Zoba Communiity - Resisting Ethnic Cleansing

The Zoba community are withstanding Israel's attempts to remove them from their land with community action and resilience.

If you had come in here in 2007, you would have found a village destroyed, with just one house left standing - surrounded by rubble evidencing the remains of all the homes, and the water well, demolished by the Israelis.

In just 40 years, since the Israel's illegal occupation began in 1967, the community had gone from 350 people to just a handful of families. They had seen harrassment and murder the by the Israeli army, they had turned down bribes to 'persuade' them to leave their land, they were surrounded by two illegal Israeli settlements and an army firing range, their land had been declared a closed military zone, and in 2000 a checkpoint was constructed just 400m away at the bottom of the hill. They had had enough.

Rebuilt House - Zoba Community

The regeneration then began, with the support of Jordan Valley Solidarity Group. They rebuilt several of their houses, and constructed a gravel road. They now run electricity from a nearby Palestinian village (on telegraph poles they have made out of tree trunks) and have a solar panel donated by a Japanese activist group.

Zoba Community - electricity supply

In November 2009 they ran their first water pipes. The part of the community living on top of the hill have water pipes running from a village in the valley, powered by a pump (so the electricity they now have is essential). Those living further down the hill have a separate source of water, collected in a small well at the bottom of the hill and pumped up to them.

Water Pipes and Well - Zoba Community

Pump - Zoba Community

This water is essential for their own consumption, but also for all the animals that they earn their living from: chickens, turkeys, ducks and sheep.

They have also set up a mini mud brick factory, constructing bricks for the use of other communities in the Jordan Valley.

Brick Factory - Zoba Coommunity

Brick Pile - Zoba Community

When we visited them last week we were able to interview Zoba, he was really positive that some of his sons and daughters may now be able to return to the village, that they'll have the strength to defy Israel's attempts to ethnically cleanse them from their land, and that just staying there is an act of resistance in itself.

To find out more about the Zoba community read Amanda and Leon's blog at http://www.brightonpalestine.org/node/564