Deir Ibzi'a, West Bank
6 May, 2002 - (visit by Marilene Schulz and Anita Abdullah)
During the
Intifada, the Israeli army established permanent military
roadblocks at all exit roads of Ramallah, which connect the town
and district center with its 77 villages (nearly 200'000). The
Ain Ariq roadblock west of Ramallah provides access for 30-40
villages (nearly 60'000) to the markets, employment, banking,
general public and health services of the governorate.
Deir Ibzi'a (1800) is located on the hilltop west
of this roadblock. Last February, the killing of a Palestinian
man by soldiers at the roadblock (injured and left bleeding to
death), was followed by a shooting attack by unidentified gunmen,
killing 6 soldiers. Since then, the area was declared a 'closed
military zone', meaning a severe siege and collective curfews
were imposed on the villages west of the roadblock, now perceived
by the local population as an advanced 'separation border' between
Israel and the Palestinian hinterland. Many of these villages
have since been under continuous direct military occupation, including
repeated incursions, home searches, arrests, private and public
property damages, and mobility between the villages has been severely
impaired. They are economically and service-wise cut off almost
completely from the district center of Ramallah, while the 'green
line' down west is more breathing and allows for some flow of
Israeli goods into these exposed areas. The Israeli military rules
but does not assume any responsibilities for civil administration,
public safety and health care.
Mobility
Ain Ariq checkpoint (a triple ditch in the road) is now completely
closed, also for pedestrians. Soldiers sitting up on the hill
snipe at any car that approaches and shout threats and insults
at pedestrians. This has apparently become worse after the army
withdrawal from Ramallah end of April. Under normal circumstances,
Deir Ibzi'a functions as a major bottleneck providing passage
for tens of thousands of other villagers to Ramallah. Nowadays,
perhaps a few hundred travelers per day, all ages, can be seen
carrying loads, children and schoolbooks over these beautiful
but cumbersome agricultural terraces and donkey trails. Most of
them leave early in the morning and return mid-afternoon. Especially
during rush hours, they are stopped by makeshift army patrols
in the open land. People from other villages are often penalized
for trespassing the area curfew, sent back and their loads are
confiscated and/or destroyed. They may then try their luck and
take another longer detour over the next mountain.
Transportation between the villages is hazardous because of the
ongoing curfew imposed on Palestinian cars outside their municipality
borders. For those few who venture out chances are high of getting
caught and immobilized (slashing tires, car keys confiscated,
even cars flattened by army vehicle, plus harassment and physical
abuse). People often prefer to walk for several hours before reaching
their final destination, but most avoid leaving their community
unless they absolutely have to.
Economic situation
A formerly mainly agricultural economy in transition was taken
over by employment of daily workers in Israel for the past 2 decades
or so. Some invested in local enterprises, e.g. chicken or egg
farms, textiles for the Israeli market, and trade activities.
Since the new intifada, and especially since the last February
strict 'security' siege, Palestinians cannot work in Israel any
more, and producers cannot get materials needed nor take their
produce to the market. Spare parts and basic repairs of technical
machinery/equipment have become very difficult to obtain. Telephone
lines are sporadically cut, sometimes for weeks.
Work/employment: very few rural people have jobs
in their home locality, mainly some PA employees. A few workers
found alternative, irregular employment in Ramallah, and some
people are employed by NGOs and PA ministries. Many don't reach
their work places any more, neither in other villages nor in Ramallah
unless they can afford a place to sleep there. Only the brave
and desperate take the risk of traveling for hours, mostly on
foot, where they are often caught by some army patrol luring for
them between olive trees and rocks and sent back to where they
came from.
Cash reserves are coming to an end, and most local exchange of
necessities takes place on credit.
Supplies
Because of the continuous blocked access roads to Ramallah (at
Ain Ariq and Surda checkpoints roads are dug up, and Calandia
is closed for Palestinians with West Bank IDs), capacity to transport
supplies is minimal. Several means of transport are needed, mostly
through bad, bumpy dirt roads.
Food:Supplies are scarce and limited to
what people, sometimes donkeys, can carry across valleys and mountains.
It often happens that soldiers set traps along the way, and supplies
are confiscated or destroyed (e.g. sacks with sugar cut open).
Occasionally small trucks carrying vegetables from across the
'green line' reach the villages further east. In general, it seems
that border villages are better supplied than those closer to
the center, where access becomes increasingly risky.
Grocery stores have finished their reserves and replace only basic
necessities in limited amounts on their shelves. Also, people
have no cash to pay. Difficulties and risks of transportation
add to the consumer prices.
Gas, petrol etc.: cooking gas is a problem for many because
of the limited mobility between the villages. Lucky are the those
situated near Na'lin, where there is a central distribution center
for gas and petrol. Petrol is much less in demand, since cars
with Palestinian number plates are only allowed to circulate within
their community borders. Many private cars haven't moved in weeks.
