Two families in Al Aqaba still need your help
Dear Friend,
In April, Rebuilding Alliance announced “Rebuilding to Remain in Palestine’s Al Aqaba”, seeking your help to get homes for eight families finished in this remarkable village. Getting those eight homes finished and the families moved in can help protect them from demolition — this, in turn, makes the rest of the village safer for everyone.
We mobilized because after keeping Al Aqaba safe from demolition orders for 12 years, suddenly an Israeli High Court Justice, himself a settler, approved the demolition of one young family’s unfinished home — placing all the homes in the village at risk.
So much has happened since April. Rebuilding Alliance staff spent time on the ground, with Executive Director Donna arriving in time for the U.S. Embassy’s visit there in April. She lived for nearly two months in Al Aqaba’s guest house, going to every home in the village, meeting all of the families and contracting with the planner from the University of Haifa to revise the village’s master plan.
Most importantly of all, because of you, six homes were completely finished and six families moved in! Two of the eight families still need your help to finish and move into their new homes.
Then, just as we feared, the Israeli Army issued demolition orders against two homes and a new road in Al Aqaba in Firing Zone 900 nearly at the same time that Israel’s High Court allowed demolitions of eight Masafer Yatta homes in the South Hebron Hills in Firing Zone 917. Shahed, a 16 year old who joined her family in their new home, asked if she could sing to save it — our site engineer, Roba, did the filming and I’ve shared her video.
Rebuilding Alliance worked to bring the crisis in Firing Zone 900 and 917 to the attention of Congress. In conjunction with holding Zoom briefings with Congressional staff and their constituents, at the end of May, Rebuilding Alliance brought senior Congressional staff on a delegation to the West Bank and they visited Al Aqaba. RA brought a second Congressional staff delegation along with several constituents, in August, all in the hopes of raising awareness and to continue to assure Congressional intervention for this beautiful village, a true model of peace.
In parallel with construction and development of the new zoning plan, Al Aqaba brought their appeal to Israel’s High Court, launching two legal challenges to Israel’s demolition orders. Good news on that front; the High Court issued an injunction, until September, that protects the village. In the words of Al Aqaba’s tireless attorney, "My message to the court has reached its destination!! The High Court Justice ruled to delay decision on the interim injunction until she gets a full picture of the case!!"
Al Aqaba needs your help to get the remaining two homes finished and those families moved in as soon as possible. Time is of the essence — 96-hour Demolition Orders do not apply when they’ve lived in their homes more than 30 days. If this is a time when you are able to give, please give generously to bring these families to safety and to help assure Al Aqaba’s future.
P.S. I was honored to stay in Al Aqaba, joining Donna there in May to meet many of the families and returning in June to help them plan their Political Risk Insurance application. I returned in August, leading the staff delegation, with senior staff from seven Congressional districts, along with several constituents.