CASE STUDY COMMUNITY BEDOUIN COMMUNITY / THE BIRNABALA TEL AL ‘ADASSA Dislocated Communities inEastJerusalem the adjacenttownofBeitHanina arrangement withland owners from since thelate1950s,underaninformal between Ramallah and residents have lived inthe area the Hebronareain1948.Community from whatisnowsouthernIsraelto tribe, whichwas originallydisplaced families whoarepartoftheKa’abne Bedouin community consists of nine The BirNabala/Tel al‘Adassa United P. O. Box 38712EastJerusalem 91386 ltel+972 (0)25829962 lfax+972 (0)[email protected]

Nations illegal, unlesstheyobtainpermission Jerusalem municipalboundaryis legislation, theirpresencewithinthe ID cards. As aresult,underIsraeli All oftheresidents hold following previousdemolitions. municipal boundaryofJerusalem, the Tel al ‘Adassa area, just inside the in settled been have they mid-1990s, al Balad.Within thisarea,sincethe

Office for theCoordination ofHumanitarian Affairsoccupied Palestinian territory Coordination Saves Lives www.ochaopt.org olwn a ae f iln attacks violent of wave a following from theIsraeliauthorities. of the Barrier,although majorityof 2,500) locatedonthe“Jerusalem side” communities (combined populationof is oneofatleast16Palestinian The Tel al‘Adassa Bedouin community . West Bank,andunabletolegallyenter centre of Bir Nabala and the restof the service physically separatedfromtheir on the“Jerusalem” side of theBarrier, residents foundthemselves located Tel al ‘Adassa Bedouin community; with adevastating impactonthe Bir Nabala areainSeptember2007, The Barrierwas completedinthe (oPt). of the occupied Palestinian territory to thefragmentation and contributing land fromtherestofWest Bank Palestinian communitiesandfarming than ontheGreenLine,separating within theoccupiedWest Bank,rather Barrier’s route, however, islocated attacks such with thestatedaim of preventing a Barrier building authorities began against Israeli civilians, the Israeli . Thevast majorityofthe In 2002, a reality: in 2010/2011, the first few first the 2010/2011, in reality: a community, thatriskhas become For the Tel al ‘Adassa Bedouin displacement. and placethematriskof of vulnerability Westthe levelsto high Bank,contribute that isolate them from the remainder of range ofmovement andaccess restrictions All these “dislocated” communities face a their residentsholdWest BankIDcards. any more. Itisenough. can protect us? We cannot take to staywhere wewere, butwho forjourney ourchildren. We want wasgoingschool adangerous to by theIsraeli authorities. Even intimidation and fines, demolition movement restrictions, we want to avoid leave, butbecause because wewant to out ofthearea, not decided tomove We collectively 1 SEPTEMBER 2013 Ali , 62-years-old

oPt families were forced to leave, due to students from the community. Some in the surrounding East Jerusalem Is this our tight restrictions on movement and families have been separated, with areas, due to their lack of permits. Ali; destiny? Is it access. Then, in August 2013, Israeli students who are studying in Bir who has diabetes, reported: “In the my fate to live forces demolished all the structures Nabala or Jaba’ villages, living in past, I tried to go to Al Maqased hospital in the community, and, the remaining rented apartments, so that they can because I was suffering from pain in my in uncertainty, families were left with no alternative easily access their schools, which were leg, but Israeli forces caught me while without even a but to move to the “West Bank” side previously only a 15-minute walk I was riding on the bus en route to the hope of living in of the Barrier, after being instructed away. One member of the community, hospital and ordered me to go back.” dignity and with respect? to do so by the Israeli authorities. This Amneh, a 45-year-old mother of eight, Amneh, 45-years-old community is now dispersed into reflected on the toll the Barrier’s Restrictions on movement and Barrier three separate locations on the “West construction has taken on her family’s construction have also had a significant of income for the remaining families. Bank” side of the Barrier (see map). daily life: impact on the community’s source of According to residents, through an livelihoods. In 2007, the community agreement with a land owner in the After the Barrier was completed in 2007, owned over 600 head of sheep. At DIMINISHED ACCESS area, they were previously able to our living conditions deteriorated and our present, the community owns less TO SERVICES AND graze on and cultivate a piece of nearby LIVELIHOODS life turned upside down. We were isolated, than 300 sheep, the primary source stuck between two places, Ramallah and For much of the period since the Jerusalem, able to go to neither. My Barrier was completed, the Israeli school-age children were forced to sneak BEDOUIN COMMUNITIES AT-RISK OF FORCED authorities have issued neither permits and sometimes to jump over the Barrier in DISPLACEMENT IN THE JERUSALEM PERIPHERY for residents to continue legally order to reach school. I ended up eventually residing in their homes, nor provided sending my sons and daughters to go and Bedouin communities are among the most vulnerable in the West Bank and for a coordination mechanism live in Jaba’ in a rented house in order to have been identified by the humanitarian community as a priority group for allowing passage through the nearest make their life easier. I wanted them to be assistance. To the northwest of Jerusalem, the Al Khalaleh Bedouin community checkpoint. As a result, most residents able to go to school without suffering each has experienced gradual displacement since construction of the Barrier, due left only when necessary, fearing that morning or being a target for arrest by to demolitions by the Israeli authorities as well as restrictions on movement they would be barred from returning Israeli forces. The separation was difficult and access and tenuous residency status; only one household remains in the to their homes; women have been on everyone. All the while, we suffered community. To the east of Jerusalem, there are some 2,300 Bedouin and herders particularly isolated. harassment and intimidation from the who are at-risk of forced displacement due to a “re-location” plan advanced by Israeli authorities to leave our community. the Israeli authorities. Over 80 per cent of the residents are refugees, who were Families with school-age children have originally displaced from southern in the early 1950’s. The communities been especially affected by restrictions The community has also faced difficult have gradually lost access to much of their grazing land due to Israeli settlement on movement and uncertain residency access to health services since 2007, expansion and most of the families have pending demolition orders against their status. There are a total of 27 school especially given their inability to move homes.

