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FRUSH BEIT DAJAN VILLAGE
THREATENED BY DEMOLITION
25 Homes in Frush Beit Dajan to be
Demolished by Israel
The village of Frush Beit Dajan (near Jiftlik) is located in the Jericho
district, halfway to Nablus and less then fifteen kilometers from the
Jordanian border. Twenty-five shacks, housing more than 150 people, are
scheduled to be torn down by the Israeli authorities. Ten more are
threatened with similar orders. If carried out, this would be another
major step in the current wave of expulsions and house demolitions ordered
by Israel since the signing of the Hebron agreement in January. Some
estimate that nearly 1,000 homes will be under threat in the next few
months.
The villagers are goat-herders and farmers, having established Jiftlik in
1952 after being expelled from land that became part of Israel in 1948.
The Israeli village of Yattir stands there now. After the Israeli
occupation of the West Bank, life became much more difficult. In 1972,
soldiers began to harass the villagers by shooting at their goats which
had wandered into 'closed military areas.' Later, shepherds would be taken
in trucks - with their entire flocks! - to Israeli army bases and fined 10
Dinars a sheep for 'trespassing.' Some residents even report being picked
up by helicopter and taken away from their flocks to be fined thousands of
shekels each.
Muhammed Abu Awad, 57 years old and father of eight, told the PHRMG that
for many years, Israeli soldiers would tear
Frush Beit Dajan is surrounded by miliotary areas that remain unmarked
down the villagers tents. A rope would be cut, and the loose end tied to a
jeep, which would then drive off pulling the whole tent with it. Now the
residents build shacks out of sheets, blankets, metal pipes and reeds.
"The Israeli soldiers have been trying to remove us for years," Awad said.
"But when the Intifada began, they stopped. After the peace process began
again, the harassment began again - and now they want to get rid of us
again. But we won't go - not if we have to live on the rubble of our
homes."
It is important to note that for years the boundaries of the 'closed
military area,' which hemmed the village in and took away grazing lands
essential for the goat herds, were neither marked nor clearly defined.
Lands used by the villagers since there arrival in 1952 were suddenly
deemed 'state lands' by the Israeli authorities, whereas under Jordan they
were left alone. Israel is now demanding that the homes of 25 families be
destroyed. The same arguments were used for the expulsion of the Jahalin
tribe from their homes near the
settlement of Ma'ale Adumim in January and February of this year. The
Jahalin had been living in the area since the 1950's,
Interior of one of the shacks to be destroyed
after being driven off their lands in the Negev by Israel.On March 4, the
owners of 25 shacks received demolition notices from the Israeli army.
These were issued immediately after the decision by the Netanyahu
government to build a new neighborhood in Abu-Ghniem (Har Homa). The
village appealed for help to the Palestinian District Coordinating Office.
District officials promised to visit the shacks on March 12, but never
came. The villagers then turned to Minister of Local Government Saeb
Erikat, who said that he would look into the matter. He also promised to
supply the families with tents after their homes are demolished.
Two Israeli settlements exist near the village: El-Hamra and Pka'ot. In
contrast to these settlements, Frush Beit Dajan has no roads, electricity,
telephone lines, water supply or sewage system. Please help us stop the
planned demolitions in Frush Beit Dajan by writing
to your local Israeli representative about this case, as well as:
General Ya'akov Or, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Occupied
Territories
Defense Ministry, The Kirya
Tel-Aviv, Israel
Tel: 972-3-6917645
Fax: 972-3-6976306
Tel: 972-3-6917645
Fax: 972-3-6976306
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