A REQUEST TO HELP hungry A-Sawiya villagers
May 4, 2020
A REQUEST TO HELP hungry A-Sawiya villagers.
COVID-19. Fortunately, there are no sick people in the village, but the Corona pandemic has a serious impact on village life. People who have returned from work in Israel are currently in quarantine. Worse, many have lost their jobs and are now penniless; They cannot feed their families.
B. who remembers our last meeting in January 2019, called me and asked if we Machsom Watch women could donate money to help feed ten penniless families, or alternatively donate basic food.
Expropriation of Palestinian land: Another attempt
RECHELIM settlers return to occupy privately owned land of the villagers. About six months ago, settlers found a simple way to steal more land. They set up tents on land, which was declared a “military zone,” even though it was owned by the villagers, and just moved there. Tomorrow the Palestinian DCO will gather and try to clear those lands. Let’s hope he succeeds.
May 6, 2020
Telephone Conversation with S.
To complement and confirm the information above, I called S., who is a secretary and treasurer in the Medjadels of that village. Our team of four visit him often.
According to our impression and Mustafa’s, S. is a reliable, humble, honest man. Yesterday, he said, settlers from near Rechelim didn’t allow several villagers to enter their own lands; but today, the IDF came and restored order so these farmers could again work their lands.
After Pesach, according to S., over 100 villagers returned to work in Israel. They must stay in Israel for two months. Separation from their families is difficult for them and their families. However, many people, who worked in settlements up to the Corona, are now unemployed.
“The situation is difficult,” he says, and without asking for our help, adds proudly “but we are together.”
I asked: “Do you mean, you help each other?”
“Yes, we all help, and others from the outside also help. They give money to buy food.”
“If we get some money, where should we send it to?” I asked. You can send money to The Bank of Palestine. “Don’t send food,” he says, “it is not allowed.
A-Sawiya
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A-Sawiya
Located about 18 km south of Nablus.
The population of the village was 2,904 in 2016. In 1983, about 400 dunams, on a hill about a kilometer south of the village, were declared "state lands" and the settlement of Ali was established on them. Over the years, the settlement has expanded to additional lands privately owned by the villagers, and nearby villages in an area of about 1,000 dunams. Only in 2013 was an outline plan prepared for Ali, in which hundreds of illegal structures were approved in its territory. In 2017, a synagogue was built in the Ali settlement, in violation of the law without permits, outside the legal territory of the settlement and on private Palestinian land of a-Sawiya residents.
Over the years, the settlement has expanded to additional lands privately owned by the villagers, and nearby villages in an area of about 1,000 dunams. Only in 2013 was an outline plan prepared for Ali, in which hundreds of illegal structures were approved in its territory. , Outside the legal territory of the settlement and on private Palestinian land of the residents of a-Sawiyah.
Checkpoint Watch companies have been in contact with the village since 2007. They document the checkpoints, the settlers' violence, the sewage problems flowing from the nearby settlements and outposts, and even held knitting and English lessons with women in the village. Even during the Corona we were in telephone contact to help the plight of the residents.
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