A Tent for all Nations

The encroachment of settlements that I saw yesterday around Bethlehem is even more intense in the countryside southwest of Bethlehem. Daud Nasar’s farm is ringed by three expanding settlements: Neve Daniyyel, Rosh Zurim and Efrat, plus their outposts (trailers on hillstops metastasised from the established settlements in order to sprout new tumours). The settlers are desperate to take control of this little hill farm to link up this settlement bloc and further constrict the 7000 villagers of Nahhalin down in the valley underneath the huge settlement of Betar Illit.

In 1991 Daud learnt indirectly (since the Israelis didn’t tell him) that his 100 acres of land was being confiscated along with the rest of the hill. When he raised an objection he was given just 45 days to dispute the confiscation order in a military court. His family were the only landowners in the area who had paper deeds – from the Ottoman, British and Jordanian periods – and so the only ones able to file a dispute. The Israelis were really shocked that he had these papers (most Palestinians land ownership is based on oral contracts, and therefore is easy for Israel to brush aside) and so they demanded still more and more “proof” of ownership to try and find a pretext to dispossess him.

His grandfather bought the land in 1916, and lived in a cave (which Daud has renovated), working hard to make the hillsides bloom. His uncle also lived there from 1916 until his death in 1987, remaining single al this time; “he was married to the land,” Daud explained. Since 1991 it has been a continual struggle to retain the land, and Daud says: “Many families in this situation give up and leave, and we can understand why they run out of energy, but we will not give up and betray the hard work of our ancestors.”

First the Israelis demanded a new map (the existing one was dated 1926) within 35 days – a tall order. When Daud managed to get the map produced they next demanded eyewitness testimonies that his grandfather had lived on the land. When these testimonies were produced they continually postponed the court hearing – “They want us to give up”, exclaims Daud. During this whole period from 1991 until today the Nasars have faced continual intimidation and property destruction from the settlers. At one point they even barged into the house and threatened Daud’s mother with a gun.

In 2001 Daud’s lawyer received a one line letter from the military court: “You haven’t got enough evidence that you own the land, so you’ve lost the case.” Supported by notable lawyer, Jonathan Kuttub, they took the case to the High Court, where they were told they needed another survey, but this time done by an Israeli – this is costing them $70,000. The family actually lose money on the farming because of all the restrictions on Palestinian trade, and so they have found it really hard to pay for this. Nonetheless they have refused the many large offers they have received from settlers, including the latest last week which was a blank cheque! The family’s perseverance and self-sacrifice, protecting not just their little farm but the whole region from assimilation into a vast settlement block, is inspiring. Their lack of enmity towards the Israelis is also a real testimony to their commitment to Jesus Christ. When settlers come around waving their guns Daud still politely invites them to come inside and drink tea with him (they refuse to).

Realising that they need help the Nasar family have invited internationals to visit and work on the farm, When settlers destroyed 250 olive trees, some European Jews came and helped replant them. A British volunteer painted beautiful murals on some of the walls and in the caves. They are calling the project the Tent of Nations, because international visitors must camp out since Israel will not grant a permit to build or even to install water and electricity. This is typical double standards – permitting laissez-faire expansion of the settlements but preventing Palestinians from even adding a toilet onto their humble homes. Indeed the Israeli army has even attempted to demolish their two existing buildings, dating from the 1970s. The court thankfully had little choice but to block the demolition order because the army made a huge blunder, claiming that the houses had been built just two weeks ago, something the Nasars were easily able to counter by producing a photo from five years before.

Daud is passionate when he argues that most international observers waste their time by staying in Area A (the urban areas representing about 15% of the West Bank which in the Oslo Agreement are meant to be under Palestinian Authority control) whereas they should be working on the real front line which is in Area C (under full Israeli control; in Area B Israel has control of security and PA supposedly has control of civil affairs). Daud understands Sharon’s grand plan to limit any Palestinian state to the towns (Area A) and annex as much of Area C as possible to Israel “proper”. As the settlements encroach on Palestinian villages, and as checkpoints prevent or delay the villagers from getting to work, they are forced to migrate to the towns, leaving the countryside in the hands of the settlers. The sickest irony is that, while they remain in the villages, robbed of their land and will few other employment options, the only way for many Palestinians to put food on the table is by doing construction work in the very settlements which are squeezing them out of their homeland.

[left] Settlement Betar Illit to the North West, with the Palestinian village of Nahhalin in its shadow
[right] Settlement Neve Daniyyel to the North East

The Nasar family back in the 1920s in Ottoman era dress, painted from an old photo.