‘Isla, Qaddum
Isla. For the weekly meeting only 3 boys came and so we decided to enjoy the sun and sit outside with them and the organisor, N. outside. Micky spoke to the bus in English and Hebrew and used the method of question and answer. Their English is better than others but they find it difficult to speak. Later we played with the children and gave them workbooks. When we spoke to the children they told us that they were not only friends but relations. One of them was the brother-father of the other, etc. It seems that the young people of the village are married within the family circle even though the Koran says that they must disperse and marry others. The reason seems to be “economic”. If a young woman is pretty and educated and marries someone from her family it is an “investment” and does not go to another place.
At the end of the meeting we went to the weekly demonstration at Qaddum
Morrad was freed yesterday after 9 months imprisonment His house is garnered with flags of the PLO . A proclamation of greeting with his picture encircled with olive branches and people come to greet him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcGdlQhQXok
This week also gas was fired at young men who had finished the Friday prayers. The wind was against them and their eyes were affected and also their breathing and everything was blown backwards. About 15 minutes later we went back t the mosque but again canisters of gas were fired and a strong smell in the air make it impossible to breathe. We decided to leave before the demonstration started,
: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.874381582583896.1073741967.271405776214816&type=1
'Isla (1231)
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Isla - the village
This is a village whose lands were separated from their owners by the wall.
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'Isla (1231)
Agricultural checkpoint,
Scheduled to be open 3 times per day.
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Qaddum
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Qaddum
The village of Qaddum dates back approximately 4,000 years. Today’s villagers mostly work in agriculture and cultivae olive groves. The hilly landscape is covered with olive trees and are dotted with patches of green fields.
Qaddum was attached to the district of Nablus until 1994 at which time it joined the Qalqiliya district. The village is home to 4,000 inhabitants (2013), with 22,000 dunams (5,400 acres) of which 11,000 dunam (2700 acres) are in Area C*. Access to Area C requires coordination with the Israeli army, which means that access is almost non-existent.
The settlement of Kedumim was founded in 1975 on lands belonging to the ancient the village of Qaddum. Since then, Kedumim has expanded to include 5 settlements. The Kedumim settlements separate Qaddum village from its lands and from access to the main road. The road connecting Qaddum village to Route 55 was closed to its residents in 2003. The short ride (1.5 km or less than a mile) between Qaddum and a neighboring village - Jit, turned into a 12 km (7.5 miles) bumpy ride on an unpaved gravely road. Since 2004, residents of the village of Qaddum have been submitting requests to the authorities to reopen the old road leading to Route 55.
On July 2011, the villagers began holding weekly demonstrations in protest of the road closure and of the theft of their lands. They march to the edge of the village and there they stop. There is a regular routine to the demonstration which always follows with a confrontation with the army when it enters the village at the end of the blocked road. The army reacts to the demonstrations with sharp weapons, rubber bullets, tear gas and lately also live ammunition. Villagers are injured and hurt each week and often, dozens are arrested by the army. Young people and children are intimidated by the army when they photos are posted in the village streets.
On 12/7/19 a 10 year old boy was criticaaly wounded after he was shot in the head by live ammunition while standing at the entrance to his home in Qaddum during a demonstration.*Area C is an administrative division of the West Bank established by the Oslo II Accords in 1995. The Palestinian Authority is responsible for medical and education services and Israel is responsible for infrastructure and administration.
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