2 DISLOCATED COMMUNITIES IN EAST JERUSALEM THE BIR NABALA / TEL AL ‘ADASSA BEDOUIN COMMUNITY - SEPTEMBER 2013 land. However, according to Ali, who In May 2012, the community reports grew up in the area, once construction that several families received fines of the Barrier began, the situation of 30,000 NIS for building without In a July 2004 Advisory Opinion, the International Court of Justice determined grew worse and many of their coping permits. A year later, in early June that the Wall, where it is located in the occupied West Bank, is inconsistent with mechanisms were eroded: 2013, residents reported receiving international law and should be dismantled. verbal orders from the Israeli After the Barrier, our grazing areas authorities to permanently leave their became very limited, access to Ramallah According to the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, “the homes and move to the “West Bank” became impossible, and access to our permanent removal of the families from Tel al Adassa may amount to a violation of side of the Barrier. markets in Jerusalem became a crime. the prohibition on the forcible transfer of individuals or communities under article First, we received some permits, but those 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The case also raises concerns regarding stopped. I do not know why. I personally On 19 August 2013, Israeli forces, under the prohibition on forced eviction under international human rights law, and sold more than half of my sheep to pay order from the Ministry of Interior, the enjoyment of the rights to adequate housing and freedom from arbitrary or money for a lawyer and to pay fines to the demolished all 21 structures in the unlawful interference with privacy, family and home.”2 Israeli authorities, but, in the end, they community, including 10 residential demolished all of our structures anyway. structures. Israeli forces also damaged eight fodder containers, fodder for the shelter, died in the days following the money and risk arrest. To be honest, we DEMOLITIONS entire herd, and two water tankers, demolition. just are not able to pay any fines. We Since 2002/2003, all the structures in which were also confiscated. As a have no money. I have two sons in the the community have had demolition result of the demolitions, 39 people, The community dispersed into two university and I still have not been able orders issued against them by the including 18 children, were displaced. separate locations. Amneh described to cover their tuition. Any money I have, Israeli authorities, due to lack of Residents report that Israeli forces the events that led to their departure: should go to them first, and not to the building permits. Only 13 per cent instructed them to move permanently Israeli authorities. So we decided to move, We had demolition orders for our of the West Bank areas annexed to the “West Bank” side of the Barrier in hopes that we will find better living structures and fines as well. After finally to Israel and incorporated into the within 10 days, or be subjected to conditions and no longer be faced with the demolishing all of our structures, the Jerusalem Municipality is available for arrest, fines and seizure of their Israeli authorities’ intimidation. Israelis threatened that if we do not move Palestinian residential construction, sheep. No alternative land, to which to the other side of the Barrier in the West and most of this is built up already. In the community could re-locate, was Bank, we will be fined huge amounts of the remainder, Palestinians are unable provided by the Israeli authorities. to obtain building permits, as the On 25 August 2013, the remaining land is allocated either for an Israeli ENDNOTES settlement (35 per cent), a “green” or members of the Tel al ‘Adassa Bedouin 1. Only some of these communities are located within the Jerusalem municipal boundary; the rest are public area (22 per cent), or has never community, along with most of their in . herd, left Tel al ‘Adassa and crossed been planned (30 per cent) by the 2. Daily Press Briefing of the Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human, Rights Ge- municipal authorities. over to the “West Bank” side of the neva, 27 August, available at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews. Barrier; 13 newborn sheep, left without aspx?NewsID=13662&LangID=E.

DISLOCATED COMMUNITIES IN EAST JERUSALEM 3 THE BIR NABALA / TEL AL ‘ADASSA BEDOUIN COMMUNITY - SEPTEMBER 2013 60 UNITED NATIONS K a f r ' A q a b Ramallah Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, occupied Palestinian territory Forced displacement of the Tel al 'Adassa Bedouin community R a f a t August 2013

Jerusalem Qalandiya Camp

Qalandiya Abu Shusha Quarry Bethlehem Qalandiya Checkpoint

J a b a ' Al Judeira Bedouin Atarot Industrial Zone

Ar Ram & Dahiyat al Bareed Jaba' Partial Checkpoint

Bir Nabala

Tel al 'Adassa (Bir Nabala Bedouin)

Tunnel/Underpass

Palestinian Builtup Area For additional information on demolitions, displacement and Barrier-related issues affecting Palestinian Israeli Settlement Builtup civilians in East Jerusalem, please see: Area Newe Ya'akov OCHA oPt Fact Sheet, “The Humanitarian Impact of the Barrier,” July 2013, available at: http://www.ochaopt. Israeli Declared Jerusalem org/documents/ocha_opt_barrier_factsheet_july_2013_english.pdf. Municipal Boundary OCHA oPt Fact Sheet, “East Jerusalem: Key Humanitarian Concerns,” December 2012, available at: http:// West Bank Barrier www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_Jerusalem_FactSheet_December_2012_english.pdf. N a b i S a m w i l B e d o u i n OCHA oPt Fact Sheet, “Communities in the Jerusalem Periphery At-risk of Forced Displacemnt,” June Oslo Agreement 404 2013, available at: http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_communities_jerusalem_factsheet_ AREA (A) june_2013_english.pdf. AREA (B) Bedouin Beit Hanina 4 DISLOCATED COMMUNITIES IN EAST JERUSALEM Beit Hanina THE BIR NABALA / TEL AL ‘ADASSA BEDOUIN COMMUNITY - SEPTEMBER 2013 al Balad