and property for periods of three to twelve hours. The evacuation was ordered for a military maneuver in the area. The families were given only a few days to prepare for the evacuation. The residents of Zra’ ‘Awad had to evacuate their homes one day for several hours. 

http://www.btselem.org/area_c/20150521_temp_evacuations_of_communitieis_in_the_jv

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Khallet Khader

Location on the map: M12

The community of Khallet Khader is located in the region of al-Farisiyah, in the northern Jordan Valley, which the military had termed a firing zone, and near the settlements of Shadmot-Mehola and Rotem. The community’s residents are farmers and shepherds. Some families live on site only for certain seasons of the year. On 29 February 2016, Civil Administration (CA) and military personnel arrived at the community of Khallet Khader. Five dwelling tents were demolished, which were home to 19 people, including five minors. They also demolished three livestock pens in use by Khallet Khader families. The tents had been given to the families by the Red Cross after the CA demolished 21 structures in the community on 11 February 2016.

http://www.btselem.org/facing_expulsion_blog?community=All&nid=148867&page=3

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al-Musafah

Location on the map: L14

In February 2016, authorities carried out demolitions in the communities Khallet Khader [Khillat al-Khader], al-Musafah and Abu al-’Ajaj, located on the outskirts of the village of al-Jiftlik, as well as in Khirbet Tana and Fasayil al-Wusta. They demolished once again the homes and livestock enclosure of a family whose structures had already been demolished in August 2015. The total number of demolitions in Jordan Valley communities over these three days stands at 22 dwellings and 35 structures used for storage and livestock. Authorities also demolished five structures in recognized villages in the Jordan Valley, built on village land designated as Area C.

http://jps.ucpress.edu/content/ucpjps/45/4/1.1.full.pdf

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Taybeh East

Location on the map: L17

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al-Mkassar

Location on the map: M13

On Thursday morning, 4 February 2016, Civil Administration (CA) officials came to the Palestinian shepherding community of al-Mkassar in the northern Jordan Valley with bulldozers and a military escort. They proceeded to demolish four tents that were home to two families – a total of 19 people, including 12 minors. They also demolished eight livestock pens. These families had already lost their homes in a previous demolition in June 2015.

http://www.btselem.org/facing_expulsion_blog?community=All&nid=148769&page=1&nid=148769

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Kh. 'Ein a-Rashash

Location on the map: L15

On 15 February 2016, Civil Administration staff, accompanied by soldiers, demolished 32 structures, some of them dwellings, in the community of Khirbet 'Ein a-Rashash, south of the Palestinian village of Duma, in the Nablus district. The community is home to 13 families, with some 100 members, including 60 minors. Some of the families live at the site on a seasonal basis, and migrate with the flocks to other parts of the West Bank through some of the year. After the community found out in early February about the Civil Administration’s plan to demolish the structures, four families left the site. The Civil Administration and the soldiers demolished the dwellings of the nine families who were at the site at the time, the homes of 68 people, including 40 minors. The authorities also demolished 22 pens and animal enclosures belonging to families in the community.

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20160225_demolition_campaign_continues

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Kh. Samrah

Location on the map: M13

Despite the proximity to Israeli water drills, many communities in Area C suffer from a water shortage due to Israel’s policy that limits water supply throughout the year, and more so during the summer months. In June 2016, Civil Administration personnel seized a tractor that was hauling a water tank in the Palestinian community of Khirbet Samrah, and left a demolition order for water reservoirs built by residents in the area of Khirbet al-Malih. 

http://www.btselem.org/water/20160622_jv_water_restrictions

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Kh. a-Deir

Location on the map: N12

On 31October 2016, Civil Administration (CA) forces arrived at the community of Khirbet a-Deir, located between the Palestinian village of Ein al-Beida and the Jordanian border. The forces demolished three dwellings and eight structures used as livestock pens, leaving 14 people, four of them minors, homeless. The confiscations and demolitions are an element of a policy implemented by Israel in an effort to expel Palestinian communities from the Area C.

