Dumping Colony Waste into Palestinian Lands in Artas Village – Bethlehem Governorate

Violation: The dumping of colony wastes into the area of Wadi Abu Shahein in the village of Artas.

Date: March 26^th, 2011.

                                

The village of Artas is located less than one kilometer southwest of Bethlehem City on the main Hebron-Jerusalem Highway. The village of Al Khader borders it from the west, Arab Al Ta’amreh from the east, Al Fawargha village from the south and Al Duheisha Refugee Camp from the north. The origin of the word “Artas” is the Latin “Artasium” which means “field” or “heaven”. During the Crusaders era it was known as “Hortus Conclusus” which means The Closed Heaven.

 

As other parts of the Governorate of Bethlehem, the village is suffering from the Israeli colonial expansion; about 1432 dunums of Artas lands were confiscated in 1991. In addition, colonists have attacked the village on a number of occasions.

 

Since March, 2011, Israeli trucks has been seen between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM (except for Fridays and Saturdays) dumping colony wastes in the area of Wadi Shahin in the village of Artas. According to the residents of the village, there is a stream in the Wadi called Wadi Al Bayyar that cress-crosses through Wadi Shahin and the village. The dumping of the waste in this area would affect negatively its residents and agricultural lands.