On Thursday, October 1, 2015, a unique event of Jewish-Arab solidarity is to take place at the unrecognized Bedouin village of Um al-Hiran located near the Shoket junction in the Negev beginning from 4pm. Organizers for the event have called for bringing a message of “dialogue, solidarity, partnership, hope, prayer for a different society, and peace” opposite the threat of destruction looming over the unrecognized village.
The residents of the village of Um al-Hiran were uprooted from their original land near Beit Kama and transferred to the village’s present location in 1956, by order of the Israeli military governor. Now, the State of Israel seeks to transfer them again, this time into the crowded town of Hura, where hundreds of young couples are still waiting for land on which to build their homes. The village of Um al-Hiran is to be demolished in order to build a new Jewish settlement “Hiran,” on which construction work has already been begun. The residents of Um al-Hiran only want to remain where they are as is, or be integrated as a neighborhood in the settlement of “Hiran.” The State of Israel refuses both options.
- 16:00 – Drawing and decoration workshops for children (ages 4-12) and a tour for women in he spirit of the holiday
- 17:30 – Joint Jewish-Arab ceremony around a special protest exhibit dealing with the destruction of the home as a cultural symbol. Testimony will be given by parents who have been uprooted from their homes; the children of the village will appear in a special performance; members of the Knesset, advocates, human-rights activists, and public figures will address the issue of the planned destruction of the village.
- 18:45 – Joint prayer for justice and for the promise of shelter for all homeless and those who dwell in tents and shacks and booths (Sukkot).
Organized transportation will depart from the following locations: 15:00 Tel Aviv, Arlozorov Train Station. 15:00 Jerusalem Plaza Convention Center. 16:00 Beersheba, from the lottery booth opposite the gas station in the Central Bus Station. 16:10 Beersheba Teachers Center. 16:20 Beersheba Big Alonit intersection;16:00 Rahat Mercantile Bank. 16:15 Laqiya, intersection at the entrance to the village. 16:20, Hura, Matnas
Registration for transportation: Emir, tel. 0586-300006.
Those arriving by private vehicles should be at the Shoket junction meeting point at 17:00.
Related:
- Demonstration Opposite the Bulldozers at Umm al-Hiran
- Joint List Discusses Strategy to Prevent Demolition of Atir and Umm al-Hiran
- Adalah Launches Campaign to Stop Demolition of Arab Bedouin Village
- Joint List to Protest Supreme Court Decision to Raze Unrecognized Bedouin Village
- Supreme Court refuses request to appeal against demolition orders for all homes in Umm al-Hiran