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20161031_demolition

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Kh. ‘Einun

Location on the map: L13

In January 2016, the CA (Civil Administration) demolished four structures used for storing agricultural equipment and grains in Khirbet ‘Einun, which lies some five kilometers from the town of Tubas. The structures belong to families from Tubas who own farmland in the area. In August 2015, the Civil Administration demolished two homes in Khirbet ‘Einun.

http://www.btselem.org/jordan_valley/20160117_demolitions_and_temp_evac_in_jv

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Fasayil al-Fuqa

Location on the map: M15 

In August 2015 Israeli authorities demolished structures in 29 Palestinians villages and communities in Area C of the West Bank, leaving 228 people, 124 of them minors, homeless in a sweltering heat of one of the most hottest months on record. The village of Fasayil al-Fuqa were one of the most affected, having 17 structures demolished. Many of the demotions were carried out in small shepherding and farming communities where residents are constantly subject of threats and ongoing Israeli attempts to drive them from their homes and force them from Area C. The demolitions were ordered on the pretext of “illegal construction” – a disingenuous argument since Palestinians are denied the possibility to constructed their homes legally.

http://www.btselem.org/download/201509_august_of_destruction_information_sheet.pdf

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al-'Aqaba

Location on the map: L12

The village of al-‘Aqaba, in the northern Jordan Valley, had a population of about 600. After the occupation of the West Bank the locality was declared a closed military zone. Live-fire military exercises were frequently conducted within the village itself, lasting several days a week. Over the years, two residents were killed by soldier’s gunfire and four others, including a six-year-old girl, were killed when dud shells left behind after military exercises exploded. At least 38 villagers have been injured by dud shells that exploded after left behind after an exercise. The Civil Administration has never prepared a master plan for the village and, in early 2004, issued demolition orders for 35 of the village’s 45 buildings, including most of the residential structures, a mosque, a pre-school, a medical clinic, and the community’s only paved road. In July 2012, the Civil Administration issued new demolition orders. The residents petitioned the High Court of Justice seeking to have the orders rescinded, and the Court issued an interim injunction on the demolitions, “subject to a freeze of the status quo on the ground in terms of construction and making use of buildings. To date, court deliberations on the petition have yet to take place.

http://www.btselem.org/jordan_valley/al_aqabah

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al-Farisiyah

Location on the map: M12

In June 2010, the Civil Administration declared the village’s area a firing zone and demand the residents to evacuate the village within 24 hours. According to the residents, the military has never conducted training exercises in the village. The residents remained in their village. The village of al-Farisiyah have over 200 residents. The village is not connected to water or electricity and has no schools. Its children attend school in ‘Ein al-Beida, a five-kilometer walk each way.

http://www.btselem.org/jordan_valley/al_farisiyah

 

al-Hadidiyah 

Location on the map: M13

Israel declared the site a firing zone and the residents were ordered to vacate it in 1997. A petition to the High Court of Justice the residents filed against the expulsion was rejected in 2003, and they were forced to leave. However, the Civil Administration issued demolition orders for structures built in the new location as well, claiming it was agricultural land. A petition the villagers filed in March 2004 against the Civil Administration's policy in their village was rejected in December 2006. The Israeli justices accepted the arguments presented by the Israeli military and the Civil Administration for prioritizing the evacuation of al-Hadidiya. The village is located near the settlement of Ro'i, on land leased from residents of Tubas. The village is cut off from any regular water supply despite its proximity to a Mekorot (Israeli national water company) pump (Beqa’ot 2). 

http://www.btselem.org/jordan_valley/al_hadidiyeh

 

Kh. Tall al-Himma 

Location on the map: M12

The community of Khirbet Tell al Himma in the northern Jordan Valley. Displaced families were still living in uncertain conditions, reporting regular harassment by the Israeli army and settlers, and with limited space for the provision of needed humanitarian relief. Since 2009, four demolition incidents have taken place in the village. These involved the demolition of 32 structures and the displacement of 50 people, including 21 children, and otherwise affected 29 people, including 12 children.
http://proxy.arij.org/tubas/static/localities/profiles/100_Profile.pdf

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Kh. al-Malih

Location on the map: M12

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al-Burj

Location on the map: M12 

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‘Ein al-Meyteh 

Location on the map: M12

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Kh. Humsah 

Location on the map: M13 

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Ibziq 

Location on the map: L12

In May and June 2015 the communities listed above (around 60 families) were temporary evacuated from their houses due to military maneuvers in the region. Some families were asked to leave their homes for hours, some are asked to leave for a week. The short notice evacuation didn’t give the families time to properly arrange a place to stay, ensure shelter, food or water. The community of Kh. Humsah was the most affected by the evacuation. 

