‘One of the fundamental principles applied by the [Israeli] authorities to planning in Jerusalem is the political goal of maintaining a 30/70 ratio between Palestinians and Jews, and they employ all available planning and legal tools in order to do so.’
‘I am like a guest in my own village’ says Nawal. She has lived for many years in An Nabi Samwil, a village in the occupied West Bank northwest of the city of Jerusalem.
Nawal in Nabi Samwil
Recently Nawal went to the nearby West Bank village of al-Jib to pick up some medical supplies from the Palestinian Red Crescent clinic. When she tried to return to her village through the Israeli military checkpoint, the soldier checked the computer and told her that her name had been removed from the list of Palestinian residents allowed to pass. The soldier did not speak Arabic, so Nawal got her son to translate what he was saying from Hebrew;
‘Go away and sort it out!‘
She called her friend whose husband works for the Palestinian Authority (PA) who told her to stay where she was and they would contact the Israeli authorities on her behalf. Sometime later, she got a message from the checkpoint to say that she had been issued with a temporary visitors permit. 12-hours after her initial approach she was permitted to cross. Nawal was unable to leave her home village after this, as she would not be able to return.
She does not know why her name was removed, but suspects it was because a few days earlier she had spoken to the media concerning recent home demolitions that had been carried out in her village by the Israeli authorities. She had also attended a demonstration at the United Nations Office in Ramallah in support of Gaza. Palestinians have been increasingly targeted by the Israeli authorities for speaking publicly and online about the practices of the military occupation.
Nawal told us she that didn’t want to be stuck in the village, since she does important work outside at the women’s community centre, and needs to leave An Nabi Samwil every week. Nawal teaches in the village school that she helped to set up. She also heads the Prophet Samuel Feminist Association which she helped to create when she arrived in the village in 1990.
For several years, people have been supported through the women’s centre. They were able to raise funds to create a children’s playground and organise many activities for women and the community. This included the training of 16 women as first aiders with the help of the Palestinian Red Crescent, important as there are no medical services in the village. Today, 50 women are part of the organisation.
Fortunately, Nawal has now had her name restored to the list of residents on the checkpoint computer, with the assistance of the Palestinian Authority. This meant that she was able to attend an important meeting recently with the World Bank, concerning funding for village projects. Whilst this was welcome news, we’ve witnessed many examples of the fragility of Palestinians right to movement, building and residency under Israeli occupation.
An Nabi Samwil and the ‘Seam Zone’
In 2002, the Israeli authorities started to build a Separation Barrier between Jerusalem and the West Bank with the stated aim of preventing violent attacks by Palestinians inside Israel. However, rather than running along the internationally agreed border between Palestine and Israel known as the Green Line, the barrier deviates up to 20-kilometers into the West Bank, effectively annexing Palestinian land to Israeli side of the barrier and separating many Palestinians from their crops and livelihoods. The area between the Green Line and the Barrier is referred to as the Seam Zone.
Qalandia military checkpoint controls Palestinian entry to Jerusalem
The village of An Nabi Samwil was caught in this zone when the barrier was built so the villagers are now separated from the West Bank by the barrier. Access is only possible through an Israeli military guarded checkpoint. Even though they are on the Jerusalem side of the barrier they are not allowed to travel freely into Jerusalem either due to originally being West Bank residents, to whom Jerusalem access is restricted under Israeli law.
Machsom Watch, an Israeli human rights organisation that monitors violations of Palestinians’ rights to travel, describes the village as being in a ‘transparent cage’ where freedom of movement is severely restricted in all directions.
‘The present route of the Separation Barrier leaves approximately 10 percent of the total area of the West bank on its ‘Israeli’ side. This area, known by the Israeli security establishment as the Seam Zone has been declared a closed military zone for Palestinians. Thousands of Palestinians who live in the Seam Zone are largely disconnected from the remainder of the West Bank, including the major Palestinian cities that serve as centres for the provision of vital services in the fields of education, health and administration. The complex and convoluted route of the barrier has created 11 internal enclaves, most of which are surrounded by the barrier on three sides.‘
There is a colour-coded identification system issued by the Israeli military. Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip have green IDs, while Palestinians in East Jerusalem and Israel have blue IDs. The cards completely control Palestinian freedom of movement.
