Israel evicts Bedouin residents of West Bank village ahead of IDF exercise

[Jefferson23]

Hundreds residing in Wadi al-Maleh are forced out of their homes after army declares area a live-fire training zone.

By Reuters | Apr.29, 2013 | 11:17 PM

snip* The residents of Wadi al-Maleh, a village mostly inhabited by shepherds in the arid area bordering Jordan, had almost all left their homes by an evening curfew and retreated to neighboring villages, Aref Daraghmeh, a local leader, told Reuters.

The displacement coincided with several demolitions of Arab properties in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which come as the United States is trying to revive stalled peace.

In January, villagers received a similar eviction order and left without resisting, only to return after 48 hours. Almost all of their 90 buildings, including shelters for their animals, were demolished in 2010, local rights groups said.

Israeli soldiers prevented outsiders, including journalists, from entering the area, saying it was a "closed military zone."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israel-evicts-bedouin-residents-of-west-bank-village-ahead-of-idf-exercise-1.518271

[azurnoir]

1. more Israel has banned journalists from the area too

Israeli soldiers prevented outsiders, including journalists, from entering the area, saying it was a "closed military zone."

about the earlier 'evacuation'

This week's evacuation follows a similar exercise in November, when hundreds of Palestinians in the Jordan Valley were ordered from their homes ahead of a military exercise in the area, which is designated a closed military zone. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says Israel has designated around 18% of the West Bank as closed military zones—an area roughly equal in size to Area A, the 17.7% of the West Bank under Palestinian Authority control.

Around 5,000 Palestinians live in Israeli military firing zones in the West Bank, UNOCHA says. Since 2010, Israel has demolished the homes of 820 Palestinians located in firing zones. Aref Daraghma, head of the Wadi Al-Maleh area, in the northern West Bank, stated that the Israeli army intends to displace around 10,000 Palestinian Bedouins in the area in order to conduct military training. (Ma'an News Agency, IMEMC, Dec. 31)

http://newjewishresistance.org/article/israel-orders-jordan-valley-evacuation-training