The military training in the Jordan Valley area has been more frequently over the last 3 years. This policy is one of the methods employ by Israel to prevent Palestinians from accessing the land.

http://www.btselem.org/area_c/20150521_temp_evacuations_of_communitieis_in_the_jv

 

Kh. Yarza 

Location on the map: M12

This small and isolated community was declared a firing zone in 1968. Since then, Civil administration and the army have repeatedly demolished the villages structures, most recently in 2011. The community has limited access to water and are no connected to a power grid. The roads connecting Kh. Yarza to the near town of Tubas and the village of Taysir were blocked in the 2000s. On January 2015, Civil Administration took apart the water pipes and confiscated the parts. Khirbet Yarza is a small shepherding community which originated from Tubas, have lived at Yarza for many generations. After Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, the army demolished all the permanent structures in the village but one. Although the residents personally own the land on which the community lives, the military declared it a “firing zone” in 1968. At present, the community consists of 13 families numbering 72 people, including 37 minors.

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20150223_confiscation_of_yarza_water_system

 

Kh. Wadi al-Faw

Location on the map: M12

 

Kh. Um al-Jmal 

Location on the map: M12

This small village, with a total population of 61 residents (in 2014), have all their structures demolished by the Civil Administration on February 2014, on the grounds of “constructed without permits”. On the total 16 tents and 12 sheep pen were destroyed. The residents attempted to rebuild what was left but soldiers wouldn’t allow them to do so. The village does not have an approved master plan, so is impossible for them to build more permanent structures without the fear of demolition.

http://www.btselem.org/jordan_valley/20140220_um_al_jmal

 

Kh. ‘Ein al-Hilweh 

Location on the map: M12

In 2010 the Civil Administration demolished two residential structures and two sheep enclosures, leaving 20 persons, including nine children, homeless. In 2013 the community was evacuated temporary several times alleging the necessity of military practice on the area. If the residents did not leave voluntarily, they would be forcibly removed, their livestock confiscated, and they would be billed for the cost of the evacuation.

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20100812_whole_village_demolished_in_jordan_valley

 

Kh. a-Ras al-Ahmar 

Location on the map: M13

Beduin community under risk of demolition and exposed to sustained live fire inside its residential area for two days while an Israeli military training exercise was conducted in the vicinity without prior notice.
http://www.btselem.org/jordan_valley/20160127_army_training_in_khirbet_a_ras_al_ahmar

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Khallet Makhul

Location on the map: M13

On 16 September 2013, Civil Administration representatives and soldiers demolished every structure in the village. Then, for several days, they prevented the residents from erecting alternative structures and confiscated tents. On March 2015, representatives of the Civil Administration arrived with a military escort at the community and demolished four residential tents belonging to four of the community’s nine families. The next evening a military patrol demolished the tent of one of the families. Like many other villages in the region, Khallet Makhul doesn’t have a master plan. 

More about the village: The shepherding community of Khallet Makhul borders on the settlements of Hemdat to the south and Ro’i to the east has nine families, with a total population of 42 residents. They live there for over a century. Most of families of the current community arrived at the site in the 1960s and they lease the land from various owners – mostly members of the Daraghmeh family from Tubas. 

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20150325_khallet_makhul_demolition

 

Kh. Tana 

Location on the map: L14

The village is home to approximately 250 people who rely on herding and agriculture for their livelihood and have lived in the area for decades. Some community structures date back to prior to the Israeli occupation in 1967. The community is located in an area declared as a firing zone 904A for military training.

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20160410_april_7_demolitions

 

Kh ‘Ein Karzaliyah

Location on the map: M15

On 22 January 2015, bulldozers demolished all the community’s structures, including the five tents in which the families were living. This was the fourth time that these families have been left homeless since January 2014. Ein Karzaliyah is a very small shepherding community of 24 residents, including 14 minors, located in the northern Jordan Valley. Israeli authorities have repeatedly attempted to expel the community from their place of residence and have repeatedly demolished their homes. 

http://www.btselem.org/photoblog/20150215_ein_karzaliyah

 

al-Ajaj (Id’eis)

Location on the map: M15

On August 2015 the Civil Administration and the military came to this community of al-‘Ajaj (also known as Id’eis) and demolished two homes and two livestock pens. The families remained homeless. 