Local and international aid
Little aid has entered Deir Ibzi'a from outside so far, and we
heard about sporadic donations of food and other items reaching
some of the other villages closer to the 'green line'. In the
case of Deir Ibzi'a, there is a Village Council (Ministry of Local
Government) of unpaid volunteers who represent the community and
look after municipal affairs as much as they can. Some individuals
are thinking of founding a small NGO as a base from which the
village community could define their needs, design self-help projects,
and address aid agencies for funding.
We heard much complaint about the Int. Red Cross which has not
been able to provide access for ambulances, doctors, medications,
and other life important services.
Sometimes Israeli-Palestinian volunteer groups try to send food
supplies, but are also subject to harassment and being prevented
from reaching their destination by army patrols. So are foreign
diplomats.
Sometimes some international organization sends emergency aid.
But this is not necessarily what people need most or even asked
for (for example 90 pairs of sheets!). Beginning of April, a Greek
NGO sent 273 aid packages to Deir Ibzi'a, upon the request of
a local citizen who provided exact numbers of families and what
was needed. The shipment was held back for a month in neighboring
Ain Ariq until finally 'cleared' by the army command to be carried
over the mountain.
Education
In Deir Ibzi'a there are 2 govt. schools (primary for girls up
to 8th grade, secondary for boys and girls up to 12th grade).
Quite a number of high school students from various neighboring
villages are enrolled in Ramallah secondary schools. We saw many
students, girls and boys coming across the mountain. A group of
30 high school students from 3-4 neighboring villages have arranged
to make their daily trip together, with a small bus taking them
to and from Deir Ibzi'a. From there they walk together to Ain
Ariq.
A major problem in rural schools is that the teachers are not
all local, but often from other villages. People say that about
50% of teachers are reaching their schools regularly. Facilities
and maintenance may not be up to 'standards', also because of
lacking communication with the district directorate in Ramallah.
Access to heath services
There is 1 small government clinic underneath the mosque premises
with a local nurse. The doctor from Jerusalem has not visited
them any more since 20. February. According to the nurse, there
is high incidence of diabetes II, asthma, hypertension in older
people, resp. infections and diarrhea in children. Vaccines are
depleted. 3 weeks ago, some international volunteers replenished
the missing medications according to a precise list provided by
the nurse. Only medication which remains sort of abundant are
antibiotics, which the nurse is not allowed to prescribe.
Emergencies and injuries: there is no direct transport
allowed between the villages and Ramallah. Only after the invasion
of Ramallah, ambulances are allowed to approach the Ain Ariq checkpoint,
from where they can receive a patient carried across from the
other side. The whole operation must be arranged with permission
of the military commander, which does not always guarantee that
the soldiers on duty will accept such an informal permission (bad
communication?). Last week, a pregnant woman from al-Midya was
not allowed to be taken across the roadblock where an ambulance
could have collected her on the other side. She was made to walk
across the mountain (normally 35 min. walk), and lost the baby
due to excessive bleeding.
An earlier example: a man shot in the hand by an army patrol was
taken by army jeep to Tel Aviv and recovered in a hospital. He
was discharged without any papers, and had to make the dangerous
road back into his village on his own, without any means. A few
days later, the army knocked at his door and presented him with
a bill for 50'000NIS.
Waste & sewage disposal
Waste disposal used to be collected from groups of villages by
a shared Ramallah municipality truck 2x/week and taken to the
main garbage dump there. Since Feb.20, each village has to take
care of this by itself. Some homes started digging their own holes
for light and biological garbage. The rest is nowadays disposed
of and littered along nearby roads.
Sewage in the villages is disposed of in 'joras' (holes in the
ground, not biologically treated) for each house. They need to
be periodically discharged by pumps (public vehicles), which has
not been possible since the cutting of main roads. Rain has caused
overflow and swamping of the grounds around in some places.
Water, electricity, telephone
supplies
Water comes partly through pipes shared with the adjacent colony
'Dolev' from the West Bank well 'Ain Samia', partly from the Jerusalem
water authority.
Electricity is provided by the Ramallah network. For people who
cannot afford to pay the bills or have no-one to pay for them
in Ramallah the line is cut.
Telephone lines are connected to the Palestinian network, of course
only for those who can afford to pay.
The living conditions of the local population
can be described as extremely difficult, especially in terms of
health and nutrition. An increasing number of families can be
assumed to be living under the poverty level. Shortage of basic
food supplies and lack of health care are described by them as
the most critical at the moment.
Although emergency relieve programs could ease this hardship temporarily,
they cannot not enable the communities to sustain themselves and
their land. Increasing impoverishment and powerlessness in running
their own affairs could eventually drive this population out and
bring them to the status of refugees in the already crowded urban
population centers further east.
Therefore, international protection for the civilian
population on the ground, opening all the roads connecting villages
and towns in the West Bank territories must not be delayed any
longer.
