MA'AN Development Center Ras al-AujaRas Palestinian Bedouin: 2 1 Ras al-AujaRas purposes.” community again, from the Hebron hills to the for “security war. Following the 1967 war, the Israeli military relocated1948 the Palestinianthe during homes their from forced were but Israel, now is in what desert the Naqab in lived al-Auja Ras of Palestinians the Originally, T MA’AN Development Center Interview. Recorded, internal document. 24December2011 MA’AN Development Center 8February FieldVisit. 2012 • • • • • • of the Palestinian village al-Auja and the of Yitav. of settlement Israeli the and west al-Auja is village located Palestinian the of Ras al-Auja of community Bedouin Palestinian he to electricitythrough generators an electrical network network 100 0: 1,000 12 100 4-5 oline to fuelthegenerator percentage of Palestinians in Ras al-Auja connected to an electrical an to connected al-Auja Ras in Palestinians of percentage : average numberoffamilies pergenerator : : : number of hours per day some Ras al-Auja residents have access haveresidents al-Auja Ras some day per hours of number number of shekels Ras al-Auja Palestinians pay per month for gas- percentage of Israelis in the nearby Yitav settlement connected to : 2 numberofPalestinians livinginRasal-Auja 1 15 Spotlight After the Oslo Accords, which divided the anisms. Therefore, in the summer, when into Areas A, B, and C, the com- temperatures range between 42-50C, many munity was placed under full Israeli military people are without proper cooling, while in and civil control. Although the Israeli gov- the winter, when temperatures are as low as ernment is bound by international law to 0C, they are without adequate heating.3 The provide the necessary services, Ras al-Auja, region’s harsh climate and lack of proper ac- like most other Palestinian communities in commodations is detrimental to public, mak- Area C, is generally neglected. Not only does ing Palestinians more susceptible to illnesses Israel refuse to provide services for Ras al- that could easily be prevented. Auja residents, the state does not allow any independent Palestinian development in the area. Thus, Palestinians have no sewage sys- tem, water network, and are forced to rely Conclusion on a donated generator for electricity. Palestinians in Ras al-Auja are kept in a re- strictive cycle that prevents their ability to afford or provide adequate living conditions. Restrictions on Electrical This situation is most evident in their lack of access to basic services, such as electricity, Access and its Impact on which the State of Israel has kept at a sub- Palestinians standard level. The settlement Yitav howev- er, which is adjacent to Ras al-Auja, has a full ue to Israeli restrictions, Ras al-Auja electrical and water connection, only further residents cannot access any reliable D illustrating the discriminatory nature of the electrical network. Israel refuses to connect Israeli occupation. Palestinians to Yitav’s network and prevents the Palestinian National Authority from con- necting the residents to the electrical network. As a result of these restrictions, the Bedouin of Ras al-Auja are forced to rely on donated generators for all electricity in the village.

These generators runs off of gasoline, which causes a number of subsequent problems. Gasoline in Palestine is extremely expensive as it is taxed by both the PNA and Israel. Al- though the community shares the cost of gasoline, the generator is only able to run for four to five hours a day. Consequently, only a fraction of Ras al-Auja’s residents can afford a connection to the generator. Even if for those who are connected, costs make it im- 3 MA’AN Development Center Interview. Recorded, internal possible to afford heating or cooling mech- document. 24 December 2011

©MA’AN Development Center 2012 ©MA’AN Development Center 2011