http://www.btselem.org/facing_expulsion_blog?nid=147961

 

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South Hebron Hills

 

Kh. Zanutah

Location on the map: H23

In 2007 the Civil Administration issued demolition orders for most of the village structures for having been built without permits. However, no master plan was ever drawn up for this village, so there was no plan on which building permits could be sought. The Civil Administration justified the absence of a plan, arguing that the village was too small to have a master plan prepared for it. The village is home to a total of 150 residents. There is an archeological site in the village and an ancient mosque that were been marked as such during the British mandate era.

http://www.btselem.org/south_hebron_hills/zanuta

 

Kh. Susya 

Location on the map: J23

In 1986, about 25 families were living in Khirbet Susya, in caves and structures. That year, the Civil Administration declared the village’s land an “archeological site”; the land was confiscated “for public purposes” and the Israeli military expelled its residents from their homes. Having no other option, the families relocated to other caves in the area and to flimsy wood frame shelters and tents they erected on agricultural land a few hundred meters southeast of the original village and the archeological site. The village of has existed in the South Hebron Hills at least since the 1830s.

http://www.btselem.org/south_hebron_hills/susiya

 

a-Duqaiqah 

Location on the map: K23

The Civil Administration has consistently refused residents’ requests to draft plans for their village and has issued demolition orders for its buildings. The village is home to over 300 residents. Although the village exists for decades in its location.

http://www.btselem.org/south_hebron_hills/duqaiqah

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Firing Zone 918 – Masafer Yatta

 

Kh. Jenbah

Location on the map: J23

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al-Markez 

Location on the map: J23

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Kh. al-Halawah

Location on the map: J23

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Kh. al-Majaz

Location on the map: J23

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Kh. Khilet a-Dabe'

Location on the map: J23

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Kh. a-Safai al-Foaqa

Location on the map: J23

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Kh. a-Safai a-Tahta

Location on the map: J23

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Kh. a-Taban

Location on the map: J23

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Kh. al-Fakhit

Location on the map: J23

 

The residents of these villages have lived there even before the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. But in 1999 the Israeli military expelled the approximately 700 Palestinian residents of a dozen small villages in the southeastern Hebron Hills, east of Route 317. The expulsion orders noted they were given on the grounds of “illegal residence in a live-fire zone.” Firing Zone 918, which encompasses approximately 3,000 hectares, was declared a restricted military zone as far back as the 1970s.

For years the villagers struggle to remain in their properties but on 1 February 2016 the mediation process between the Israeli authorities and the communities ended unsuccessfully, and the parties informed the court of this outcome. The Civil Administration started the preparation for the demolition of the communities in the Firing Zone 918. Communities of Khirbet Jenbah and Khirbet al-Halawah, had 15 residential structures demolished. Communities of Khirbet al-Halawah, had 7 residential structures demolished. The Civil Administration and military also confiscated three solar panels in Khirbet Jenbah and two solar panels in Khirbet al-Halawah.

http://www.btselem.org/south_hebron_hills/firing_zone_918 

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Ma’ale Adumim - Area E1 

 

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Civil Administration expelled hundreds of Bedouins of the al-Jahalin tribe from the region in which they lived in order to establish and expand the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim. The residents were relocated to a permanent site that had been established for them near the Abu Dis landfill. About 3,000 of the area's residents face the threat of expulsion in view of the Civil Administration's plans. Most of these individuals live in an area that will become an enclave connecting Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem once the Separation Barrier is completed. About 1,400 of the residents facing expulsion live in the area defined as E1, allocated to the municipal jurisdiction of Ma'ale Adumim. Israel plans to build the new settlement of Mevasseret Adumim in E1, a settlement that will create a contiguous urban bloc between Ma'ale Adumim and Jerusalem.

The Israeli authorities' conduct in this regard is motivated by an ambition publicly stated by various officials on a number of occasions. They aim to take over these areas so as to generate conditions that would facilitate their annexation to Israel as part of a final status arrangement, and until that time, annex them de-facto.

http://www.btselem.org/area_c/expulsions_of_communities

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a-Sheikh ‘Anbar (a-S‘idi)

Location on the map: K18

In August 2015, Israeli authorities demolished structures in five communities in the Ma’ale Adumim area: a-Sheikh ‘Anbar (a-S‘idi), Bir al-Maskub, Wadi Esneisel, Abu Falah and al-Khdeirat. Like the Jordan Valley communities, these communities are not officially recognized either. Therefore, the residents there, who make their living mostly from raising sheep and goats, live in tents and shacks. According to media reports, in November 2012, the Israeli government approved plans to build settlements in this area, with the object of creating a contiguous urban bloc between the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim and Jerusalem. 

