Sorting by

×
ePalestine.ps - Sam Bahour

SUBSCRIBE | DONATE | CONTACT

News & opinions from a Palestinian-American
living & working in Ramallah/Al-Bireh, Palestine

al-Walaja

by | March 25, 2023 | Latest News

 

Today, I visited the village of al-Walaja, on the other side of Bethlehem, on the Green Line, to meet the village mayor and a group of activists working to save the village. On our way to the meeting, we passed several homes that were recently demolished by Israel. 

 

This village is under attack by Israel. After the original village was depopulated in 1948 the new village of al-Walaja, east of the Green Line, is now walled in and dozens of homes are under demolition orders. The majority of the village is classified as “Area C” and it is surrounded by the illegal Israeli settlements of Gilo and Har Gilo. The village is in a legal struggle to get the Israeli occupation authorities to allow the village to have a Master Plan so they can legally build, which to date they have refused to allow. The case is live…more on this shortly. 

 

Landscape photo: From the rooftop of a home under construction in new al-Walaja, which is under a demolition order, looking toward the original village of al-Walaja that was depopulated in 1948. In the valley is the railroad that was part of the Hejaz railway that went from Damascus to Medina. To the right is the Separation Wall and associated security road. 

 

Photo of activists: The village mayor and a group of village activists, along with an Israeli friend and his wife who are working in solidarity with the village. 

 

Olive grove photo: In the middle of the olive grove sits the oldest olive tree in Palestine. Under the tree, not seen in the photo, is a security guard who keeps watch on the tree so settlers do not uproot it. (More here https://thisweekinpalestine.com/the-ancient-olive-tree/) 

 

Satellite map: Shows the location of alWalaja.

Learn more here:
https://www.alhaq.org/media/15677.htmlhttps://www.btselem.org/jerusalem/dispossession_and_home_demolitions_in_al_walajah

 

____________________________________
ePalestine.ps

SUPPORT OUR WORK — DONATE HERE:
https://ePalestine.ps/sambahour/p/donate.html

Everything about this list:
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/epalestine

To subscribe, send mail to:
epalestine-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

To unsubscribe, send mail to:
epalestine-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net  

Author

  • Sam Bahour

    Sam Bahour is a Palestinian-American business consultant, writer, and commentator based in Al-Bireh/Ramallah, Palestine. He is the principal of Applied Information Management (AIM), a consultancy specializing in business development and startup advisory services.

    Bahour played a foundational role in establishing two of Palestine’s publicly traded companies: the Palestine Telecommunications Company (PALTEL) and the Arab Palestinian Shopping Centers (APSC). He co-founded Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy (A4VPE), of which he is now an emeritus member, and served as an independent director on the board of Arab Islamic Bank P.L.C. from 2004 to 2025. He currently serves on the board of Just Vision and The Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS).

    He frequently gives talks to delegations visiting Palestine on the subjects of Palestine’s political economy, Palestinian Politics 101, and a general orientation to the state of affairs under Israeli military occupation.

    A prolific writer on Palestinian affairs, Bahour has been published in major international outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, Haaretz, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, Al Jazeera America, Le Monde diplomatique, Al-Monitor, +972 Magazine, The Hill, and Arab News. He has appeared as a commentator on NPR, CNN, BBC, and other broadcast media.

    Bahour is the co-editor of Homeland: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians (Olive Branch Press, 1993) and was profiled in the bestselling anthology Kingdom of Olives and Ash, edited by Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, in a chapter authored by Chabon titled “The Tallest Man in Ramallah.” He holds an Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree in Computer Technology from Youngstown State University, and a Kellogg-Recanati International Executive MBA — a joint program of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Recanati Business School at Tel Aviv University.

    He tweets at @SamBahour, blogs at www.epalestine.ps, and may be reached at sbahour[AT]gmail[DOT]com.

    View all posts

Share This Page


By Topic


Tagged with:

Explore the site in BY TOPIC, A-Z.