PALESTINIAN VILLAGE IN THE GALILEE - LOCATED BETWEEN HAIFA AND NAZARETH

Shefa’Amr is a small village in the Galilee that has been forced to grow illegally beyond its zoned borders. As the population grows, they are unable to get building permits. It is especially difficult for the Bedouin neighborhood on the opposite side of the highway from the center of Shefa’Amr.

Driving from the dirt road that connects this neighborhood with one of the Palestinians villages destroyed in 1948, one of our guides tells us that families lived, worked, loved and dies for generations under these olive trees. The village of Howsha is hidden behind a new and artificially planted park, complete with concrete picnic benches. Cardboard signs designate the space as the site of a famous Israeli victory in 1948, illustrating native wildflower and cactus species growing over the ruins of the stone buildings. People remember visiting this site with their families, picking wild anise and harvesting the wild asparagus in the spring.

The new park seen from Howsha and Howsha seen from the park

The village ruins

From Howsha a dirt road connects two settlements, Adi and Harduf. We visit a farmer whose land lies in the valley between the settlements. He grows organic watermelon and though he served in the Israeli army, he views it as purchasing his freedom.

View of Adi from the farm

Harduf markets itself as a Kibbutz with an organic farm and a Waldorf school, though it is still gated and guarded. The settlement has a breathtaking view of Haifa and the Mediterranean ocean. From Harduf we reach Adi and it is apparent that Adi is wealthier. Adi includes newer buildings, lush landscaping and private driveways. The area of Harduf and Adi was know in Arabic as “Place of the Lizards”.

House in the settlement of Harduf with a view to Haifa