STOP THE TRANSFER ISRAEL ABOUT TO EXPEL BEDOUIN TO EXPAND SETTLEMENTS The Israeli army plans to forcibly evict and transfer 20 Palestinian communities, some 2,300 people, from their homes in the area of the Ma’ale Adumim settlement bloc in the occupied West Bank. The plan aims to relocate the communities, a majority of which are Jahalin Bedouin, to a site about 300m away from the Jerusalem municipal garbage dump. Israeli authorities have not consulted with the communities and the residents oppose the move. Military officials have said that the army will begin implementing the plan in early 2012. If carried out, this forced transfer would violate Israel’s obligations under international law and uproot some of the poorest communities in the West Bank. The Israeli army has already issued building settlements. Other areas were allowed to move between the West Bank many demolition orders against these designated as nature reserves and the and Jordan”, he says. “Wherever there communities. In some of them, more than Bedouin were prohibited from using them. were grazing lands, we moved. In 1975 90 per cent of homes and other structures As a result, the Jahalin’s seasonal Israel started creating military zones. are at risk of demolition. movement and traditional way of life And they started moving us away from became impossible, and they were forced these areas towards the roads. After Two schools, in Khan al-Ahmar and in Wadi to settle in permanent small encampments 1977, the first Jewish settlements were Abu Hindi, which serve around 200 Jahalin in the area east of Jerusalem. established in the area. The settlements children, are slated for demolition. Children grew, and they began to be surrounded make up about two thirds of the residents by fences and then came the settlement targeted for displacement. If the schools are security. Then they began to prohibit demolished, the younger ones will have no “We will not leave – they us from more areas and we no longer access to education. want to expel us, but we had access to grazing lands or water sources like Ein Fara, Ein Fawar or Ein will not leave.” Wadi al-Qelt.” BACKGROUND Amneh Odeh Jahalin, whose house in al-Mihtwish was In the early 1950s, the Jahalin tribe was demolished by Israeli forces on 31 October 2011 Because they lack access to grazing lands, displaced from the Tel Arad area in the many of the Bedouin have abandoned Negev to the West Bank by the Israeli their traditional way of life and currently authorities. Following Israel’s occupation of depend on humanitarian assistance. the West Bank in 1967, the Israeli military Abu Raed lives in al-Mihtwish, one of the More than half of the communities are restricted access to vast expanses of the communities due to be transferred in food insecure; none of the communities Jahalin grazing land, declaring them the current plan. “I grew up during have access to the electricity grid and only military zones or confiscating land for Jordanian rule, when the Bedouin were half are connected to water networks. Amnesty International February 2012 Index: MDE 15/001/2012 © A m n e s t y I n t e r n a t i o n a l For many the access to health services is Area C has been planned for Palestinian above : Jahalin family outside their tent days very limited. “We go to the hospital on development by Israel’s Civil Administration. after their homes were demolished by the donkeys”, says Abu Mohammed, who lives Israeli army, al-Mihtwish, 3 November 2011. in al-Muntar. Meanwhile, the Israeli authorities have cover : Jahalin homes in al-Muntar in the continued to build and expand Israeli-only occupied West Bank, 12 November 2011. The Bedouin communities are all located settlements on Palestinian land in these The community is at imminent risk of forced in areas designated as “Area C” under the same areas, in violation of international law eviction by the Israeli army. Oslo Accords between Israel and the and in contempt of resolutions by the UN Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Security Council and other bodies. Since In these areas, which make up more its occupation of the West Bank, Israel has than 60 per cent of the occupied West established more than 150 settlements in Bank, the Israeli army retains complete the West Bank (including East Jerusalem). council and invited them to come and see control over security, and the Israel Civil The establishment of these settlements the school.” Eid Jahalin, from Khan al- Administration, a military body, controls violates the Fourth Geneva Convention Ahmar, told Amnesty International. “They planning and