A-Rashash, Jordan Valley: An entire community was expelled from its home
The catastrophic fate of residents of Ein Rashash, who were evicted from their land and from their homes after living there for 40 years, during five of which they suffered constant abuse from the “Angels of Peace” settlers, is an open wound. It is particularly hard for them because there really isn’t any place for them in the crowded village of Duma (where they have been evicted to). The tight-knit community and the extended families have been divided up into three groups and each of them sent to a different area on the edge of the village.
As she did three weeks ago, Hagar brought women from the three groups together in the eastern part of Duma. Some of the women went ahead and waited for us with children and babies. Gradually more women from 13 families arrived together with lots of children of every age. Teenage high school girls came too, some of them in all their finery, what beauties!
Conversation flowed, led by Hagar, who asked them to talk about life in exile since our last visit. There was lots of gossip and laughter. We gave the children a large sheet of paper and lots of colors and they formed a group and drew an enormous picture together. The most obvious themes of all the pictures were home, trees, and of course – why not? – the Palestinian flag. Five-year-old Assil sat on the sidelines at first, engrossed in one of the books that we had brought to be exchanged. Later she joined the group and showed she knew what to do with the pencils as if she was already a schoolgirl.
The meeting was held in a shig – a tent/shack used for gatherings. At night, it’s used by men only because their shig was destroyed by the army several months ago.
We then continued our drive to Ma’arjat, on the eastern side. We took books and board games that we’d lent them on our previous visit and will exchange them for new ones. The parents weren’t home. The oldest girl, aged 13, told us that yesterday, while the family was away, two settlers arrived on horseback (witnessed by the neighbors), entered the home and sprayed foam from a fire extinguisher onto the fridge, on the food, and then opened all the water taps and left. When the family returned, there wasn’t a single drop of water left in the tank and they had to throw away all the food.
We moved on to Ras el Ein, where we spoke with one of the women who will be in charge of our planned sewing project.
Our last stop was Hamra, where we met with Mahmoud. It was important for me to clarify to him, following extensive conversations I’d had with Adv. Eitay Mack, what the consequences would be – both risk and chance – of everything he’d do. We don’t want to take any step – legal move or total avoidance – that he is not a hundred percent interested in taking. His response was this: “This is the life of Palestinians under occupation – even when I breathe, I’m taking a risk.” His mulberries are selling well, thanks to an ad on Facebook and a roadside sign beside the entrance to their farm. He gave me some jujube tree honey (sidr in Arabic) for an annoying cough that I’ve had since I first caught the flu two weeks ago.
On the way – a sign calling for revenge – just one of many.