Occupied Jerusalem – There is no mosque in which prayers are held, nor a guest hall that receives visitors, and even the only house that was built of cement and stones, and is more than half a century old and considered by the people as one of the factors of their stability and steadfastness on the land, was demolished by the Israeli occupation after it targeted the Bedouin gathering known as the “Araara Bedouin gathering” near Jaba village, northeast of Jerusalem.
In continuation of what the occupation began before, the Aaraara Bedouin community is being subjected to a fierce attack, intended to displace this community in particular and other surrounding communities whose importance the occupation does not diminish and is targeting to expand its settlements, especially the “Adam” settlement, which it no longer sees an end to.
A few days ago, the “Araara Bedouin Community” underwent a large-scale demolition that was no less serious than previous demolitions, as it included 6 agricultural facilities, sheep pens, a cement house, and other tin facilities that the people were turning into their homes, including the community’s guest house and its only mosque, and other facilities were notified of a new demolition that is expected. The residents must be close, as the occupation puts it at the top of the targeting list, as they say.
Resilience in the face of uprooting
A short distance from the demolished buildings, Najeh Arara, one of those affected by the Israeli occupation measures and an activist in the Bedouin community, was looking at what had happened to them amid the state of sadness and suffering that everyone was experiencing, as they had lost the places that used to bring them together on a daily basis.
The demolition included the old stone building, the prayer hall, and the community’s guest house, where Najeh Arara and the residents spend most of their time, discussing their lives, and facing the problems and difficulties that befall them.
Arara (48 years old) told Tel Aviv Tribune Net that they were surprised by the latest demolition, which came after only two months of notification, which increased their suffering, which coincided with a difficult winter climate. Many of those whose homes were demolished took refuge to move with relatives and live with them in the hope of returning to their homes.
Arara made his statement while he was just on his way back from the headquarters of the Wall and Settlement Authority in Ramallah (an official body) to bring tents in order for people to avoid the extreme cold during these days, as residents refuse, under any Israeli pressure, no matter how great, to leave their homes and abandon them.
The occupation is working with all its might to displace the Aaraara Bedouins and other communities near the village of Jaba in a Judaizing settlement plan for the benefit of the “Adam” settlement, which has been nesting on the lands of the village and the region for more than about 4 decades. The occupation confiscates vast areas of it, and seeks to expand on what remains of the land within a plan. Complete immigration.
The occupation authorities preceded the demolition with a series of punitive measures, which also continued after it by putting pressure on citizens. For two years, the occupation has prevented residents from grazing and accessing pastures.
A settlement swallows the village
For their part, the settlers launch incitement campaigns and daily attacks on… Palestinian population, This includes stealing their livestock, cutting off water from them, fining them financially, and beating them, especially children and young men, in addition to almost daily raids and arrests.
Of about a thousand sheep, Najeh Arara owns 150, and like others, he suffers from a decrease in the number of livestock due to the siege of grazing areas, the sheep’s need for expensive fodder, and the theft of settlers. Arara says that his sheep need about $100 in feed daily, and the same amount of water every week, noting that due to the occupation’s restrictions, they have begun to buy water.
More than 40 families live in the Al-Arara Bedouin community on a narrow area of land that does not exceed 20 dunums (a dunum equals a thousand square metres), while the “Adam” settlement sits on most of the lands of the village of Jaba, and its owners control only 723 dunums, which is the structural plan of the village. As for what remains, the occupation deprives them of access due to its military measures and classifies most of them as Area C, that is, under complete Israeli control.
The targeting of the Arara community and the Bedouin communities surrounding the village of Jaba is not new, as Sami Tawam, head of the Jaba Village Council, says. Rather, it has been continuing for years, explaining that the harassment is escalating day by day and taking different forms.
Speaking to Tel Aviv Tribune Net, he said that the issue went beyond “collective punishment,” especially after the war on the Gaza Strip, to pressure with all force to displace the Bedouins from the region, and to impose more and more restrictions on the population of Jaba (5 thousand people) and the suburbs and villages of Jerusalem even more.
The head of the council added, “With one caravan (mobile room), the Adam settlement began and now occupies about 19 thousand dunams, especially lands in the eastern region, which is the most important agricultural and economic source for the village.”
Migration chart
This year, due to the occupation’s harassment and settlers’ attacks on farmers while harvesting olives, Tawam estimates that his town produced half the usual amount, and that the season decreased from about 16 thousand tons to 8 tons or less.
He describes the lands of Jaba as being the largest in terms of agricultural area among the villages of Jerusalem, but its residents are deprived of them. The village is surrounded by three settlement bypass streets that close the entrances and exits of the village, and in it the occupation establishes an army camp and a military checkpoint on the western side, and two settlements are perched on the village lands and the “Rami Levy” store. Huge settlement.
The occupation also closes the main entrance from the southern side, which is only a few meters away from citizens’ homes, forcing them to detour long distances and cover several kilometers. Tawam says, “Two citizens were killed while crossing the main street in the eastern side, as it is 15 meters deep and is known to be dangerous.”
Tawam attributes all of these harassments, military and settlement measures to “the occupation implementing a displacement plan and cramming people into small communities living under Israel’s direct authority, without land or property.”
