Issue No. 610
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31 Oct. - 6 Nov. 2002 Issue No. 610 Region |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Like a giant scar
Residents of Jabal Al-Diek anticipate Israeli bulldozers. Annika Hampson in Jerusalem, reports on efforts to avert demolition
The view from the window is dominated by the Har Homa settlement, an angular stone crown perched on top of Jabal Abu Gnaim. Har Homa is a defiant symbol of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and a physical representation of Israel's political aspirations. Inside the room, Fuad Kokaly, the mayor of Beit Sahour, presides over a meeting to discuss Israel's demolition order of over 100 houses and apartments located on Greek Orthodox land at Jabal Al-Diek, which Israel claims threatens the security of the settlement.
In the crowded, smoky room, representatives from the Jabal Al-Diek housing committee, Beit Sahour Municipality, the Greek Orthodox Church and the legal defence team recount what has been done and discuss how best to proceed. The houses in question are built on land owned by the Greek Patriarchate in Jerusalem. The houses were built according to an agreement, signed between the Patriarchate and the head of the Greek Orthodox Community in Beit Sahour, leasing the land to the municipality while stipulating that the land be used for the construction of homes for local people. This housing project gave the opportunity for local people to have their own houses. Now those same people will be made homeless should the demolitions take place. The stated reason for this order is that these homes lie in close proximity to both Har Homa and the new settler bypass road, and their presence would create a "security threat" to the settlers.
Israel's expansionist settlement policy is effectively re-drawing the map of the West Bank. During the past two years of the Intifada, Israel has taken the opportunity to consolidate its presence in the West Bank, pursuing a threefold strategy aimed at expropriating Palestinian land, undermining the establishment of a viable and democratic Palestinian state and isolating the Palestinian areas of municipal Jerusalem from the West Bank.
Jerusalem is key to a future Palestinian state's viability, politically, economically and geographically. However, three major settlement blocks, to the south, east and north of Jerusalem, with expanding satellite settlements, are acting together to seal Jerusalem off from the West Bank. This will effectively divide them into two geographically separate areas, while providing Israelis with full control over access to Jerusalem from the West Bank. Between Jerusalem and Bethlehem lies the Har Homa settlement, which together with a string of other existing or planned settlements, Kibbutz Ramat Rahal and the settler bypass road, will create a territorially contiguous Israeli cordon of control. For the residents of Jabal Al-Diek, whose houses overlook the bypass road, it means that bulldozers are threatening their homes.
On 29 May 2002, the Israeli army notified homeowners in the Jabal Al-Diek area that their homes were scheduled for demolition. Since then, the community of Beit Sahour has organised a campaign to save their homes. Collectively, the families hired a lawyer, and objections to the demolition orders were filed in an Israeli court. The first hearing was on 25 June, but the case was adjourned until 25 July. It was then adjourned once more.
On 17 September, the Israeli administration from Beit El (which coordinates the military occupation of the West Bank) issued an order to demolish the homes, just days before the case was submitted to the Israeli Military Court for Urban Planning in the West Bank. On 6 October, the Supreme Court, presided over by Judge Brokatshah, heard the objections to the demolition order and issued an injunction order to temporarily halt the demolitions. The court required the Israeli government to provide substantiation for its decree before a final decision is made in mid-November 2002.
Makram Qumsieh, a citizen of Beit Sahour, is working on behalf of the local people with their lawyer to help prepare the legal file. "The demolition order is outrageous. However, we have a good case and all the facts are on our side. The outcome depends on the Israeli judges: either they will stand up for what is legal, or they will act politically." According to a 1975 ordinance survey map of Palestine, Jabal Al-Diek lies clearly within the borders of Beit Sahour municipality. In 1990, four houses in the same area were served with demolition orders, but these were halted when evidence, including this map, was presented to the court.
But that was before Oslo. Now Jabal Al- Diek lies in Area C, under Israeli administrative control, and the houses were built without Israeli building permits. "If the judge rules that the land is under Palestinian jurisdiction, as the map shows, the demolition order must be revoked. However, if they rule that the land is under Israeli jurisdiction, we will fight back. The building work is nearly complete, and many families have already moved in. They can't tell us now that the construction was illegal," Qumsieh said.
The residents of the housing project are not optimistic. Wafa' Sahori and her family have recently moved in, one of many who moved to their new homes even before the apartments were fully furnished. They believe that if the apartments are occupied there will be less chance of demolition. For the last seven years, Wafa's salary has paid the monthly down-payments for the apartment. "This is everything for us, it represents our dreams and our children's future." Standing on her roof, with her back to Har Homa, Wafa' points out the bypass road, which cuts through the landscape of olive trees like a giant scar. "The Israelis are destroying any hope of peace. This is Palestinian land, and the settlements and bypass roads are illegal. But this doesn't mean anything. If the bulldozers come, it will be a blood bath. People won't just lave, where should they go? They will have to bulldoze the buildings with us inside."
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