Umm Al-Kheir, Where Freedom Stands For Demolition

Photo: FLV

The habitants of Umm al-Kheir are mostly refugees from 1948. They were forced to leave their homes in Tel Arad (West of the Dead Sea) and started to wander in the West Bank. In the 1970s, they arrived in Umm al-Kheir, which is located approximately 20 kilometres north of Tel Arad in the South Hebron Hills. It’s a region were Palestinians are imprisoned between the Jewish settlements of Sussya and Ma’on, Israeli military training zones and outposts such as Havat Ma’on.

First, settlers established caravans to confiscate the land. Ehen the Israeli Civil Administration made the zone Palestinian-free, they started building new houses.

Photo: FLV

In 1981, a cloud of problems appeared over the peaceful Bedouin village of Umm al-Kheir. Israelis arrived to establish a new settlement on the top of the hill. The settlement of Carmel was born and the thunderclouds above Umm al-Kheir would never disappear. Today, the shepherd community of Umm al-Kheir consists of eighty people who live in concrete houses, tents and improvised sheds. But while Carmel flourishes and expands constantly, the life circumstances in Umm al-Kheir are getting worse. “Some settlers are chicken farmers. Their animals live in luxury barns, with electricity, running water and even air-conditioning. Our village is not even supplied with electricity and we get our water with our donkeys, a couple of hundred meters away from our houses”, compares Ad Suleman.

Bulldozers have already destroyed many houses and tents. Eventually, they will demolish every house in Umm al-Kheir.

Photo: FLV

In view of the standard of living enjoyed by their neighbours in the settlement twenty meters higher, the poverty in Umm al-Kheir is terribly and flagrantly visible. But on top of these bad circumstances, their life is reduced to a complete hell by settler activity. “A couple of hours before you came, once again the settlers threw stones at some shepherds because they walked on the ‘forbidden’ side of the hill”, tells Ad. “A couple of months ago, an older lady in our family wanted to get a goat back that had run away, right into the settlement. One settler saw that and immediately fired a gunshot. Because of outright fear, the old lady suffered a heart attack and had to be brought to the hospital. Each time the settlers shoot at us, it is we, the Palestinians, who have to go to the police station for an interrogation that takes hours. The settlers with the guns can stay inside their homes. They don’t have to justify their acts. For the police, it’s always our fault.”

The shepherds of Umm al-Kheir are almost surrounded by the settlers of Carmel

Photo:FLV

In addition to daily harassment from the settlers and the partiality of the police, the families of Umm al-Kheir are also victims of Israel’s policy in Area C. Over the last few years, thousands of residents were expelled from their homes in the South Hebron Hills. Everything built could be demolished by bulldozers at any time. Unfortunately, the land and the animals grazing on it are the only properties the shepherds of Umm al-Kheir own. And with the expansion of Carmel, even this is constantly threatened. The settlement is growing so quickly that Umm al-Kheir will be swallowed in the foreseeable future.

Photo: FLV

“We already collected a lot of warrants of demolition”, says Ad Suleman. “In the past, the Civil Administration already demolished our houses and sheds, but we always rebuilt them immediately. Recently, they came to take a lot of pictures of a number of houses and our outside restroom. Now, we are frightened for the next demolition. And it’s coming. The bulldozers are coming. But we will never collapse.”

Ad Suleman together with the head of the family: "The bulldozers come, demolish and go. And we rebuild. We have no choice. This is our land and we will stay here."

Photo: FLV

“They come, demolish and go. And we rebuild. We have no choice. This is our land and we will stay here. Where can we go to? We are not allowed to go where we want and even then, the only thing we have is this land. Moving to cities like Yatta or Hebron is not an option. We don’t have the money, so we can’t buy a house. In addition, we would be viewed as refugees there. We can’t count on the Palestinian Authority. The politicians don’t do anything to improve our situation.”

Unfortunately, help for Umm al-Kheir has arrived too late, says Ilan Fathi of Breaking the Silence, an organisation of Israeli veterans who served in the Israeli army during the Second Intifada, and have taken it upon themselves to expose everyday life in the Occupied Territories. “The settlement of Carmel has already expanded too close to the community of Umm al-Kheir. Now, it has become very difficult to protect the situation of these Bedouins. For the Palestinians in Susiya international support arrived in time. This village even started to expand again. But for the people of Umm al-Kheir, I’m not optimistic.”

"It is hard to predict our future", says Sara.

Photo: FLV

One day, the bulldozers will come and erase Umm al-Kheir forever from the globe, like they have done with many other Palestinian villages in the West Bank. “You ask if we dream about a future. It is hard to predict one”, answers Ads family member Sara. “I stopped waiting for chances. We stay here until we die.”

Written and photographed for Palestine Monitor by Florian Vande Walle.