khirbet tana -

Khirbet Tana - demolished four times in one year

Khirbet Tana is a small village in the hills above the Jordan Valley. I was there last month as an ecumenical accompanier with the EAPPI programme. During that last month one of my more depressing duties was being present at the many demolitions which took place in that region, carried out by the Israeli army.

When we arrived in Tana the school had just been demolished for the third time - they had just spent four months rebuilding after the last demolition, ready for the children to start school in a few weeks. Tana is a winter village. The shepherds who live in the area of Beit Furik near Nablus go there for the winter and spring with their large herds of sheep. Like shepherds all over the world they do this as the new lambs are due, to access larger pastures. These shepherds have been doing this for centuries. A 300 year old Ottoman mosque stands next to the demolished school. One man we spoke to remembers that his grandfather was killed by a Turkish soldier there.

They built the school because Beit Furik school is 8 kilometres away along a difficult dirt road, past an often burning rubbish tip. The children are here for six months of the year.

The people live mainly in caves and tents and there are barracks, or animal shelters. But these lie around us in ruins. The Red Cross has arrived with some supplies. A few young men can be seen on the hillside, already starting the job of rebuilding, carrying huge girders on their shoulders. One family of three generations sits outside their demolished WC with a little fire going and invites us to drink tea. Even in the most trying of circumstances entertaining strangers is a must.

The mayor of the village has gone to speak with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. "Will they help you?" I ask my host. "We are waiting for the PA like we are waiting for the rain" he replies. It has not rained for six months. Palestinians never seem to lose their sense of humour.

The army came at 6am to do their demolition work. What goes through their minds I wonder. They say they need the area for military training. I ask the men if they have seen army training here. "The only time they come here is to demolish the village" one says, "and they don't need training in that".

I received an email yesterday from the British EA who replaced me in the area. The soldiers came and deolished the school again, just as it was almost rebuilt, along with several structures for people and animals to live in. They really are determined to cleanse the area of Palestinians. They threatened that if they didn' move away they would confiscate the sheep and they would have to pay a hefty fine to have them returned.

In my talk on Tuesday at the Quaker Meeting house I shall be talking more about this alarming aspect of life under Israeli occupation and trying to give some sense of why this happens. But overwhelmingly it feels like such an injustice, and so unnecessary.