Thanks very much to Hannah Brock from Whiteley Bank for this fifth and last in her series of reports from the Westbank where she is working as an international observer. In her own words. Ed
I’m now back on the Island, having safely returned from my three months serving as an Ecumenical Accompanier in Bethlehem.
I told you in my last blog about Khallet Sakariya, where Abu Osama lives.
On my last day in Bethlehem we went to visit Abu Osama.
Bathroom destroyed
He told us that “Only last night they came again, the settlers. Now I do not have a bathroom, if you ask me to use the toilet I will offer to drive you to the village.”
The night before, on Sunday 29th April, activists from Women in Green who live in a nearby Israeli settlement had come to his house in the middle of the night and demolished the lean-to next to their one-roomed house that served as their bathroom (pictured above).
He also told us more about why he lives in this one-bedroomed house (pictured at top of article), which serves as kitchen, living room and bedroom. Sakariya in is in Area C (which makes up over 60% of the West Bank), and is therefore under full Israeli civil and military control.
Not allowed to rebuild or extend
The community are denied planning permission to build new houses by the Israeli authorities, or to extend their properties – so Abu Osama is not allowed to build a new house, or extend this one.
Outside Abu Osama’s house, which is without electricity, he can see pylons carrying energy to the nearby Israeli settlements – settlements that are illegal under international law. Whilst these settlements in the West Bank are served by energy and water infrastructure, nearby Palestinian villages are often water and energy-insecure.
Water consumption too low
Under the Geneva Conventions that govern conflict, the occupying power (in this case, Israel), has an obligation to ensure the welfare of the civilian population and must ensure that civilians are provided with or allowed to secure the basics for survival including food, water, medical supplies and shelter.
However current average Palestinian daily consumption of water is about 70 litres per person, well below the 100 litres recommended by the World Health Organization.
Another village that we visited a lot whilst I was in Bethlehem was An Nu’man, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Whilst Women in Green are not involved in An Nu’man, they are also being affected by the activities of a settlement: Har Homa.
Recently, the Israeli government announced an expansion of Har Homa; it will now come even closer to An Nu’man, including covering the hill which has on it one of the villages’ two cemeteries (see photo here).
Foreign Secretary William Hague made a statement on April 5 condemning the expansion of Har Homa, saying: “systematic, illegal Israeli settlement activity poses the most significant and live threat to the viability of the two state solution… The Israeli government’s policy is illegal under international law, counter-productive, de-stabilising and provocative”.
Victims of a serious error
The people of An Nu’man are already suffering severely from the occupation. They are victims of a serious error: after the 1967 occupation of the West Bank by Israel, An Nu’man was one of the villages annexed to Jerusalem (annexation by the use or threat of force is prohibited under international law, as set forth in the UN Charter).
In every other annexed village, Israel supplied residents with Jerusalem ID cards. But the inhabitants of An Nu’man never received this ID, even after multiple requests to the Israeli Ministry of the Interior. As one villager told me, “We are seen to be living illegally in homes we have inhabited for over fifty years”.
Because the village is not officially recognised by the Israeli authorities, any member of the village who builds a new home is doing so illegally, and may find that that house is demolished.
This happened to Siham and Raed, a young couple with three children.
Subsequent miscarriage
Soon after their house was demolished, Siham miscarried. Whether or not the two events are related, Siham cannot help but wonder whether the stress of seeing her house bulldozed was a contributory factor.
There is also a checkpoint on the road that leads to An Nu’man, operated by the Israeli Border Police. At the checkpoint entrance there is a list of the villagers’ inhabitants that was written five years ago. If you are a Palestinian, and your name doesn’t appear on the list, then you are denied entry.
Limited access to village
This means that children of elderly parents, doctors, garbage trucks, vets, and even spouses of villagers who have married in the last five years, are not allowed to go into the village.
On my visit to An Nu’man last week I took along staff from the British Consul in Jerusalem.
One of the many things they were shown by our guide, Samira, was her house’s cesspit (pictured).
This might seem like a strange thing to share with a guest, but as well as not allowing other Palestinians from the West Bank into the village, they also do not allow vehicles that are not registered as belonging to one of the villagers: this means no van can come to empty the six septic tanks that are in the village.
Useful links
I don’t want to finish on that note, however. I want to leave you with some links to organisations doing important work bringing people from use across the spectrum of Israeli and Palestinian society, and to end the occupation of the Palestinian territories.
I’ve been particularly inspired by the organisation The Parents Circle, a joint Palestinian Israeli organization of over 600 families, all of whom have lost a close family member as a result of the conflict. And I have to return to mentioning Breaking the Silence, a group of ‘veteran combatants who have served in the Israeli military since the start of the Second Intifada, and have taken it upon themselves to expose the Israeli public to the reality of everyday life in the Occupied Territories’.
Finally, for those theologians amongst you, the liberation theology centre Sabeel might be of use. I know that all these movements would welcome your interest.
Thanks for words of support
I’ll be giving some talks now I’m back home (after I’ve had a bit of a rest!), so if this is something that would be of interest to your church or community group, you can get in touch with me at [email protected].
Best wishes, and many thanks to all Ventnorblog readers for all your encouragement and kind words of support over the last months!
