On the 5th of June 2008 the residents of the community of Arab Al Ramadien Al Janoubi were alarmed when a number of Israeli officials in the so-called “Civil Administration” in Qalqilia Governorate met with them and offered to move them to some other unidentified location outside the Israeli Racist Isolation Wall. The officers of the “Civil” Administration informed the resident of Al Ramadien that their presence is “not welcomed” and that the Administration will transfer them with or without their consent. The residents of Al Ramadien flatly rejected the idea regardless of the circumstances or consequences.
It worth pointing out that on August 29th, 2007 the Israeli High Court ruled that the route of the Wall has to be changed as to leave the villages of Ras Tireh, Al Daba’a and Wadi Al Rasha outside of the enclave created by the Wall. It also ruled that Arab Al Ramadien Al Janoubi and Arab Abu Farda has the right to either stay in their current location within the Wall or to leave outside of it. The decision would be entirely up to their free will. As such, the decision of the Administration to move them is illegal even in Israeli terms.
General Information about Arab Al Ramadien Al Janoubi:
The community is located southeast of the city of Qalqilia at a distance of 1.5 kilometer west of the colony of Alfe Minshe. About 60 families (a total of 200 people) live in the village in 100 housing and agricultural establishments. Such establishments are primitive in nature and are constructed using tin and zinco. The residents of the village depend on herding and agriculture in addition to private businesses.
The village lacks the most basic life requirements including water, electricity and basic infrastructure. In terms of education services, the residents send their children to schools in nearby communities such as the school in Al Daba’a and Habla villages. As for electricity, the community depends on diesel-based electrical generators. However, running these generators is becoming extremely expensive nowadays due to the large increase in the prices of fuel.
The Palestinian residents of the village came originally from the area of Beer Sheva south of historical Palestine. They were forced to be “temporarily relocated” in 1950 under the supervision of the United Nations and in coordination with the Israeli authorities. The Israelis, however, reneged on their part of the agreement and refused to allow them to go back to their original habitats. As such, some of them settled in lands south of Hebron Governorate while others traveled northwards north of the city of Qalqilia and west of the village of Jayyous. This part of the population became known as Arab Al Ramadien Al Shamali. Another section of the population settled south of the city of Qalqilia as they bought lands in that area. They became to be known as Arab Al Ramadien Al Janoubi.
The establishment of the Racist Israeli Isolation Wall in Qalqilia Governorate in 2002 has led to the isolation of the communities of Arab Al Ramadien Al Janoubi and Arab Abu Farda (n for both communities = 350) in addition to the communities of Adaba’a (n=279), Wadi Rasha (n=180) as well as Ras Tira (n=410). All these communities became surrounded by the Wall as well as the colony of Alfe Minshe. Two gates were installed in the Wall that control the entry and exit into and from the enclave; the first gate carries the number 109 and is located 3 kilometers away from Al Ramadien Al Janoubi village. The gate connects the Ghetto with Road 55 and is usually operating 24-hours a day. The second gate holds the number 1351 and is located 6 kilometers away from Al Ramadien Al Janoubi and is usually open between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM. The gate connects the Ghetto with the village of Ras Attiya. Palestinians living in the Ghetto are obliged to get an Israeli-issued residency permit as well as an ID that indicates the residence place as being the name of their respective villages.
In the last 4 years, the Israeli DCL has issued 11 demolition orders in Arab Al Ramadien Al Janoubi community under the pretext they were built without permits in Area C. When the owners of the threatened housing and agricultural structures tried to apply to get a permit for these structures, the Bet El-based “Committee of Building and Supervision” flatly rejected their requests.
The Israeli violations against Arab Al Ramadien (whether in south Hebron, north or south Qalqilia) are continuing as most of them have received eviction orders as well structure demolitions. It is as if history is repeating itself; the Israeli government has forced them to move away from their original dwellings in 1950 and now the government is trying to carryout the same mission once again. That is despite the fact that most of the people of Al Ramadien still hold deeds of ownership of lands in the Beer Sheva region.
(for more information regarding the community of Arab Al Ramadien and the Israeli policies and violations against it, please refer back to case study titled).
Prepared by:
The Land Research Center
LRC
