The Palestinian Bedouin community of al Hadidiya is continuing to resist attempts by the Occupation to ethnically cleanse the area. Almost three months ago, the Occupation has sent demolition orders to all the homes of the Palestinian community and ordered people to leave the area. Some of the families remain steadfastly on the land even though the Occupation issued a renewed expulsion order a week ago.
***image2***Since 1977, the Zionist settlement Roâi has been expanding on Al Hadidiyeâs land in the area. The expulsion orders are aimed at granting the settlement 20,000 dunums of the Palestinian Bedouinsâ fertile lands in the northern Jordan Valley for colonization.
In April the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign launched an appeal to Save Hadidiya as part of its work in the Jordan Valley. It has been alerting media and international organizations and activists. Several delegations of diplomats, Human Rights activists and journalists have visited and written about the area. Yet, international pressure has still to mount to a level that can affect concrete results.
Since the campaign to Save Hadidiya started in response to the demolition and expulsion orders issued two months ago, dozens of articles, press releases and communiqués have been written. Nevertheless, the situation has been drastically deteriorating for the people living there and who routinely face terror and threats.
The Bedouins report how once a heavily armed security guard from the Roâi settlement threatened them to leave the area before the military removed them by force. In fact, the same day the guard came back with the Occupationâs military commander for the Jordan Valley and, in a show of common purpose among the different arms of the Occupation, the military repeated the threat, warning the people to leave before the bulldozers came.
Remaining steadfast in the face of the continuous threats, the people of Hadidiye are still refusing to leave the area. However, some 13 families have already moved 3 to 5 km southwards, to the other end of the plains of al Hadidiye and further away from the settlement for which the area is to be ethnically cleansed. They took all the belongings they could carry with them. Soon after, settlers were seen stealing the remaining belongings of the displaced Bedouins.
âThis would be the third time we lose everything under the Occupationâs bulldozers that demolish our homes to in order to expel us from the area. We simply donât have the money to replace our belongings and build up our homes once again.â stated one member of the Bedouin families. However, not long after that the Occupation issued another warning to leave even that place and to move into the small area allocated for Palestinian âcontrolâ, or C area under the Oslo Agreements, in Tobas, northwest of al Hadidiye.
It is only by breaking the Zionist plans that the people from Hadidiye will be able to retain their lands, livelihoods and homes and avoid becoming part of the over 6 million Palestinian refugees.
In the meanwhile, Roâi settlement is prospering on the ruins of yet another Palestinian community and their land. Signs publicly announce houses to be for rent and Zionist organizations such as the âJordan Valley Development Fundâ collect tax-free money for the ethnic cleansing of the Valley from its inhabitants. Companies such as Carmel Agrexco are selling the Zionist produce from the Jordan Valley â the fruits of the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people.
Donât forget al Hadidiye!
Let people and the media know about the reality on the ground in Palestine!
Ask your MPs and ambassadors to put concrete pressure on apartheid Israel and support the Palestinian struggle to live and return to their homes in freedom and self determination!
Boycott Apartheid Israel!
For further information on al Hadidiye, click here.