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20150903_demolition_wave

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al-Muntar

Location on the map: L19

This Bedouin locality is facing a risk of forced eviction. The CA (Civil Administration) announced its plan to "relocate" the Bedouin communities to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The main reason given was the claim that the Bedouins do not have rights to the land on which they currently live and that all their construction has been done without permits. The CA did not consult with representatives of the communities before adopting the plan, and ignored the anticipated harm to these communities’ way of life. None of the communities are hooked up to the electricity grid and only half are connected to the water system. They do not receive vital services in the areas of health, education and others. In al-Muntar (with about 300 residents) demolition orders have been issued against all the structures in the community.

http://www.btselem.org/settlements/20111010_forced_eviction_of_bedouins

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Arab Abu al-Hindy 

Location on the map: L19

 

Um al-‘Asawej

Location on the map: K19

 

Abu a-Nuwar

Location on the map: K18

In January 2016, the authorities demolished residential structures in the Abu a-Nuwar community, which lies in E1. On 6 January, 2016, Civil Administration and military representatives came to the community, which lies between the settlements of Ma’ale Adumim and Kedar, and demolished the residential tents of five families totaling 28 people, including 18 minors. On 10 January, 2016 the Civil Administration and military dismantled and confiscated tents of the families.
http://bimkom.org/eng/wp-content/uploads/jahalin/abu%20nuwar.htm

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Wadi al-A’waj

Location on the map: K18

 

Badu al-Baba 

Location on the map: K18

On 21 January 2016, Civil Administration and military forces came to the Palestinian community of Badu al-Baba, which lies close to al-‘Eizariyah to the northeast of Jerusalem. The forces demolished three residential structures that were home to three families totaling 14 people, including six minors. The community of Badu al-Baba numbers about 350 people, some half of them minors.

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20160127_demolitions_in_area_c_communities

 

a-Zar’i

Location on the map: K18

 

Abu-Ghalyah

Location on the map: K18

 

al-Ka’abneh

Location on the map: K18

On 12 January 2015, Civil Administration representatives, accompanied by Border Police officers, arrived at the small community of al-Ka’abneh near Wadi Qelt in the West Bank. They took photographs of the prefabricated temporary dwellings that are home to the community’s 15 families and threw into each one an eviction order for “recent incursion into state land”. The orders stipulated that the residents must evacuate within 48 hours. An objection were filed on behalf of the community with the Civil Administration. The al-Ka’abneh is a Bedouin community, originally from the Negev, has lived at its current location since 1983. They were expelled from the Negev after the state of Israel was established in 1948 and initially moved to the Hebron area, in the West Bank. They have been living in the Ma’ale Adumim area for decades. The authorities have evicted them from their sites twice so that settlements could be built there – first, the settlement of Kfar Adumim, and then the settlement of Mizpe Yericho.

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20150122_al_kaabneh_evacuation_orders 

 

al-Fuqarah

Location on the map: K18

 

al-Kasarat

Location on the map: K18

 

al-Kurshan 

Location on the map: L18

 

Abu al-Hilu

Location on the map: L18

 

al-Mehtiwish 

Location on the map: L18

 

Abu Falah 

Location on the map: L18

 

Bir al-Maskub 

Location on the map: K18

 

Extensive demolitions occur in the Ma’ale Adumim area, in April 2016. Authorities carried out demolitions in the following communities: Khan al-Ahmar School, Abu Falah, al-Mehtiwish, Bir al-Maskub A and Bir al-Maskub B. The Civil Administration and the military demolished a total of seven dwellings and a livestock pen in these communities, leaving 53 people homeless, including 30 minors. On 02 January 2017, Civil Administration forces came to two communities located north of the Ma’ale Adumim settlement, Wadi Esneisel and Bir al-Maskub. In Bir al-Maskub, the authorities demolished the homes of four families numbering 30 people, including 18 minors. 

