On the northeastern outskirts, approximately 4.5 miles from Jerusalem city, lays Hizma village on 10,400 Dunums (Arij GIS Unit) of land. Hizma is surrounded by five Palestinian villages; Anata, Beit Hanina, Shufa't, Jab'a & Ar-Ram. This hilly-strewn/ semi-valley village houses over 6000 people living within the 1050 dunums of land, which constitute the certified master plan for Hizma village.
The built-up area makes up almost 40% (418 dunums) of Hizma's master plan area including three public schools & one ill-equipped public health service unit. The rest of the remaining area designates agricultural exploitation and future potential expansion of the built up area in the village.
Recently, Israel crowned its long-term covetousness scheme of the occupied Palestinian Territories with the infamous Segregation Wall that came over considerable parts of the Palestinian Territories including Hizma's village land.
Over the years, Hizma lost sizeable portion of its lands at favor of Israel's development plans in the area, which incorporated Israeli settlements in the years 1981 & 1985. The following table illustrates the diminished areas of Hizma's lands over the years by the Israeli occupation.
|
Lands seized from Hizma village |
Area in Dunums |
|
Area of land consumed by the physical structure of the Segregation Wall |
346 |
|
Land isolated behind the Segregation Wall |
2050 |
|
Areas consumed by Israeli settlements |
2391 |
|
|
|
|
Total |
4787 |
The route of the Segregation Wall will permanently isolate 4787 dunums altogether of Hizma village lands. Over two different periods, Israel issued several land confiscation orders and built the Israeli settlements Anatot (est. 1981), Pisgat 'Amir (est. 1985), Neve Yaacov (est. 1972) & Pisgat Ze'ev (est.1985). The area confiscated to build the Israeli settlements rounds-up to 2391 dunums, which constitutes the settlements master plan; including the built-up area of all settlements. In addition to 346 dunums of land consumed by the Israeli Segregation Wall which will penetrate Hizma lands, an additional 2050 dunums will be isolated.
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According to Hizma's village council, a number of 446 Palestinians are affected by the Segregation Wall, mainly those whose lands will fall on the wrong side of the Segregation Wall. The remaining area of Hizma (4563 Dunums) spread outside the approved master plan of the village as it remains inaccessible to its original owners in terms of construction and development.
Different life aspects of Hizma touched by the Segregation Wall:-
The outbreak of the second Intifada in September 2000, followed by extreme procedures adopted by the Israeli Army in the occupied Palestinian territories exemplified by multiplying the number of road blocks & checkpoints in and around the Palestinian urban areas and all accesses leading to Israel.
Employment:- Ultimately, the Palestinian labor segment has lost a major source of income as the majority of the Palestinian labor force lost access to the Israeli employment market and thus caused the unemployment to hit a record high in the occupied Palestinian territories including Hizma town, which has its unemployment record standing at 40 % comparing to one/tenth of that in the year 2000. Once the Segregation Wall is completed, the Palestinian employment share at the Israeli employment market will become even less than its current standing, instigating consequently an even bigger wave of unemployment from that one exists today.
Education:- Education has its share of the segregation Wall fallout; as nearly 600 student from Hizma village ranging from elementary levels to undergraduate studies will no longer have access to schools and universities without distressingly crossing all kinds of Israeli roadblocks and checkpoints. Currently, Hizma village lack proper educational facilities as is and according to the village council, the town also lack the capacity to take in the affected student segment which makes education an eroding process.
Health:- A single; ill-equipped public health unit offers its services to 6000 residents of Hizma village will no longer be sufficient to do so once the Segregation Wall interrupt the geographical contiguity between Hizma and other major Palestinian centers (Jerusalem & Ramallah). This Segregation Wall will jeopardize the health status of Hizma village and the surrounding Palestinian communities as accessibility to proper medical facilities will no longer be a simple procedure.
Historically & today, Hizma has always been a part of Jerusalem district (the northeastern villages), an association will no longer be viable once the Segregation Wall is completed and Jerusalem is cut-off from its surrounding rural communities. See map of location
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision issued on July 9, 2004 denounced that the Segregation Wall came to fortify the legitimacy of the Palestinian cause as the ICJ decision characterized the Segregation Wall as an illegal act committed by the Israeli occupation against the original owners of the land. Furthermore, the ICJ decision emphasized all the resolutions issued by the United Nations General Assembly and its Security Council with regard to the legal status of the lands that Israel occupied following the 1967 war as occupied territories and that the Fourth Geneva Convention accord of August 12, 1949 is applicable to it in all of its terms.
Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