zoning. relative to the Protection of Civilian came and drank tea and coffee and left. Persons in Time of War, which prohibits an Three days later we received a letter from The Israeli authorities have not allowed occupying power from settling its civilian the Israeli court saying that the school is a Palestinians to build and develop their population in the territory it occupies. security threat. The settlers then came and land in Area C. According to the UN Office destroyed the fence around the school and for the Coordination of Humanitarian Settlers in the nearby settlements some of its doors and windows. They have Affairs (OCHA), 70 per cent of Area C is consistently harass the Bedouin attacked it several times since.” completely off-limits to Palestinian communities and attack their property construction and a further 29 per cent is with virtual impunity. “In September 2009 heavily restricted. Less than 1 per cent of I went to the Kfar Adumim settlement Index: MDE 15/001/2012 Amnesty International February 2012 4 STOP THE TRANSFER ISRAEL ABOUT TO EXPEL BEDOUIN TO EXPAND SETTLEMENTS OCCUPIED WEST BANK UNDER THE OSLO ACCORDS A E S Neve Ya’akov N A E Nablus N N A R R K E A T I D E N Beit Hanina M Tel Aviv D Almon A R Ramallah Pisgat Ze’ev B Jericho O L Ma’ale Adumim Shuafat J Anata E A Jerusalem T R S Bethlehem S M E P I E W L Hebron DEAD A SEA L S O 10 20 km E U O510 miles Old City R A Area A: Palestinian Authority (PA) control E Area B: Israeli military control, Palestinian municipal authority R J Area C: Full Israeli civil and military control, including planning Silwan S Abu Dis East Jerusalem, annexed by Israel T Major Israeli settlement I Al-Jabal S A Planned relocation site Jabal THE E1 PlAN E al Mukabbir E1, an abbreviation for East 1, is the Israeli plan developed in the 1990s to expand settlements in the area between East Jerusalem and Jerusalem municipal Ma’ale Adumim. More than half of the Bedouin communities targeted garbage dump for home demolitions and displacement live in and around the area Sur Bahir designated for the E1 plan. If implemented, the plan will effectively cut the geographic contiguity Bedouin community to be relocated E1 area of the West Bank, with a solid line of Israeli settlements dividing the Military checkpoint Area B: Israeli military cont northern and southern West Bank. It will also prevent Palestinian Jerusalem municipal garbage dump Palestinian built-up area neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem from using their lands for badly Planned relocation site Area C: Full Israeli civil and needed development. Existing wall/fence Area within settlement mun Planned or under construction wall/fence Settlement built-up area The E1 settlement plan includes around 4,000 housing units, hotels, an industrial area and a large police station that serves as the police 1949 Armistice Line (Green Line) East Jerusalem headquarters for the West Bank area. The police station was officially Main road Israeli military base opened in 2008 and much of the infrastructure is already in place. Jerusalem municipal boundary P Israeli Police Jerusalem Hea However, successive Israeli governments have delayed further construction due to opposition by the US government and the European Union. The maps indicate the general locations of areas and boundaries and should not be treated as an authoritative d Amnesty International’s view on questions of borders or disputed areas. The maps are adapted from Foundation Amnesty International February 2012 Index: MDE 15/001/2012 STOP THE TRANSFER 5 ISRAEL ABOUT TO EXPEL BEDOUIN TO EXPAND SETTLEMENTS © A JERUSAlEM DISTRICT - OCCUPIED WEST BANK m n e s t y I n t e r n a t i o n a l Al-Mihtwish Khan al-Ahmar Kfar Adumim © A m n e s t y I n t e r n a t i o n a l Bir al-Maskoob Mishor Adumim industrial area Ma’ale Adumim © A m n e WEST BANK s t y I Wadi Abu Hindi n t e r n a t i o n a Qedar l Al-Muntar 5 km © from top : Garbage trucks at the Jerusalem A m municipal garbage dump, 3 November 2011; n trol, Palestinian municipal authority e s t An effluent pool outside the dump, next to the y I n t area designated for the communities after their e r d military control, including planning n a forced evictions; Jahalin Bedouin homes in al- t i o nicipal boundary n Muntar, 3 November 2011. In the background a l and in the bottom picture is the settlement of Qedar. The Israeli military has restricted access to vast expanses of the Jahalin grazing land, adquarters confiscating land for building settlements. description of the area or interpreted as for Middle East Peace maps by Jan de Jong.