28 January 1997

Yesterday, 27 January, the Israeli army moved in for the second time in two weeks to evict by force six families of the Jahalin Bedouin tribe, living near the illegal Jewish settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim. The Jahalin, who moved to this spot near Jerusalem in 1950 after being expelled from their original site in the Negev, have been expelled again to make way for the expansion of the Jewish-only settlement.

Large contingents of Israeli army and police moved in against the families at 9:30 a.m., removed their belongings, bulldozed their encampments, and relocated these families, comprising 29 people, to the “alternative site”. The alternative site is some 500 meters from the Jerusalem municipality garbage dump, has been declared unfit for human habitation by Israeli environmentalists, and is located on confiscated land owned by residents of the nearby Arab village of Azariya. In addition, the alternative housing provided for the Jahalin on this bare, wind-swept hill are shipping containers of the same type used to ship cargo by sea. This site has one small pipe which provides water for the entire new camp, and no electrical services. The one-half dunam (about one-eight of an acre) allocated to each family is not enough to provide space for their flocks of sheep - their only livelihood.

The Israeli army beat and wounded ten Bedouin during the eviction, all of whom were sent to hospital.

Approximately forty families, about 380 people, still live on the site in danger of forced removal.

Once again LAW - the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment condemns the tragic injustice of the decisions taken against the Jahalin Bedouin, and urges the international community to protest immediately the inhumanity of the actions taken against the Jahalin. Please fax to Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu (972) (2) 566 4838, and Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai (972) (3) 691-6940.

LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is also an affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.