Human Rights in the light of the Palestinian-Israeli Declaration of Principles

Arab Al-rashaida and Al-ebiat tribes live in the East of Bethlehem, on the hills that are looking down upon the Jordan river, in a grazing area. The two tribes are used to live in tents, work in grazing sheeps, and live on their production.

The 1967 occupation was a catastrophe to these tribes. They have been arrested and separated. Moreover, the occupation closed all the grazing areas, which forced the tribals to build houses.

The occupation authorities did not stop chasing them, starting from "Ma'li Amous" and "Taqo'u" settlements.

Victims since the occupation took place

The first months and years of the occupation carried catastrophes to Arab Al-rashaida and Al-ebiat tribes. Because of their close location to the Jordanian borders and the movements of the activists, some activists were turning to the tribe families seeking protection and help. The tribals' traditions forbid them from turning down any person.

But this cost them much.

Most of the men in the mentioned tribes have been arrested. A few of them ran to the valleys and to other places; just women, children, and sheeps left in the area.

During the absence of men, women and children had been transferred to other places, and the tents had been destroyed.

In the prison, some men spent months and others spent years. After releasing them, they worked on gathering their families, and since the seventies they started to settle on the "Tako'u" lands. Since that date, Kissan and Al-rashaida residents are fighting for their rights and for protecting their houses against settlers.

Nowadays, and after signing the Palestinian-Israeli declaration of principles, what occupies those residents thinking is not the development projects, nor the apparent forms of freedom. They have one question:

Does the agreement return to us what the settlers have stolen from our lands?

One of the residents answers (45 years old - his name is Mahfouth), who the Israelis had tortured using the rope to hang him from a helicopter to force him to leave his land: "I will not make peace with the settlers or the Israeli government as long as they are occupying my land. Nothing will stop me from fighting, but the death angle."

About this farmer and the kissan residents, who fight for protecting their lands, we present the following report:

After the scattering between 1969-1973, many agencies have been trying to return Al-rashaida residents to their village, but the military order authorities rejected all intermediaries considering Al-rashaida lands as military lands.

Instead of returning Al-rashaida families to their village, the military order authorities built one room for every family on Se'r village lands, a three rooms' school, and a mosque.

Even that the families had found some places to live, but they had not find any area to graze their sheeps, which is their main source of income. They have now 500 camels and 20,000 sheeps, but in the previous years they had many more.

During the living on Se'r lands, Al-rashaida residents faced hard pressures:

1- The one room house formed a big problem to the residents. The lonely room was for living, sleeping, cooking, and a storage for the seeds, which is impossible in the winter. Moreover, they had no grazing areas after closing them by the Israeli authorities.

2- Se'r residents insisted on Al-rashaida residents to leave Se'r, which led them to fight each other.

3- The Israeli authorities developed its settlement plans in the seventies, and constructed "Tako'u" settlement on Arab Al-ta'mra lands (Tako'u and Kissan villages). The area was 5500 dunums, and now it became more than the double. Furthermore, the authorities established "Ma'leh Amous" settlement on Al-rashaida and Kissan lands.

"In 1980, we held a meeting, and we decided to leave Se'r area and return back to our original lands; we built tents, and brought back with us everything but the children to give them an opportunity to continue studying in the same school" that is what Abu Khaled said, Al-rashaida resident. When the authorities discovered the matter, they order Al-rashaida residents to leave the site and go back to Se'r lands, but the residents refused to leave, and they explained to the authorities the problems that faced them while living on others' land. The two sides insisted on their position; and finally they reached a compromise of leaving Al-rashaida residents on their original place until finding final solution to their problem.

After a year and a half, Al-rashaida residents had to move for the second time because it appeared that the Israeli authorities decided to establish "Ma'leh Amous" settlement on "Kissan" and "Al-rashaida" lands.

A military order representative came to Al-rashaida residents and presented a very harsh and rude choice to them, which is to spend six months in one position of their land, and to spend the other six months in another far position. Furthermore, they have to leave every year from one position to another for security reasons.

Al-rashaida residents rejected the order for finding it impossible to build in two deferent places. The military order representative said to Al-rashaida residents: "you always have been living in tents, you don't like it now?! you don't need to build houses, your fathers lived and died in tents!"

