The Al Khatib family is from the village of Hizma, a Palestinian town on the northeastern outskirts of Jerusalem. The village sits on some 10,400 dunams of land and is surrounded by five Palestinian villages: Anata, Beit Hanina, Shufa't, Jab'a & Ar-Ram.
Al Khatib family at home (photo courtesy of Slava Youssim)
However, in 2004 the Israeli military began clearing village land for construction of the Separation Wall. When the five-kilometer stretch of the wall cutting through Hizma was completed, the village lost about 4,318 dunams of land - and the Al Khatib family.
The 24 person Palestinian family is now surrounded by the Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev, imprisoned in their own home. The village of Hizma borders the settlements of Pisgat Ze’ev, Neve Yaakov, Geva Binyamin, and Almon.
The Al Khatib family’s home and their 48 dunams of land were annexed to Pisgat Ze’ev during construction of the settlement’s military checkpoint. The family carries West Bank identification cards, and Israel has refused to issue them residence permits. They have, however, been issued a military document that allows them to walk to the local checkpoint to enter the West Bank, but they are not allowed to ride in a car. They are also not supposed to walk around Jerusalem.
"For a few years now we have been separated from our village and surroundings; we have unwillingly become residents of Pisgat Ze'ev," said Kifach Khatib, the mother.
"The fact that we have been turned into settlers does not mean that we gave up on our way of life," the 70 year old matriarch said in 2009, "We continue to raise chickens and sheep for a living."
However, recently the family was told by the Israeli authorities that they cannot continue housing livestock, and now the Jerusalem Municipality wants to use their lands for Pisgat Zeev’s sewage installation. The Al Khatibs are literally trapped.
“My son was in an accident a few days ago and the soldiers refused to allow his aunts to pass; after a few hours they called and asked that we come to the checkpoint to pick up the gifts they had brought for us. We face the same problem anytime there is a change of guard at the checkpoint. The new soldiers and officers manning the checkpoint don’t know us - to them we are residents of the (Palestinian territories)," Kifach Khatib said.
Because they are isolated, the family has no source of income and are sometimes even unable to purchase food and medication. Friends and volunteers deliver supplies.
It is clear that Israel is trying to force the Al Khatib family to leave their property.
Two of the young women in the family, Khitam, who studies economics, and Um Kulthum, who studies baking and finance, suffer from a genetic disease called Friedreich’s ataxia. Khitam needs a walker and Um Kulthum needs a wheelchair to move about. Since they are not allowed to use a car to enter the West Bank and they are not allowed to go anywhere in Jerusalem, they do not receive any medical attention.
Harassment faced by the family has been increasing. Last week family members were harassed and beaten by Israeli soldiers. A young boy, Yousef, was taken for an investigation at a police station, where they tried to charge him with attacking policemen and throwing stones.
This inhumane and illegal treatment of the Al Khatib family must stop. Israeli authorities need to be help accountable for their actions, and the Al Khatib family must be helped in their steadfastness under such difficult circumstances.
Dedicated Palestinian and Israeli activists have already obtained medical assistance, legal help and press coverage for the Al Khatib family. Assistance most needed by the family at the moment includes:
- Help in obtaining permits to be in Jerusalem, the city in which they already live!
- A car, or access to a car so that the family can travel to the West Bank for necessary medical care unavailable to them in Jerusalem.
- Monetary contributions for the purchase of a car and other essentials for the family.
- Advocacy work with local and international human rights organizations, to encourage them to take up the Al Khatib family’s case.
- Paving the road from the house to the checkpoint to let Um Kulthum get to the checkpoint with her wheelchair.
- Help with agriculture.
For further information and to help, please contact:
Slava (Russian, Hebrew): Email: iaroslav (dot) youssim (at) mail (dot) huji (dot) ac (dot) ilv. Telephone: 054 5742793
Ehab (Arabic, Hebrew, English): Telephone-052 6061138
Contact may also be made through the AIC ( aic@alt-info.org ) which will be forwarded as appropriate.
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!
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