One day colonists come around. They settle on land that is far enough and near enough. For a split second this could be misleading but they are there to stay. In their wake the Israeli army too is increasingly present. Motorized patrols, foot patrols. Among the houses. Night and day. The children are no longer safe playing by themselves.
A week later, the colonists bring a flock to their new outpost. They graze their goats near the village homes, getting closer every day. At times it’s a lone colonist, at others – a larger group. One morning they approach the village outskirts with guns. An armed group of ten colonists. They peek into tents. Yell. Threaten. The status quo is broken. The next day they will already arrive accompanied by the army.
At the same time, the Civil Administration issues a demolition order for houses and a sheep pen that were built without a permit, and the Antiquities Administration announces it will be conducting survey digs to declare the opening of an archaeological site. The Nature and Parks Administration announces a new nature reserve and the Jewish National Fund begins a forestation project in vast parts of the region.
During the summer vacation, the local colonist council paves hiking trails and new biking paths and holds a family happening with blow-ups right next to the village houses. In response, the army declares the area a ‘closed military zone’ – the Palestinians are closed in their homes and the colonists outside celebrate.
As the school year begins, checkpoints dot the area. The teachers are detained and children are not permitted to go to their schools and are sent back home. On their way, the outpost colonists harass them and throw stones at them. No one gets hurt but a sense of choking gets steadily stronger.
One morning the villagers discover that the pipes have been sabotaged and the village has no water. It is summer, hot, and even the tanker water supply is too complex and expensive. The next day, an entire flock is poisoned and dozens of goats as well as two dogs die. The economic damage is unbearable.
The moment has come. The suffocating ring leaves no choice. A decision is taken to get the children and women out of the village, while the men remain in order to watch over the houses and flocks. That night the army comes and arrests three Palestinians based on false colonist claims. They are shackled and blindfolded, and taken by vehicles - no one knows of their whereabouts for hours. The next day they are thrown on the wayside, bruised and exhausted, about ten kilometers from the village.
The families convene.
The contents of houses are hurriedly packed.
The land is deserted.
The next day, colonists come around.
In memory of the communities of Khallet al-Hamra, Khirbet 'Ein a-Rashash, Wadi a-Siq, Mleihat, Southern a-Nassariyah, Khirbet Jib'it, Community near Tuqu’, Khirbet a-Taybah, Atiriyah, Maktal Msallam, Khirbet a-Radhem, Khirbet Zanutah, A'nizan, Al-Qanoub, Bariyet Hizma, Khirbet Tana, Ein a-Sukhun, Wadi 'Abayat, Khirbet Um al-Jamal. May they quickly return to a peaceful life on their land.
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