Tag it:

Gush Etzion is a block of settlements in the Bethlehem district, containing four different Israeli settlements; Neve Daniel, Betar Illit, Gavaot (which also has a military base) and Rosh Zurim. Located in the middle of these vast Israeli settlements is an old Palestinian village known as Nahhalin. The villagers once enjoyed thriving agriculture and most residents made a living working their land. In recent years, the town went from having 24,000 dunam of farmland to just 7,000, as much of it was confiscated to build settlements. Much of the farmland that has not been confiscated by the Israeli authorities has been damaged due to Betar Illit’s sewage system, which frequently spills wastewater directly onto Nahhalin’s crops. Without land to work or crops that are ruined from sewage, the unemployment, and poverty has skyrocketed. 

The Agriculture and Research Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ) provides maps of the various Palestinian villages and Israeli settlements that are strewn throughout the West Bank . These maps also show the confining borders that have been inflicted on Nahhalin, since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993. Borders that have whittled the village down from a once vast area, encompassing a large amount of agricultural lands, to a small cluster of houses and buildings.   

Any house or building that was constructed after the Oslo Accords has been demolished by the Israeli military, as the map shows a number of homes that were demolished in 1998, to the south of Nahhalin. The Israeli authorities have issued demolition orders to additional houses to the north, which now are awaiting the bulldozers. In contrast, the Israeli settlements surrounding the village have continued to grow. Despite the Accords, which clearly state that Israel must stop the expansion of all West Bank settlements, the Israeli government has allowed for these settlements, notably Betar Illit, to grow every year. Eventually the six settlements that were built on Nahhalin lands, including Elazar and Allon Shevut, in addition to the four already mentioned, will be connected. The head of Nahhalin’s village council, who prefers not to have his name used, stated that “when they finish, all these settlements will be as a block.” An outpost already joins Neve Daniel and Elazar settlements.  

Very little space now exists between Nahhalin and the largest settlement in the area, Betar Illit. the councilman estimates that, roughly, there is less than 200 feet between Nahhalin and Betar Illit, “These areas, all these areas,” says the councilman, referring to the vast land that was once agricultural fields, now riddled with settlements, “Confiscated. Now the building area of Nahhalin is about 1100 dunam. We have 7,000 people here in this area, which means, you see it, it’s like a (refugee) camp, not a village.” 

With over 50 percent of its inhabitants under the age of 18 years, coupled with the strict restrictions on expansion, the village will soon face a crisis, given a population which grows at a rate of five percent a year and limited space. Currently 2,200 students attend the local school, the village is hoping to build a second school, but any kind of development for industry is made difficult, given the international embargo placed on the occupied Palestinian territories since the election of Hamas in 2006. 

Pointing to the only road the villagers have to get in or out of the town, “From here, the settlers throw their stones,” says a resident of Nahhalin who wishes to remain anonymous. The town has faced constant harassment from neighboring settlers who throw stones at their cars, as the villagers have no protection from the Israeli military or any other authorities. 

The village once had three roads leading out of town, but they have been cut off by the Israeli military and settlements that have grown to a point that they swallowed the roads. Nahhalin now has only one road residents can use to get in or out of the town and it’s not always open. The council member, when asked how inhabitants leave when the only access road is closed replies simply, “We can’t.” 

In 2000, not long after the beginning of second Intifada, two women died when the Israeli military completely cut off the village and Israeli soldiers did not allow an ambulance carrying the women to pass.

Nahhalin is a village rich in history and less than a year ago ancient ruins, possibly dating back to the late Roman times, were uncovered during construction on a house. It is suspected that the ruins were once a church, with large crucifix carvings in the walls. The main room has large pillars and a contraption thought to have once been used as an olive press. The town wants to look further into the history of this site, but does not have the resources or the money to preserve it, “We are looking for these funds, but nothing until now,” says a local man. Currently the discovery is being damaged from waste water in the village, as the town doesn’t have a proper sewage system.   

Standing at the west end of Nahhalin, the stench of sewage wafts up from the valley. The fields here that were once plentiful are now covered in wastewater spilling out of Betar Illit settlement. The plants and wildlife have been destroyed due to this practice, as well as threatened the health of all individuals, in both the Palestinian village and the Israeli settlement, having sewage dumped so close to urban areas. Betar Illit has three sewage treatment facilities, while Nahhalin village is hoping to develop one in the future, and currently has none.   

The town currently has two springs for drinking water. “In the past we have about six or seven springs. Now only these two springs…in the future, only one will be” for the whole village, explains the council member. Some local children are gathered around one of the local springs, where the town gets their water. The spring has been polluted and garbage floats in the water. The villagers explain that they were denied access to the spring by the military, which in the past was cleaned on a regular basis when they were able to access it. The Israeli Army was coming every few days and making the locals leave the area, so the spring was eventually left to deteriorate.

Looking at Nahhalin from a top one of its highest points in the mountains, the village looks small, with a growing number of settlements visible from every angle, it seems as if Nahhalin is about to be swallowed whole by the encircling settlements.