Demolitions in Samra

After noon on 7th April the army demolished three large animal shelters and a kitchen in the farming community of Al Samra in the northern Jordan Valley.

 We arrived just after the demolitions to find the families devastated, and the grandparents visibly upset.They received demolition orders for the third time on Tuesday 29th March, and were given just 3 days to destroy their own buildings, making it virtually impossible for the to make an appeal through the courts. When the army did not demolish their buildings straight away they became hopeful that they would be able to get a freeze on the demolition order, but their hopes were destroyed today. The grandmother was crying at the sight of the destruction, and that the sheep and goats were now out in the afternoon sun without any shade.

The animals were all crowding under the tractors and water tanks to try to find their own shade.
As well as the animal shelters, the army also destroyed the small kitchen of a family with a young baby, aged just 20 days old.

You can more information about the demolition orders received at Al Samra at www.jordanvallysolidarity.orghttp://www.jordanvalleysolidarity.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=210:demolitions-threatened-in-khirbet-samra&catid=15:2010&Itemid=21

Demolition orders in Khirbet Samra

Three family homes in Khirbet Samra received demolition orders from the Israeli army this week. The families were given the orders on Tuesday and given three days to appeal or the demolitions would go ahead.

Running water to Al Farisiya

Whilst we are here we plan to collect together some information about the way Israel prevents Palestinian communities from having access to water and the work that Jordan Valley Solidarity has been doing with communities to enable them to survive and continue to stay on their land.

Two days ago we visited Al Farisiya, and have posted a report and photos from our visit at http://www.jordanvalleysolidarity.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=207:running-water-to-al-farisiya&catid=14:2009&Itemid=21

Palestinian solidarity - staying on the land

Wednesday 30th April 2011
We called in on Nabeel and Ghada on our way to visit other communities this morning. It is Land Day and we don't know if the family are aware of this, but staying on the land is exactly what they are doing. They have sorted out their home, setting up their kitchen and sleeping areas, and the children are down at the kindergarten school in Ein Elhilwe. Life is not of course normal, but nothing is normal here except the everyday reality of coping with life under occupation and the constant threat of displacement. The best thing though, was that two other families are setting up home a hundred metres or so from the family. They are no longer alone, and other Bedouin families are expressing their solidarity with the family's stand.

The family's tent, with two other tents set up nearby

The persecution of the Daraghme family continues

Monday 28th March 2011.
The Army did not return on Sunday, as they had threatened, although it was clear that they were keeping a close eye on the family by jeeps that were seen in the area. On Sunday afternoon the local representative of the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) visited and interviewed Nabeel. He left to make representations to the Army, but it is clear that he has little power in this situation.

Settlers and army collude in ethnic cleansing: photo journal

For the last week the family of Nabeel and Ghada Daraghme have become the latest victims of Israels brutal policy of ethnic cleansing in the Jordan Valley. Jordan Valley Solidarity volunteers have been staying at the family home with other internationals over the past few days to support them. This is our photojournal, which we hope goes some way to portraying the way in which the army and settlers collude in this process of ethnic cleansing, and what it is like to be the people who are subjected to this humiliation and violence.