Al-rashaida residents answered: "you don't have the right to force us to live the way you select for us." They asked him to live in "Em Al-zaitona," which is near their original village, the representative refused, but the residents insisted. Finally, they agreed on letting Al-rashaida families to establish a new village on "Rass Wad Abu Aiash" on a land, which is part of Al-rashaida lands.

After the agreement, Al-rashaida families started to move their stuff from Se'r to the new permanent area, and they started to build new houses as fast as they could because the Israeli authorities gave them a specific time to build, or they will loose their right of building after short period. In 1984, the Israeli bulldozers demolished every house had been built on Se'r land.

In February 21/1985, sixty buildings have been constructed for 1600 person; many could not build for the lack of money. On the same year, 30 residents had been arrested including one woman for security reasons. Also, many had been prohibited from returning to their village, or to live in the new village, especially those who are living now in Eain Al-sultan and Jericho.

Even that the Israeli authorities gave the permission to Al-rashaida residents to establish the new village, but settlers do not stop bothering and threatening Al-rashaida residents in many deferent ways. Villagers say: we are happy for taking the permission to raise our Palestinian flag, but this does not make any changes to them as long as settlers are occupying their lands.

Kissan village

Kissan village is in the East side of Tako'u, and it is about 17 km far from Bethlehem. Kissan population is about 650 person; some of them still in their village after the demolition of most houses in that village.

Kissan residents are from Al-rashaida and Al-ta'mrah. Their main source of income is from grazing sheeps, but now they had to sell all their sheeps and work in the Israeli factories.

Before 1967 and until now, there are no stone buildings because all residents have been living in tents, and they do not feel the need of building walls.

Through years, boys and girls (10-65 years old) used to spend Fall, winter, and spring seasons out of the village in deferent places of the West Bank for grazing their sheeps, and they return to their village in summer. After 1967, many green lands have been confiscated, so the villagers had to stay in their village in all seasons and build stone houses.

In 1970, Kissan residents requested frthe military authorities in Bethlehem to give them building license. The authorities did not reject building, but they did not give written permissions.

In 1977, after the Lekud took the authorities, many lands have been confiscated for establishing "Tekwa" and "Ma'le Amous" settlements on Kissan lands. Furthermore, residents have been forbidden from building, and they have been asked to show their buildings licenses. In 1982, Israeli bulldozers demolished three houses claiming that they had been built without licenses.

Between 1982-1986, Kissan residents tried to get licenses, but the Israeli authorities refused to give them any. During that period, hundreds of sheeps had been confiscated, and many shepherds had been arrested for rejecting the confiscation order.

In October 6-1987, the authorities decided that all buildings should be demolished for military reasons. In 1988, Ahmad Ghazal Al-ebiat was grazing his sheeps in the village; settlers from Ma'leh Amous settlement shot him dead. Violent acts increased in Kissan and Takou' villages after the incident.

In 1988, the Israeli bulldozers demolished houses in Kissan claiming that they were built without licenses. Settlers have not stopped bothering and threatening Kissan residents. They keep shooting the sheeps and their owners in every time they find them grazing in their own village.

Kissan residents still fight for staying in their village; they refuse to move out. They have been forced to live in caves in the East of the village; their children are living under bad conditions with no schools to go to.

The final offer from the Israeli authorities to Kissan residents is to transfer them to another position, but the residents refused the offer, and they insisted on keeping their land.

Summary

Kissan - Al-rashaida residents have the right to live in their own houses under healthy conditions, which provide an honorable life to their children.

Peace in their opinion is not to have masters practicing all their rights in others' land, while treating the original residents as servants obeying the settlers' orders.

Just after two days from signing the Palestinian - Israeli declaration of principles, settlers from "Ma'leh Amous" started to enlarge their settlement by building on Mohamad Ebiat and Abed Ebiat lands.

If negotiations about settlements have been delayed, protecting Palestinians against settlers should not be delayed. At the time when settlers stop enlarging their settlements by confiscating Palestinians lands, and when Palestinians feel free to build on their own lands, Kissan citizens will feel the blessing of peace.