{"id":5109,"date":"2023-03-25T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-25T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2024-12-14T19:35:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T17:35:52","slug":"al-walaja","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/2023\/03\/al-walaja\/","title":{"rendered":"al-Walaja"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/ePalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-3-2520al-Walaja20-20Landscape-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\" title=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"160\" src=\"https:\/\/ePalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-3-2520al-Walaja20-20Landscape-1.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-5110\" width=\"640\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/ePalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/20230325_144528-1-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\" title=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/ePalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/20230325_144528-1-1.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-5111\" width=\"640\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/ePalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/20230325_131449-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\" title=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/ePalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/20230325_131449-1.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-5112\" width=\"302\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/ePalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Map-1.png\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\" title=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/ePalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Map-1.png\" class=\"wp-image-5113\" width=\"640\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">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.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">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 &#8220;Area C&#8221; 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&#8230;more on this shortly.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-text=\"true\"><strong>Landscape photo:<\/strong> 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.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-text=\"true\"><strong>Photo of activists:<\/strong> 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.&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-text=\"true\"><strong>Olive grove photo: <\/strong>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 <\/span><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thisweekinpalestine.com\/the-ancient-olive-tree\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"x1fey0fg\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-1-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">https:\/\/thisweekinpalestine.com\/the-ancient-olive-tree\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-2-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">)&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-2-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-2-0\"><span data-text=\"true\"><strong>Satellite map:<\/strong> Shows the location of alWalaja.<\/p>\n<p>Learn more here:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><a href=\"httpss:\/\/www.btselem.org\/jerusalem\/dispossession_and_home_demolitions_in_al_walajah\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"x1fey0fg\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-3-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">https:\/\/www.alhaq.org\/media\/15677.html<\/span><\/span><\/span><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-4-0\"><\/span><span class=\"x1fey0fg\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-5-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">https:\/\/www.btselem.org\/jerusalem\/dispossession_and_home_demolitions_in_al_walajah<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\"><span class=\"x1fey0fg\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-5-0\"><span data-text=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5gdef-0-0\">____________________________________<br \/>\n<span style=\"color: red;\">ePalestine.ps<\/p>\n<p>SUPPORT OUR WORK &#8212; DONATE HERE:<br \/>\nhttps:\/\/ePalestine.ps\/sambahour\/p\/donate.html<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Everything about this list:<br \/>\nhttp:\/\/lists.riseup.net\/www\/info\/epalestine<\/p>\n<p>To subscribe, send mail to:<br \/>\nepalestine-subscribe@lists.riseup.net<\/p>\n<p>To unsubscribe, send mail to:<br \/>\nepalestine-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class=\"x1fey0fg\"><span data-offset-key=\"5gdef-5-0\"><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; &nbsp; This village is under attack [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[66],"ppma_author":[936],"class_list":["post-5109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-al-walaja"],"authors":[{"term_id":936,"user_id":4,"is_guest":0,"slug":"sambahour","display_name":"Sam Bahour","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bca109c333bf6d8ae807746dd512adde46265d37c923f6cd0fc4aab437f8e9aa?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"1","first_name":"Sam","last_name":"Bahour","user_url":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour","job_title":"","description":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sam Bahour<\/strong> is a Palestinian-American business consultant, writer, and commentator based in Al-Bireh\/Ramallah, Palestine. He is the principal of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aim.ps\/\">Applied Information Management (AIM)<\/a>, a consultancy specializing in business development and startup advisory services.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bahour played a foundational role in establishing two of Palestine\u2019s 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 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.justvision.org\/\">Just Vision<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/mas.ps\">The Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS)<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He frequently gives talks to delegations visiting Palestine on the subjects of Palestine\u2019s political economy, Palestinian Politics 101, and a general orientation to the state of affairs under Israeli military occupation.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bahour is the co-editor of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Homeland-Oral-Histories-Palestine-Palestinians\/dp\/1566561329\/ref=la_B00HBW71SO_1_1\">Homeland: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians<\/a><\/em> (Olive Branch Press, 1993) and was profiled in the bestselling anthology <em><a href=\"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/2017\/06\/epalestine-kingdom-of-olives-and-ash\/\">Kingdom of Olives and Ash<\/a><\/em>, edited by Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, in a chapter authored by Chabon titled \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/lithub.com\/the-tallest-man-in-ramallah\/\">The Tallest Man in Ramallah<\/a>.\u201d He holds an Associate\u2019s and Bachelor\u2019s degree in Computer Technology from Youngstown State University, and a Kellogg-Recanati International Executive MBA \u2014 a joint program of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and the Recanati Business School at Tel Aviv University.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He tweets at <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SamBahour\">@SamBahour<\/a>, blogs at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.epalestine.ps\">www.epalestine.ps<\/a>, and may be reached at sbahour[AT]gmail[DOT]com.<\/p>"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5109"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9982,"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5109\/revisions\/9982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5109"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epalestine.ps\/sambahour\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}