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20160410_april_7_demolitions

 

al-Hasrurah

Location on the map: L18

 

al-‘Ara’reh

Location on the map: L18

 

Khan al-Ahmar school

Location on the map: L18

One structure built without permits in Bedouin communities is a primary school in Khan al-Ahmar. Established in June 2009, the building is made of mud and rubber tires. Before the school was opened, the village children had to go schools that were far distant, making trips that were both costly and risky. A month after the school opened, the Civil Administration issued it a demolition order, arguing that it was too close to a main road for which expansion plans have already been approved. A petition has been filed to the High Court of Justice on behalf of local Bedouins in the area, seeking that the demolition order be withdrawn. In November 2013, the settlements petitioned the High Court a third time, reiterating their demand that the State carry out the demolition orders. In response, the State cited “the plan in process to relocate residents to an area north of Jericho, as part of the ‘Ramat Nu’eimeh’ master plan”, and informed the Court that the master plan for the Armonot Hashmona’im area had been deferred for the time being. The residents of Khan al-Ahmar were determinedly opposed to relocation to the Nu’eimeh area, and submitted a plan outlining the necessary construction and planning adjustments necessary to validate their current site of residence. The plan was rejected by the authorities. State representatives requested that the Court reject the petition, emphasizing that “it is important to bear in mind that we are dealing with school-age children, and transferring them to another educational framework, far from their place of residence, is undesirable”, and that “extreme sensitivity is called for before carrying out the demolition orders, in light of the implications for the above mentioned minors”. In May 2014, the Court rejected the petition, noting “the Respondents’ efforts to reach an amenable overall solution and their wish to avoid harming minors”.

http://www.btselem.org/area_c/maale_adumim_bedouins

 

Wadi al-Qatif

Location on the map: L18

In 2006, Israeli security forces began restricting the movement of the community’s shepherds, prohibiting them to come any nearer than one kilometer to the settlement of Mitzpe Yeriho. Ever since 2008, when Route 1 was laid out between the settlement and Wadi al-Qatif, Israeli security forces have not allowed the shepherds to cross from their side of the road to the other. The Civil Administration plan to establish “permanent sites” for the relocation of Bedouin communities in the West Bank. The Bedouin community of Wadi al-Qatif, located west of the city of Jericho, is home to 10 families comprising 68 people, including 32 minors. The community’s roots are in Tel Arad in the Negev, southern Israel. After becoming refugees, they moved in the 1950s to the Hebron region and then, in 1982, to the area near Jericho, in search of pastureland that would enable them to maintain their traditional lifestyle.

http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_building/20140505_wadi_al_qatif_community_threatened

 

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Villages in Israel, south to West Bank

 

Both Umm al-Hiran and ‘Attir are marked only as unrecognized villages. If the situation won’t change they will be marked as “under destruction threat”.

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Umm al-Hiran 

Location on the map: I23

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‘Attir 

Location on the map: I23

 

The Bedouin villages of ʿAttir and Umm al-Ḥiran are in immediate danger of destruction. The Government of Israel intends to evacuate them in order to establish a new Jewish town in their place and to expand the neighbouring Yatir Forest. For 60 years, the residents have lived in these villages with the permission of the state. However, over the last decade the Government has conducted a lengthy legal battle in order to evacuate these communities from their homes. In 2010 a "settlement group" had already moved into the Yatir Camp in the forest in preparation for the establishment of the aforementioned, Jewish town, Hiran. The group was formed in 2008 and comprises families from a religious order from the West Bank settlement of Eli. The group's intention is to establish a "faith community" and to "significantly contribute to the demographic balance as part of a Zionist settlement vision". The settlement is to include 2300 one storey residences. Preparatory dirt works commenced in August 2015 in proximity to the existing homes of Umm al-Ḥīrān.

The state's decision to build a Jewish settlement and plant a forest on the ruins of Arab-Bedouin villages has far-reaching implications. Such a decision constitutes the preference of one community and its interests over and above another community by the state and its authorities. Master plans can be altered, and it is essential that the State of Israel reverse its decision to expel the residents of these villages in order to replace them with a Jewish settlement and expand the forest in their stead.

http://www.dukium.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Umm-al-Hiran-and-Atir-PP-Final.pdf
 

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Update: 28.1.2017

Collected by Juliana Breda, intern from FFIP - Brasil at De-Colonizer

Edited by Eitan Bronstein Aparicio