"Israeli" Military Zones: Another Form of Palestinian Suffering

Local Editor

"Israeli" means were ever so many; however their only goal was always to eliminate the Palestinian presence. Al-Aghwar, just north of the West Bank, is but an area of many that witnesses "Israeli" oppression.

Since 1970, this area has been subjected to a ruthless settlement war over 139 km2 south Ariha, and another 250 km2 taken in 1996.

In an interview with al-Ahed news website, researcher and expert in settlement affairs Abdul Hadi Hanatsh described this process as a "racial purification".
Hanatsh, who constantly follows the "Israeli" oppression on al-Aghwar, stated, "We face a great and comprehensive plan that primarily aims at constructing an isolating border from Bisan in the North to the North Bank by the Jordan river and the Dead Sea at a width of 13-15 km."

The Palestinian expert falsified the nature of the military areas in al-Aghwar, underscoring, "These pretexts are used to evict the inhabitants, especially the Bedouins, although they suffer other pressures like requiring warrants for their movements or forcing them to leave their properties in fear of being in danger during "Israeli" Army training."
Asked about the reasons behind the absence of international stances towards al-Aghwar, Hanatsh clarified, ""Israel" implements this plan gradually in order to avoid severe reactions."

"There were timid condemnations by Western and European countries but that did not change a thing regarding settlements and aggressions," he mentioned.
For his part, the member of the Palestinian National Initiative and coordinator of the Popular campaign to resist the apartheid wall and settlement, Salah al-Khawaja warned that the Northern al-Aghwar, "is considered a highly strategic area and has many components that make it the main nutrition area of the West Bank."
He further revealed, "The number of Palestinians in that area had reached over 300,000 people before 1967, but around 80% of these today were forced to leave because of aggressive and arbitrary "Israeli" policies."

As to the truth of the "Israeli" military training in the area, al-Khawaja explained, "Decades ago, training did not exceed hours, but now areas are being evicted for consecutive days and weeks, coinciding with the extensive demolitions that recently reached Ain al-Maleh, al-Hahidieh, and Ain al-Baida."
He further reiterated, "This matter is systematic and primarily aims at emptying al-Ahgwar from Palestinians."
Moreover, the council of al-Maleh in al-Aghwar stated, "Recently, the area witnessed targeting by the occupation; granting warrants to residents to evacuate like al-Ras al-Ahmar inhabitants, and deliberately firing near Palestinian residencies."

The council further underscored, "They suffer to provide food for their children due to the systematic Transfer policy the occupation adopts, and they fight to preserve their source of livelihood through killing their sheep and confiscating their agricultural lands."


Source: Al-Ahed News, Translated and Edited by moqawama.org