Visit to Jabal Al Baba Bedouin Camp in the E1 area, near Azarya and Abu Dis

Friday 12^th Feb 2016

Some will have heard of the E1 area, where at one point the Bab Al Shams protest took place. This visit also happened in an area threatened by the E1 settlement project.

We arrived at the camp to an introduction to the recent history of the Bedouin here, who are now defiantly defending their small makeshift homes and their flocks of goats. They were driven here from their traditional nomadic areas, Ber Al Sabah, which is inside the 1948 border, and are now being pushed deeper into West Bank.

The hill on which they are now living breaks up the “security wall” and is a permanent thorn for the Israeli Occupation of this part of Azarya / Abu Dis. The Vatican owns a small portion of the hill and gives the Bedouin some security. However, this does not prevent the Israeli army coming into the camp, with no warning, at 3 or 4am and demolishing a number of homes, which they claim are illegal. We were shown a recently demolished home, built from materials provided by the European Union. We were told this had been substantial house for a family of ten people, who are now having to live dispersed among the rest of the community’s more makeshift homes. As bull-dozers had approached in the night, they had had no time to round up possessions, even the precious water container, which would normally be the first item to be saved, was lying, destroyed, in the ruins.

At this point the group split, the women being invited into a Bedouin home, where we met with great hospitality and evidence of a hugely house-proud and resourceful culture. The house and yard were immaculate, the walls covered in attractive fabrics, the decorations were cheerfully coloured embroidery items. These items are also being made to sell, to try to bring in extra revenue for the community. 

The men had an opportunity to engage with a young Bedouin boy, and to find out his perspective on the Israeli Occupation, his feelings of being intimidated, incredibly nervous at night, feeling like he was always different.

The villagers attempts to set up a democratic decision making committee have been thwarted by the fact that the building they intended to house it in has been pulled down 25 times. And, it was shocking to hear that they had decided not to build a school, because they know it will be similarly a target for destruction.

Overall, we were shocked and appalled by the conditions that these brave people are forced to live under. The children’s playground was mud, among the ruins of their own homes. Their lives are defined in every way by the Occupation they face. They are determined to protect their culture, and for the whole of humanity, we must hope that they can continue to be so brave.

As we travelled out of the camp, we remembered that these Bedouin had explained that they felt lucky in some respects, because they at least have access to electricity and water; we passed many other Bedouin camps along the road to Jericho, which do not.