Ambassadors and diplomats visit depopulated Palestinian village of Iqrit in Israel
To mark the 65th Nakba Day, on 13 May 2013, Adalah and the Iqrit Community Association hosted a study tour for ambassadors, diplomats, and foreign journalists to the depopulated Palestinian village of Iqrit located in northern Israel. Families who were expelled from Iqrit in 1948, including some youth who returned and took up residence in their families’ village several months ago, welcomed the delegation.
Ongoing efforts to return to Iqrit
Mr. Nemi Ashkar, the head of the Iqrit Community Association, explained the village's history and depopulation. He also spoke about the residents' efforts to return to Iqrit, including cases brought before the Israeli Supreme Court, and the restoration of the village church, the only building that remained standing after the Israeli military demolished all of the homes in the village.
The people of Iqrit now hold weddings and other ceremonies in the church, and also bury the deceased in the village cemetery. Former residents and their families, who are internally displaced Palestinian citizens of Israel, now live in different parts of the country. The group gave the diplomats and ambassadors a letter asking that they pressure Israel to comply with the most basic principle of justice, and allow them to return to their land and village.
Alternative plan for restoration
Professor Yousef Rafiq Jabareen gave a presentation on the alternative plan to rebuild the village, prepared for and in cooperation with its residents. The alternative plan provides for the development of Iqrit through tourism and trade because of its unique, picturesque location.
Discriminatory land policies across Misgav Region
En route from Tel Aviv to Iqrit, Adalah Attorney Suhad Bishara gave a presentation on thediscriminatory policies that Israel uses to expropriate land and limit the development of Arab towns and cities. The delegation stopped on an overlook to see settlements designated for the Jewish Israeli public in the Misgav Regional Council, where the discrimination between Jewish and Arab localities– in terms of population and building density, public infrastructure, and quality of life - is clear.
See also:
Return to Iqrit: How one Palestinian village is being reborn, Harriet Sherwood, The Guardian – 15 May 2013
Arab Israeli 'Nakba' descendants return to village, Shatha Yaish (AFP) – 15 May 2013
