Our friend H. told us that the situation of Nafuz Dadua and her children in Umm Ruqba became dire. On the eve of Passover, we had a critical call following the demolition of 4 houses in one blow. The morning after the demolitions, Israeli forces with a bulldozer came to the outer yard of Nafuz and soldiers entered where her sons were washing cars. Nafuz thought they came to demolish her home, panicked, woke up her seven children and they all stood in the yard, shocked and desperate. Luckily, the bulldozer went up the street leading to the northern entrance of Efrat settlement, and began plowing the earth in order to possibly erecting an army post overlooking Umm Ruqba.

The harsh saga of demolition orders, petitions, and the ruling of the Supreme Court enabling administrative demolition and ignoring all humanitarian concerns can all be read in a document we publicized in November 2023: No justice and no mercy – the heart-breaking story of Nafuz Dadua and her seven children.

The frightened Nafuz, just a few months into her widowhood, turned to anyone who could pressure the Israeli authorities and Civil Administration to refrain from demolishing the house. We cannot get hold of the Civil Administration headed by Smotrich, he has cut off all communication with peace organizations. We tried other venues, including Hanna’s conversation with an American friend responsible for the coordinating team of the previous administration – and we were told that no intervention even from abroad would arrive…

Following the call, we urgently drove to visit Nafuz and see for ourselves what was going on. We came on Road 60 whose enlarging works were going on in spite of the holiday week – many workers were manually building the decorative support walls, with bulldozers working full blast. At Nashash Checkpoint, the only present entrance to the Bethlehem region from the west, there was little traffic.
We went up in our car and watched the works of erecting the new army post but could not take pictures.
Nafuz welcomed us excitedly and was glad with all the products and chocolates we brought. Only two daughters were home (the rest walked to school at Al Khader). She shared tea, coffee and home pastries and told us what they underwent last week, about the heavy fears of every new day and the threatening, unknown future. She said rumor has it that the demolitions are in order for building a new road that would connect the northern entrance to Efrat settlement with road 60, bypassing the existing road from Nashash Junction. The new direct road would go through private Palestinian olive groves. We tried to cheer her up, that perhaps this way the settlers would not pass her home the entire time and danger for the goat to run over would be reduced, after their male goat was run over by a drunken settler who would not even stop.

Nafuz let us know that her 17-year-old daughter who was at home has lately been engaged to her cousin from Dura village (her cousin from her father’s first wife), and immediately ceased her studies. (Her 18-year-old sister is now studying for the PA’s matriculation exams). We were sorry to hear of the halt of studies, but the girl and her mother are happy about her moving to Dura where she will live in relative security in a well-ordered house, no fear of demolitions. This will also make things easier for the family that meagerly makes ends meet from a small pension, charity and random car wash by the boys. The fact that 6 women and 2 sons under the age of 14 live alone is not a normal or respected situation in Palestinian society, and in order to make things more acceptable, another Dura cousin moved over to live in the outer yard. This too is no simple matter.
Just as we were leaving, Nafuz was informed that the cousin who lives with them as a guard of the family was shot in the belly by soldiers in Al Khader and hospitalized in Bethlehem. Reason unknown. He was released the next day and is feeing alright.