Restless Park: on the Latrun Villages and Zochrot

Restless Park: On the Latrun villages and Zochrot By Eitan Bronstein Translated by Charles Kamen One day in March, 2007, while waiting blue. It looked like a plate. My friend, for a group whose members wanted Umar Ighbarieh, confirmed my guess. to hear the story of Canada Park, I “I myself ate from such plates,” he told wandered through the ruins of ‘Imwas, me. And I even had thought to bring it near the cemetery of the village. to a lab for testing… This discovery, of Remnants of walls still stand there. I a plate from which - apparently - the was surprised to find on the ground a residents of ‘Imwas had eaten, made round metal object, its edges painted clear to me that even today, seven years after I first became acquainted with the a number of postponements the tour area, and after hundreds of visits, its never took place. They also seem to earth continues to reveal new secrets. find it hard to see what has been done I like using the name ‘Canada Park’ in their name. as a starting point for telling the story The Canadian money, which could of this place. It’s a story of one name have been used to establish schools that hides other names that have been and pave roads in Canada, was used erased here. Not only the names of instead to create a magnificent park on ‘Imwas, Yalu and Beit Nuba were erased territory captured in 1967, on the ruins by the Keren Hakayemet Leyisrael (KKL; of three villages. A KKL representative in English, the ‘Jewish National Fund’ told a reporter for Channel 5 in Canada or JNF) when it established the park. that the funds weren’t invested beyond Ironically, the Canadians themselves the Green Line, but “in another part weren’t happy at what had been done of the park.” She sat with him beside a in their name. Maybe that’s the reason large wooden sign, in the center of the the visitor discovers that the place is park, honoring the Tannenbaum family also called “Ayalon Park” and “Canada- from Toronto for their contribution to Ayalon Park.” This schizophrenic its creation. “So let me understand,” she dual nomenclature was due to the said to him: “This sign here, beyond the embarrassment which followed the Green Line, is in honor of a Toronto announcement that the park had been family because of money it donated established with the financial support and invested somewhere else?” “Yes,” of Jews from Toronto. Fifteen million he replied, unabashed. The reporter’s Canadian dollars were donated in thorough investigation demonstrated order to plant, beyond the Green that almost the entire area of the park Line, thousands of pines and cypresses is located beyond the Green Line, to make bloom the wilderness on and it’s clear that those millions were which remained the ruins of these invested in violation of Canadian law. three villages. The KKL was forced to When I tell Israeli visitors to Canada apologize in Canada, and to reduce Park that we are now in territory the embarrassment it had to change captured in 1967 - not 1948 - many have the park’s name. But the Canadians difficulty believing it, and rightly so. The don’t forget. In 2003, someone from area of the park has been completely the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv asked “Israelised.” Not a single roadblock or me to give a tour of the area. He said sign warns that the traveler is crossing he’d also bring their representative the Green Line, Israel’s internationally from Ramallah. We set a date, but after recognized border. At least one driver, The section of Road (Jerusalem - Tel Aviv) that crosses over the Green Line (Source: Salman H. Abu-Sitta, The Return Journe: A Guide to the Depopulated and Present Palestinian Towns and Villages and Holy Sites. London: Palestine Land Society, 2007) who was caught speeding on the part 1968, which regulates the confiscation of intercity Route 1 than runs past of these lands (“Area Yod”), “persons Canada Park, escaped punishment by using the road will not delay their arguing before the judge that the place travel nor will they leave the road1.” where he was stopped was outside the This order was issued to prevent the judge’s jurisdiction. return of refugees from those villages to the lands they occupied until June, Political signage 1967. For the same reason, the order also details the hours that a curfew is But thousands of visitors to the park in effect - a curfew which, of course, is apparently are unaware that not only not imposed on visitors to KKL parks. were villages located there until 1967, Or perhaps the KKL is not bound by but that they themselves are forbidden military regulations? Is that possible? to get off the road running between It is, however, certain that the JNF Ramallah and Latrun - because, according is above Israeli politics. For when to the Military Order dated April, Adv. Zvi Freizler (Ed.), n.d. Legislation in Judea and Samaria (Chapter A, p. 23). Jerusalem: Ktuvim Publishing Co. [Hebrew] “Why?” “So that people would know what used to be there.” “But that’s illegal.” “There are thousands of illegal signs in Israel, even inside the park - for example, those advertising all kinds of things for sale.” “But your signs are political.” Zochrot asked KKL’s directors to “And yours - those that describe place signs in the park indicating that the Romans, the Hasmoneans, the Palestinian villages used to exist within Byzantines, the Ottomans, but don’t say its boundaries, they replied as follows: a word about centuries of Palestinian “Unfortunately, the KKL does not deal settlement - they aren’t political?” with topics having political significance, “But they’re legal….” and therefore we suggest you address The park’s maintenance your request to the appropriate official superintendent made sure to remove bodies.” Zochrot’s letter to the KKL arrived following an event to commemorate 36 years since the uprooting of the Latrun villages. Together with residents of the nearby locality of Neve Shalom and representatives of the villages themselves, Zochrot erected signs indicating that villages had once been located on the land where the park was established. Zochrot brochures which the signs and the KKL doesn’t deal we left next to one of the signs gave my with political issues, so we contacted telephone number. Two days later the the “Civil Administration” (a strange phone rang. name for this organization, considering “Hello, is that Eitan?” that it is responsible for various “Yes.” matters affecting non-citizens under “This is Cohen speaking, Canada occupation). This is what we wrote Park’s maintenance superintendent. Did them in June, 2003: you put up those signs?” “…Visitors to Canada Park can learn “Yes.” a great deal about the history of the area by reading the dozens of signs “…The decision to conceal selected situated throughout the park that portions of the area’s history is present many and varied histories, but unreasonable in the extreme, one that not the history of the local Palestinians. undermines those values mentioned The KKL hopes to educate the public above, and the very justification about the country we live in. We believe for erecting historical markers, one it is appropriate that the information accepted by every planning body provided in Canada Park, as well as that throughout the world. Since we were provided everywhere else, should not given no reason for rejecting our selectively ignore the Palestinians who request, let us say, with all due respect, have lived here for hundreds of years. that we suspect the rejection was “Therefore, we would be grateful based on political motives, whose goal if you would add signs which include is to prevent visitors to the site from such information. If doing so requires learning about its history of Arab approval by the local planning authority, settlement which, until the 1967 war, Zochrot is willing to make the necessary contained a vibrant and vital Palestinian application, and requests that you agree population.” to erecting the signs.” In its response of July, 2005, the KKL The Civil Administration did not reply made its first commitment in writing: promptly. Our sources reported that “(KKL) did not oppose including its legal advisors determined there was relevant information about the villages no legal way to refuse our request. On of Yalu and ‘Imwas on the signs erected the other hand, it was hard for them to in the park, and in fact proposed a text grant it explicitly, so they transferred that would describe the history of it to the headquarters of Central those villages, which would be added Command, which in turn examined to the existing signs. This proposal it and sent it on to the Ministry of was based solely on professional Justice for further consultation. When considerations, taking into account the we understood that the procedure characteristics of the place and the was likely to be endless, we petitioned view that an overabundance of signs the High Court of Justice against the in the park would damage its aesthetic Military Commander of Judea and character, and on a desire to maintain Samaria, the Civil Administration and it as a location for rest and recreation.” the KKL, represented by Adv. Michael Not a word about politics. Just Sfarad. The complete text of the professional considerations, aesthetics petition is available on Zochrot’s web and recreation… site. It stated, in part: The State Attorney’s office responded It was now necessary to agree on as follows to the High Court of Justice on the wording of the signs.

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