Green ID cards are issued by the PA and will only allow travel in the West Bank. Travel to Jerusalem without a permit is illegal. Permits are difficult to obtain but may be issued under special situations e.g. for work, education or healthcare, although the World Health Organisation states that since the violent escalations in Gaza began in October 2023 44% of the 46,163 applications for medical services in East Jerusalem or Israeli facilities were denied or pending. Additionally, most work permits have been revoked.
Nawal has a green ID which means she must have special permission to travel through the al Jib checkpoint at the Separation Barrier and to be able to travel back to her village once she has left it.
An Nabi Samwill is situated near the tomb of Samuel on 850 acres of land that have been declared a national park of archeological interest by the Israeli authorities. This places many limitations on the activities and livelihood of the village. For example, they are not permitted to plant olive trees or carry out repairs on their agricultural terraces or dwellings without permission. New constructions in the village, or extensions are completely prohibited and may be demolished. However, as families grow, they need to expand their accommodation, so extensions are built.
A few days earlier there had been several structures demolished in the village. These demolitions affected 22 people, 11 of whom were children.
Demolitions in Nabi Samwil 3 December 2024
According to Nawal some of these people have also had their residence permits cancelled at the checkpoint as they no longer have a residence in the village. Not only are they homeless but they too are unable to leave with hope of return. Some of them are currently staying in Nawal’s husband’s shed.
According to the UN, since 2009 there have been 10,299 demolitions of structures in the West Bank resulting in the displacement of 15,468 people. This has escalated since October 2023, with 2024 being a record-year for the demolition of Palestinian homes as well as for the approval of building plans for illegal Israeli settlements.
The above map, from Ir–Amim, (an organisation whose mission is to render Jerusalem a more equitable and sustainable city for the Israelis and Palestinians who share it) indicates the plans for a ‘Greater Jerusalem’ that have been under consideration by the Israeli government for several years. This includes the ‘E1 Zone’ as shown which if enforced and developed will displace 18 Palestinian herding communities and link the city-sized settlement of Ma’ale Adumim with annexed East Jerusalem.
Ir-Amim states that this will have a significant impact on the West Bank, effectively splitting it in two, and further isolating Palestinian areas. They state that;
‘even without steps for further annexation, the formation of ‘Greater Jerusalem’ alone severely sabotages the chances for a two-state solution and denies Palestinians the right to self-determination and sovereignty.’
We visited Nawal the day after the ceasefire in Gaza. She is hopeful that this will stop the killing but is worried about what will happen now in the West Bank. Already there has been an increase in Israeli military raids in Palestinian cities throughout the West Bank, and more settler violence in the rural communities. Checkpoints have been closed and more barriers erected further restricting movement and the day-to-day lives of Palestinians.
As Nawal speaks she smiles and says;
‘Food is not so important, you can always find alternative things to eat, but you cannot manage life without dignity.’
Take action!
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Israel’s military campaign is having catastrophic consequences for Palestinians across Gaza and the West Bank. Donate to the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) humanitarian appeal here. Can’t donate? Can you share with your friends and family?
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What is life really like in the occupied West Bank? As Israel’s military campaign intensifies across the West Bank, please take some time to educate yourself and your loved ones about life under occupation. This new film by Palestinian and Israeli activists, Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham has been nominated for a BAFTA award: No Other Land.
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Israeli organisations who oppose the military occupation of Palestine, and seek equitable rights for Palestinians and Israelis, such has Machsom Watch, Ir Amim and BIMCOM, are being increasingly silenced by the Israeli government. A recent Bill proposes an 80% tax on all their foreign donations. Please follow, share and amplify the work of these important organisations, as they face increasing pressure.
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