- Title: Palestinians displaced after demolition of a West Bank Bedouin village
- Date: 26th November 2020
- Summary: JORDAN VALLEY, WEST BANK (NOVEMBER 25, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BULLDOZER DEMOLISHING METAL SHACK IN BEDOUIN VILLAGE VIEW OF ISRAELI SOLDIER STANDING NEXT TO DESTROYED SHACKS AND TENTS ISRAELI SOLDIERS STANDING NEAR BULLDOZER WHILE IT DEMOLISHES SHACKS PALESTINIAN BEDOUIN RESIDENT OF VILLAGE, ISMAEL ABEIDAT, WALKING NEAR DESTROYED STRUCTURES WOMAN WALKING NEAR FURNITURE PILED OUTSIDE ABEIDAT LOOKING TOWARDS FURNITURE LEFT OUTSIDE DESTROYED STRUCTURES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN BEDOUIN RESIDENT OF VILLAGE, ISMAEL ABEIDAT, SAYING: "It was a ferocious attack with bulldozers and other machines. All I can say is may God be with us. This is the occupation, I have nothing to say more than that, this is the occupation. It was all of a sudden without any warning or anything. They destroyed the houses and the barracks and now they are demolishing the neighbour's village." VARIOUS OF BEDOUIN CHILDREN GATHERING GRAIN FROM DESTROYED SITE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN BEDOUIN RESIDENT OF VILLAGE, DAWOD ABEIDAT, SAYING: "They have banned the shepherds from passing through that wall right there near our town, where we used to wander 40 years ago which now has become a closed area, a military area. Their only goal is to evacuate our land but I am here to tell them to not even dream about it. We we will remain steadfast and they will leave in God's will." ISRAELI SOLDIERS STANDING ISRAELI SOLDIER WEARING MASK ISRAELI SOLDIER HOLDING WEAPON ABEIDAT TALKING TO ISRAELI SOLDIERS VARIOUS OF VILLAGE RESIDENTS LOOKING AT DEMOLISHED STRUCTURES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN BEDOUIN RESIDENT OF VILLAGE, MAHMOUD DAAJNEH, SAYING: "They want the Jordan valley, they want to take it, they have their plans for it. The mountains where we used to have livestock, they are bringing their own cow shepherd, sheep shepherd, and they would bring their dogs and horses, these settlers can do as they like and they are protected by the army but in an indirect way." VARIOUS OF ISRAELI SOLDIERS WALKING NEAR BULLDOZERS
- Embargoed: 10th December 2020 10:33
- Keywords: Demolitions Families Israel Jordan Valley Palestinian Village
- Location: JORDAN VALLEY, WEST BANK
- City: JORDAN VALLEY, WEST BANK
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Middle East,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001D67F711
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Israel has demolished structures in the Bedouin village of Fasayil in the occupied West Bank, displacing 45 Palestinians, the municipal council and residents say.
Fasayil village is considered part of the Jericho governate with a population of approximately 2,500 people, whose residents mostly work in agriculture and as shepherds.
Shacks and animal shelters were among the structures destroyed in the village on Wednesday (November 25), including 15 sheep barns and 3 tin houses of 45 Bedouin Palestinians.
"It was a ferocious attack with bulldozers and other machines. All I could say is that may God be with us. This is the occupation, I have nothing to say more than that, this is the occupation. It was all of a sudden without any warning or anything," said one of the village residents, Ismael Abeidat.
When contacted by Reuters, The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said in a statement that an enforcement activity was carried out by the Supervision Unit of the Civil Administration against 2 structures, 4 tents, 6 movables which were illegally constructed, in Petza'el located near Jericho in area C.
The residents of the village used to own about 7 thousand dunams (a dunam is equivalent to a thousand square meters), and most of them, about 4 thousand dunums, were confiscated by Israel for the expansion of Israeli settlements according to Fasayil Village Council.
"Their only goal is to evacuate our land but I am here to tell them to not even dream about it. We will remain steadfast and they will leave in God's will," added another village resident, Dawod Abeidat.
Israel often cites a lack of building permits in demolishing Palestinian structures in the West Bank.
(Production: Adel abu Nemeh, Nuha Sharaf, Suheir Sheikh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
