Bruqin, Deir Ballut, Kufr alDik, Wed 19.6.13, Morning
9:20 Alei Zahav Junction – 2 jeeps, civilian vehicle, and group of soldiers. They went via the Bruqin road to Kfar A-Dik. We arrived at the center relatively early. The women and their children were waiting for us happy and smiling. We get tons of love and thanks from all of them and each of us gets a lot of attention and respect.
The activities are conducted with the women and children simultaneously. The children are
excited and very attentive. Ruthie brought sheets of carton, pencils and colors, wool and glue. It’s amazing how many images can be created, girl or boy, and you can cut out clothes for them from loads of fabric remnants: a rat or a horse, you give them a mane and tail and connect the image to a stick and now it is possible to make them dance or gallop. The children are very fond of this and mothers are likewise pleased. Our feeling is that a special bond is formed between us and the women. Susie finished previous projects with the women. Hanan, the center’s organizer, requested help in preparing pillow covers for her son’s wedding which will take place in about a month. We helped her plan and cut. Before we left we managed to cut out a successful pattern for a potholder and the women will just have to piece it together by machine.
By 12:30 we continued onto Dir Balut via Alei Zahav. There was no checkpoint. In Alei Zahav, on both sides of the hilltop there is intense building. The village is quiet. Many stores are open. People eye us curiously. Right now there are no activities in the women’s center of the village due to objections from a member of the municipality. We continued onto Rafat on the hill opposite the Alei Zahav settlement. The village is quiet. Many children are in the street.
Bruqin
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Bruqin is a village of about 4,000 residents in Salfit County. 600 dunams of the village's land were expropriated in 1984 for the establishment of the Barkan industrial zone. Small sewage treatment plant This area is regularly flooded. The sewage flows into Baruchin and pollutes the streets of the village. In 1999, the Bruchin settlement was established. The barrier of separation and harassment Settlers keep the villagers away from 30% of their lands (about 4,000 dunams). About half of the village lands are in Area C, on which Israel prevents construction.
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Deir Ballut
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An internal checkpoint on Road 446 at the entrance to the village of Deir Ballut and near the settlements there, Alei Zahav and Peduel. Partially staffed, vehicles are inspected at random.
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Kufr a-Dik
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Kufr a-Dik This is a Palestinian village in the Salfit district of the West Bank, located 8 kilometers east of the Green Line. The village population numbers 4,494 (as of 2007). 14.5% of the village were included in Area B (supposedly under Palestinian civil control) and 86% categorized as Area C – meaning both civil and military Israeli control, which severely affects the state of the village and its inhabitants. Over the years Israel has robbed 1,448 dunams from the village’s farmlands for the sake of building the settler-colonies of Penuel, Alei Zahav, Yoezer, Har Alei Zahav, and the industrial zone next to Penuel. Lands were also sequestered for the paving of Road 446 whose length stretches over 4 kilometers and includes a buffer zone 75-meters wide on both its sides. Following the paving of the road, the village has suffered not only landgrab but home demolitions and the destruction of water wells as well. Rates of unemployment in both the private and the public sectors reach 60%. In the years 2010-2013 creative activity was held by members of MachsomWatch and women of the village. For further information: http://vprofile.arij.org/salfit/pdfs/vprofile/Kafr%20ad%20Dik_tp_en.pdf
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