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News from the Region

Walaja: No Permits for Land, Houses, or People

By Kathy Kamphoefner (Quaker Service-Jerusalem)

14 February 2005

Ahmed Bargouth, 57, was born in Old Walaja village, inside what is now Israel. When he was 10 months old, his family fled the village in an-Nakba, (the "Catastrophe," the Arabic name for the 1948 war). "I don't remember it, of course, but it's clear in my mind. In our Palestinian families, a father tells his son, and the son tells his son," he said. The family went first to Jordan, and then lived in several other West Bank towns, before resettling in the new village named Walaja, in sight of the old village across the Green Line of 1948 with other fellow refugees from Old Walaja.

The new Walaja, sitting high on a hilltop overlooking Jerusalem , offers a broad vista of green hills just south of the holy city.

Photo: Kathy Kamphoefner

In the valley below lies the Jerusalem stadium and the Israeli zoo; a small version of Noah's Ark and a miniature railroad are visible from above.

But lying so close to Jerusalem makes the new Walaja a very valuable piece of real estate. Its location is the source of many problems for Walaja. Quaker International Affairs Representative Kathy Kamphoefner visited the village with two members of the Christian Peacemaker Team in Hebron to learn about the village's needs.

We asked, "What problems does Walaja have now?"

"Is there any place without problems?" Bargouth joked. "We have big problems here. This is the land of Walaja. Gilo [an Israeli settlement] is on the land of Walaja. People living here in 1948 want to return to the Old Walaja. We have legal problems with our land, our houses, and our people. We have a lawyer, but we have large legal bills."

Nowadays, everyone inside the village depends on the land for a living. Many Walaja-een used to work in Jerusalem. Although Jerusalem is within walking distance, into the valley, it is illegal for them to go there. "If we go, we'll be arrested," said Bargouth.

"We have no IDs," said Abu Nidal At-Trash.

"What do you mean, you have no IDs? How can you go anywhere? How can you cross any checkpoint?" we asked.

"We can't," At-Trash said. "That's the problem. The Israeli government even says we are illegal here, sitting in our own houses. Sometimes they arrest us for it."

The northern section of the village is called Ein Jaweyzah. It lies inside the Jerusalem municipal boundaries drawn by Israel in 1967, while the remainder of the village is officially in the West Bank. The village lies next to Har Gilo settlement; its main road runs along the settlement's fence. It was slated to be completely encircled by the Separation Wall, but those plans are being redrawn, so no one knows exactly where the Wall will go.

"What's the problem with your land?" we asked.

"The municipality of Jerusalem said it is illegal for us to work it," At-Trash said.

"Why is it illegal? Do you have deeds to your land?" we asked.

"Yes, we have the deeds. That's what the government says," At-Trash said.

"What's the problem with your houses?" we asked.

" Israel is demolishing them, for lack of permits. But they don't give permits. In the 1967 War, Israeli demolished a lot of houses here and in all of Jerusalem. In 1986, they came and demolished more houses. In 1992, they came again to demolish houses. We made a demonstration. We wrote to [Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak] Rabin. We wrote to the Knesset. We said we feared the entire village will be razed. They told is, 'That's your problem.'"

"In the next 6 years, they demolished another 19 houses," Bargouth said.

"But the demolitions have really increased in the last year an a half," said Ein Jaweyzah resident Khader Wa'el. In mid-January, the municipal government demolished 5 houses and seven animal shelters.

Bargouth got out a stack of legal documents and news clippings related to the village's problems. He held out a bill for 750 shekels. "This is our fine for one month," he explained. "The Israeli municipality brings us such fines every month. It's 400 shekels for 100 cubic meters of your house. We can't pay it. After 18 months, they told us they will demolish the house, if the fines are not paid." Bargouth said another 10-12 families are receiving similar fines each month, which will amount to some 80,000 shekels total (equal to about $20,000).

Protest in Walaja against land confiscation. Photo: Kathy Kamphoefner

In response to the ongoing home demolitions and land confiscations, the Walaja Town Council has begun to organize a support committee to aid in nonviolent efforts to save the town. This multi-cultural partnership includes Israeli, Palestinian, and international organizations. Israeli organizations involved include Rabbis for Human Rights, the Israeli Coalition against Home Demolitions, and Ta'ayush, an Israel-Palestinian group, and a handful of Israeli citizens who formerly employed Walaja residents. Palestinian groups participating include the Bethlehem Land Defense Committee, Holy Land Trust, and the Beit Sahour YMCA Advocacy Desk. International organizations working in support include Christian Peacemaker Team-Hebron, the International Solidarity Movement, the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Israel and Palestine (EAPPI), and Quaker Service-Jerusalem. The support committee is currently on call to participate in nonviolent protests and is publicizing the situation in Walaja.

Bargouth said Israeli is planning to demolish another 25 houses in Ein Jaweyzah, and perhaps another ten houses on the West Bank side of the village in the near future.

"Why is the Israeli government doing this?" we asked.

"To force us to move. They want the land, but they don't want the people. This is their policy of transfer for us, to move us out," Bargouth said.

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