PALESTINIAN VILLAGE IN THE GALILEE - LAND CONFISCATED FOR SETTLEMENTS IN 1976

The Galilee is located within Israel’s borders, to the north of the West Bank and bordering the Golan Heights and Lebanon. From 1948 - 1966 they lived in Israel under martial law (Yossi Klein - The Other Israelis). In 1976 they were subjected to an Israeli settlement plan known unofficially as “Judize the Galilee”. The plan began as a classified document by Yisrael Koenig. Written for the Israeli prime minister, it advocated “the possibility of diluting existing Arab population concentrations” ( BADIL - Ruling Palestine:A History of the Legally Sanctioned Jewish-Israeli Seizure of Land in Palestine). In the Galilee they planned to reduce the number of Palestinians by subsidizing the building of settlements. Incidentally the report also suggested ways to make universities in Israel more difficult for Palestinians with Israeli citizenship to attend, forcing them to look for universities abroad. The Koenig report was leaked to the press after the Israeli government had confiscated 70,000 dunums of land from around the Galilee (Adalah - Israeli Land, Planning and Settlement Policy). The confiscations led to the uprising in Sakhnin in March, 1976 when six Palestinians were killed by Israeli police.

Image courtesy of Google

Settlements, a settlement industrial zone and a large military base surround Sakhnin. The settlement of Yuvalim (founded as part of the Israeli government policy to “Judaize the Galilee”) overlooks the Palestinian village of Sahknin.
Yuvalium sits on farmland expropriated from Sakhnin. The settlement was completed in 1982 and is developing plans for further expansion. It’s former name in Arabic means “Between Two Caves”.

The settlement of Eschar is also visible from Sakhnin and is connected to Yuvalim by a smooth paved road. The former Arabic name of this hill is Jabal Abu Karat. Eschar and Yuvalim are part of the Misgav Regional Council that includes settlements and gated communities across the Galilee.

View of Sahknin from Yuvalim Settlement

House and Landscaping inside Yuvalim settlement

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The Galilee reflects layers of colonization. Between settlements lie Bedouin villages like that of Arab Naim. The inhabitants were originally displaced by the creation of the city of Karmiel, which is visible to the north. Between Arab Naim and Karmiel is another settlement, Michmanim.

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To the south of Sakhnin lies a clear case of spatial inequality. The Batouf is 6200 hectares of fertile agricultural land spanning a large valley. It is divided into individual parcels for various family farmers. Cutting directly through the center of the Batouf is a large Israeli controlled water canal. Nine meters wide, the canal is surrounded by fences creating a zone that is actually 100 meters wide. Bridges crossing the canal are built in only four places creating long and unnecessary trips for many farmers to reach their land. The canal is used to funnel water from the Galilee to the government’s Eshkol Facility a few kilometers away. Eshkol filters the water and pumps it to the Negeb (Negev) Desert. Where the water is then used for agricultural and settlement useage.

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Ali Zubeidy and his family have built themselves a house on land that has been in his family for generations. According to settlement policy, his house is built within the settlement buffer zone. The street beside his house is the dividing line. Therefore, his house is illegal according to the Israeli settlement policy and each year he is fined or imprisoned for not destroying his home.

Ali Zubeidy on the history of Sahknin