Our greatest fear is that as Al Aqaba Villagers construct new homes in the center of Al Aqaba, the Israeli Army will cynically demolish neighboring homes at the edge of the village.
On Saturday, June 23rd 2012, the the Israeli Civil Administration (part of the Israeli Army) sent a letter to Al Aqaba’s lawyers at JLAC denying Al Ababa’s master plan, a comprehensive land use proposal. They further denied villagers the right to plan at all — a requirement for building permits — and, instead, instructed the villagers to move to the town of Tayaseer, falsely insisting that city services are not available in Al Aqaba. This is the third master plan the army has rejected.
On Sunday, June 24th 2012, the Israeli Civil Administration (part of the Israeli Army) issued demolition orders to 5 families with homes just outside Al Aqaba’s center. They were given just 3 days to petition to freeze the demolition orders — usually families get some 3 weeks’ notice. These are the same families who, in 2004, petitioned the Israeli High Court to lift demolition orders against them. That case was heard in 2008. The attorneys at Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC) were pessimistic — then we heard the Israeli High Court has agreed to reopen the files and review the petition.
On Tuesday, June 26th, villagers of Al Aqaba prepared for demolition bulldozers by printing huge photos of their children to remind the soldiers and the world that the children really matter.
Our team is working round the clock to buy time. Please Act Now to keep Al Aqaba Village standing. Please call your Senators and Representatives to ensure Al Aqaba’s safe future! Download this PDF to learn how
Need to learn more? A member of our Alliance, Lea Park of Friends of Sabeel, has developed an amazing Ushahidi mapping tool to show both crisis and the hope in the village of Al Aqaba and throughout the Palestinian West Bank. Ushahidi is the Swahili word for “Witness.” Please visit the Palestinian Crisis Map at https://bindup.crowdmap.com This site maps published reports on demolition orders along with detentions, settler violence, and rebuilding projects. Click “Get Alerts” to receive automatic notification of a place you care about.
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