First signs of losing land

The wall around al-Walaja, which will extend to cut off Cremisan.

As the plan to build the separation wall continues, more and more signs of this process are ravaging the lands of Cremisan and the Makhrour valley, just outside of Bethlehem and Beit Jala. Demolitions, uprooting of olive trees, and wall construction are increasing at a rapid pace, as these plans become increasingly a reality, and Bethlehem faces losing its last green space. Wall construction in this area has been going on for at least a year, and in the last month al-Makhrour valley is under threat.

The wall is ever-expanding around the village of al-Walaja, discreetly built behind trees, so that the residents in the neighborhood in Gilo cannot see what is happening on the other side.  Between the Cremisan monastery and the Salesian Sisters of Cremisan school, barbed wire is being set up, marking the line of the wall, that will soon cut off the Salesian Sisters from the monks at Cremisan winery.
(See this post for more pictures).

Map c/o BBC

Not only will the wall cut Bethlehem from a monastery that has been part of their Christian heritage and the wine that they frequently buy, it will also cut of Bethlehem and Beit Jala's last green space.  As part of the planned wall expansion, the Makhrour valley, another green area enjoyed by Bethlehem residents and home to 57 Christian families agricultural land, will also be cut off.

On April 3, the first signs of al-Makrours fate were seen.  The Israeli military came into Makhrour and quickly demolished a residential structure as well as the electricity grid erected by the Bethlehem municipality.  (A video and article about the incident).

Today, the al-Makhrour restaurant, built by a family whose home had been demolished by the Israeli military in this area, was completely demolished.


The Israeli military claims that these structures were built without permits.  But in Area C, the area under full Israeli control, permits are nearly impossible to get.

Demolition of al-Makhrour restaurant. Photo c/o http://yfrog.com/ob9a4uhtj.

The Israeli military spokesman claims that the planned construction for the wall is primarily for security reasons, saying: "The rout of the security barrier is based on the specific security considerations of the area. In the Beit Jala region, it is there solely to keep terror out of Jerusalem." (See BBC's recent article).

He noted the violence occurring between Beit Jala and Gilo 10 years ago, during the 2nd Intifada.  With no acts of violence occurring, however, in the past 10 years, and with the separation barriers deep cutting into the West Bank behind the green line, security concerns are highly questionable.

I, myself, spend my weekends walking and picnicking in Cremisan and Makhrour, and ask the question: Is security a justifiable reason to cut people off from their agricultural lands, schools, monasteries, and a place of respite?

Lovely...and Ugly

I seem to have gotten in a rut of not posting.  I'm sure busyness was the culprit at first, and then laziness.  But now I'm back and ready to commit to posting once a week again.

Although it is still raining in Israel/Palestine, and even there are threats of snow this weekend, we are the point of the winter where we periodically have days of lovely weather.  A few weeks ago, the weather was perfect for a walk in the hills of Cremisan.

The sun was out and the sights were perfect.  It was a well-needed break from being in cities.  Here are a few shots from the day:

Land near Cremisan monastery and winery.  All of this land will soon be confiscated by the separation wall and there will be no green space left in Bethlehem.

Cremisan monastery from a distance.

The first almond trees are in bloom.  It's the start to the prettiest time of year.

I love these poppies (or they look like them anyway) during the spring.

It was amazing to see the trees in bloom, the hills, and the flowers.  As always, however, there were constant signs of occupation.

The bridge of Road 60 which connects settlers to their settlements in the West Bank and cuts of Beit Jala from most of its land and Jerusalem. I travel this road everyday on the bus to school.

Barbed wire is everywhere.

Our trip ended in al-Walaja, a village which will be completely surrounded by the wall and only connected to Bethlehem through one small opening at one end of the village.  This house is the only house in al-Walaja that is located on the Israeli side of the wall.

This is construction of a tunnel that will allow the family on the Israeli side of the wall get to there family and friends in al-Walaja.

Instead of rerouting the separation wall to the internationally recognized Green Line  or even 50 meters, the Israeli government has decided to spend an extra $800,000 simply to build a tunnel for this family to get to al-Walaja.  Talk about stupid! 

Construction of the wall is expanding in al-Walaja even as we speak.

More wall construction coming from the opposite direction.

Just behind the lone house, you can see the Israeli settlement of Gilo.  Most claim that Gilo is a neighborhood in Jerusalem, and living in Jerusalem, it seems like it is part of the city.  But this "neighborhood" is what has caused Bethlehem and Beit Jala so much loss of land.

The view of the wall construction from the streets of al-Walaja.  This is just how close  it comes, and  how little land it lives the villagers.

Living in Bethlehem, I didn't even know about the details of construction of the wall around al-Walaja, and especially the ridiculous tunnel that is being built.  Is the wall built for security? Security does not merit the winding way the wall cuts through the West Bank and cuts off even single families from their communities and livelihood. With evidence of this tunnel staring us in the face, the reason of "security" for the building of the wall is clearly just an excuse.

"We Live and Exist Here"

The news is full of stories about Israel/Palestine lately.  The special focus this week has been Palestine's acceptance as a full member in UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, and the Israeli response in the wake of the decision to increase building and expansion of settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

While these stories fill up the news, what goes un-noticed is the further expanding of the separation wall.  What few outside of Israel/Palestine, and even many Israelis do not know, is that the separation wall, which started being built in 2002, is not yet finished in many areas.  Instead of being a stagnant and completed issue, the separation wall, continues to threaten many areas and is rapidly under construction.

A group of young Palestinians joined together to create a peaceful mass and demonstration against the confiscation of the area of the Cremisan monastery and winery by the building of the separation wall.  The Cremisan monastery is the last green area left for Palestinians in the Bethlehem area to enjoy picnics and walks.  It is also the only winery in the Palestinian territories.

Not only is Cremisan in danger, but the agricultural land surrounding the village of Al-Walaja and agricultural land in the area of Makhrur, which belongs to many families in Bethlehem and Beit Jala.  As the priest poignantly stated: "More and more injustices are committed, and the world seems to watch completely incapable of helping our oppressed Palestinian nation."

The Priests and Crowd at the Mass and Demonstration on the outskirts of Cremisan.

The area of land that will be confiscated by the Israeli separation wall.

The settlement of Gilo.  Living here, you would never know that just across the valley Palestinians face the threat of losing their land.

To those on the other side in Gilo, the organizers of the demonstration wrote a message: "We Live and Exist Here."

© Devon Forster