Falamiya, Jayyus, Kufr Jammal
Jayyus, Falamya, Kafr Jammal
Natalie Cohen, Naomi Bentsur (reporting), Nadim (driver). Maya (translator)
09:15 We dirve through Nabi Ilyas. It is quiet, stores open carrying on regular daytime activities. The ‘Azzun CP is open, but a manned military jeep is parked on its right. There is a new water pipe on the dirt path, which is long and windy, to Jayyus; some of it is above ground some underneath. Not far from it is a vehicle of the Electrical Company. Some workers are working on one of the poles. We drive in parallel to the fence line that once marked the border between the West Bank and Israel. After some of the stolen lands were returned, the border crept westward, towards Kochav Yair and Tsur Yigal. Several Palestinians are tearing up pieces of concrete slabs that used to support the fence. A large Caterpillar stands nearby, apparently for leveling out the area. The remnants of the old Falamya CP have not been removed yet, and they litter the ground. At the entrance to Falamya are some small cultivated fields. The hyssop harvest is laid out on canvas to dry. There are no military vehicles along the road.
10:30 Kafr Jammal. In contrast to Falamya, whose houses are in area B whereas its lands are in area C, in this village the remainders of land are also area B. Why "remainders"? Before the 1948 war the village lands included the areas that are now Kochav Yair, Sal'it, Tsur Natan, and more, all the way to Tira. The lands were confiscated in steps: First stage after 1948, second stage after 1967.
In the small village store one can see the aftermath of the recent war in Gaza: by popular demand Israeli goods have been replaced by goods from Turkey, Jordan, and West Bank cities such as Hebron and Tulkarem.
We drive to see the kindergarten, which is in a nice new building that also serves as a club. A happy crowd of sweet kids emerge, some holding out their hands for a handshake, the bolder one's asking for a KIF, and as in any group of children, the shy ones stand to the side, not participating. On the wall in the director's office is a photo of the soccer team of the village youngsters, testifying to good activities.
On the way back, the military jeep is still parked at the ‘Azzun entrance. Unlike the massive military presence we encountered during the war, this presence is minimal today.
We returned to Rosh Ha'Ayin at 12:30
Falamiya
See all reports for this placeJayyus North (935)
See all reports for this placeKufr Jammal
See all reports for this place-
Kufr Jammal This village, rising about 200 meters over sea level, is located about 14 kilometers south of Tul Karm town and about 17 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea. The families living there since the mid-18th century number about 3,000 persons at present. The village has lost thousands of dunams of its northern and western lands due to the construction of the Separation Barrier, leaving the lands themselves behind the barrier. After the Israeli Supreme Court ruling in 2011, the barrier was moved to the west and many farmlands were returned to their owners. It is a quiet village, its relations with the nearby settler-colony of Sal’it are favorable, and many of the villagers work in the colony’s industrial plants. Farmers cross the agricultural checkpoint close to this settler-colony in order to tend their fields unhampered. However, there are numerous acts of harassment and disorder taking place when the village farmers cross the other agricultural checkpoints: gates do not open at hours suitable to the farmers’ needs, and for a short period of time only; the Civil Administration usually prevents all kinds of crops except olives; tractors and other farm equipment are forbidden entry; only a single permit is issued per family, and occasionally such permits are confiscated and their re-issue is delayed – the common excuse is usually “security reasons”. How do the villagers make their living? Holders of work permits inside Israel travel at 3 a.m. to Eyal Checkpoint near Qalqiliya town in order to make it on time to their workplace at Sal’it (close to their village) and elsewhere. Owners of vegetable patches who hold permits are allowed to reach their fields beyond the Separation Barrier through the distant Falamiya Checkpoint. Importantly, fields returned to the village show amazing improvement intending, irrigation and farming variety – and instead of the neglected olive tree groves that were accessible only to holders of transit permits through agricultural checkpoints usually closed, farming has now flourished. (updated Jan 2021)
-