By Rina Rosenberg (Jabareen) | Director, International Advocacy, Adalah
Description of photo 1: The construction site for Hiran is located on a hill overlooking Umm al-Hiran (credit: Middle East Eye /Jenny Nyman)
The Arab Bedouin villages of Atir-Umm al-Hiran have come under renewed threat of demolition and eviction over the past few days.
1. The authorities threatened to enter Umm al-Hiran to begin construction work for the court-sanctioned Israeli Jewish village of Hiran
On Saturday, 9 July 2016, Raed A., one of the village leaders of Umm al-Hiran, received a call from the authorities, informing that they planned to enter the village on Sunday. The authorities stated that they intended to begin construction work on Hiran, on Umm al-Hiran’s lands.
Adalah was in contact with Raed and other villagers throughout the day. Although the authorities did not carry out the threated demolition and eviction, the danger nevertheless remains very much alive, and the villagers remain on edge. Adalah’s lawyers continue to provide legal consultation and advice to the leaders of Umm al-Hiran regarding their next steps, particularly during this tense period.
2.Tour for Ha’aretz editors and senior journalists in April 2016
Adalah organized a private tour for senior journalists and editors from Ha’aretz, the leading liberal Israeli newspaper, to give them an up-to-date, intimate portrait of Atir-Umm al-Hiran. We also visited the village of al-‘Araqib, a Palestinian Bedouin village that has been demolished 100 times over the past few years, to meet with the villagers there.
We believe that it is crucial to keep the issue of Atir-Umm al-Hiran on the public agenda through the media. We especially engage editors because they play a significant role in determining the stories that make the cut, in framing how those stories are told, and in taking bold positions critical of Israeli government policies.
We wish to thank you again for your kind support and encouragement over the past quarter. Adalah and the people of Atir-Umm al-Hiran need your help to continue to do our crucial work, especially at this time of heightened tension.
In solidarity,
Rina Rosenberg (Jabareen)
Director of International Advocacy, Adalah
Description of photo 2: Sign reads 'Construction Site - Entry Forbidden', with Umm al-Hiran seen in the background. This construction site for the new Israeli Jewish town of Hiran (credit: Middle East Eye/Jenny Nyman). According to their latest threat, the Israeli authorities intend to pave a dirt road within the boundary of Umm al-Hiran to facilitate construction work for Hiran there.
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