A study in contrasts

East of Jerusalem, all 31 of our incoming EAs visited a large, established Israeli settlement (illegal under international humanitarian law), and a small, impoverished community of nomadic Bedouins threatened with forced relocation.

Angela Godfrey briefs EAs in Ma'ale Adumim

Israeli peace activist Angela Godfrey first  told us of the unequal treatment given to Palestinians living in Jerusalem. They account for 40 percent of the city's population, but get only 10% of the city's budget. There is a shortage of school classrooms for Palestinians, and they do not have a single swimming pool, while Israelis have several.

She said the government's master plan calls for continued expansion of Jewish settlements and exclusion of Palestinians from a large area east of Jerusalem, which will drive a wedge through the West Bank and in her view make an independent Palestinian state nonviable.

A small section of Ma'ale Adumim

We saw one of the largest settlements, Ma'ale Adumim, with a population of a about 40,000 and growing rapidly. Angela said expansion continued even during the nominal 10-month freeze, and was even more rapid after the freeze ended. In a reaction to the UN vote giving Palestine observer status, Israel announced plans to build 3,500 more units there.

Waterpark of Ma'ale Adumim

Although this is a desert area, Ma'ale Adumim gets all the water it needs for green landscaping all along the streets, swimming pools, even a water park. Angela says the settlers get eight times as much water per capita as the Palestinians.

Just a few miles down the road is the village of Khan al Ahmar, one of  23 Bedouin communities threatened with relocation.  The tents are home to sheepherders who were first evicted from the Negev in 1951 and repeatedly moved.

Bedouins in Khan al Ahmar

Eid Abu Khamis and two of his seven children

Water is a problem in the village, according to spokesman Eid Abu Khamis. They sometimes go for three days without it, because Jewish settlers trying to force them to move cut the pipes. He says settlers pollute wells, steal animals, and break windows of the school. The army also harasses them, with tanks traumatizing children in the middle of the night. He says within the last two weeks a 14-year-old boy lost a hand due to an army booby trap. A dozen years ago they had 1,600 sheep. Now they only have 140.

Eid says Israel's objective is "to get rid of all Jahalin Bedouins and extend Greater Jerusalem to the Dead Sea."
The Army has been ordered by the Supreme Court to prepare a plan for relocating them in June of this year, after the school year ends. They are hoping for a miracle, so they will not be forced to go to an even less desirable location.

Tire school of the Jahalin

Khan al Ahmar is proud of its school, built in 2009 with international aid from mud and tires, using a design from Argentina and Brazil. It offers classes for 95 children aged 6 through 12 from five villages. It offers primary education to girls, who previously were not allowed to walk the long distance to the nearest school. The school also offers adult literacy classes and a monthly health clinic. If international pressure cannot protect the community from forced relocation, I certainly hope the school can be rebuilt in their future location.