The villages of a‑Sheikh Sa’ed and a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah have been artificially cut off from East Jerusalem by an eight-meter-high wall. Before this partition was built, the two villages formed a contiguous urban bloc with East Jerusalem and, in particular, with the villages of Jabal al-Mukabber and a‑Sawahrah al-Gharbiyah to its south with which they shared extensive family, commercial and cultural ties. A‑Sheikh Sa’ed is home to some 2,000 residents, and a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah, situated some two kilometers to its north, has a population of approximately 6,000.
In 1967, immediately after Israel occupied the West Bank, it annexed extensive areas east of these villages to the municipal area of Jerusalem. Although the two villages were not included in the area annexed, during the first few decades after annexation this distinction had no impact on the residents’ lives. Passage between the annexed area and the remainder of the West Bank was routine and unremarkable. East Jerusalem served as the urban center for the residents of these two villages, with many of them working in the city. It also provided the residents’ health and education services. In addition, people who lived in the annexed area would sometimes move into these villages.
This reality changed in the mid-1990s, when Israel began to separate the villages from the area of East Jerusalem by means of obstructions and checkpoints. In 2003, a route for the Separation Barrier in the area was decided, and on 26 August 2003 work began or erecting a temporary barbed wire fence. The residents of Sheikh Sa’ed appealed the course fixed, and in March 2006 the Appellate Committee for the Separation Barrier accepted their appeal. The committee found that “in historical terms, Sheikh Sa’ed forms a part of Jabal al-Mukabber, which lies within the area of Jerusalem”, and the route of the barrier was disproportionate and violated the rights of Sheik Sa’ed’s residents to life, liberty and dignity. The Appellate Committee instructed the state to reexamine the course of the barrier in the area. However, the state appealed this decision to the High Court of Justice, arguing that the committee had ignored the security-related ramifications inherent in an alternative course that would annex the village to the area of Jerusalem. In 2010 the High Court of Justice accepted the state’s petition, thereby approving the course of the Separation Barrier in the area.
The construction of the Separation Barrier separated the two populations in one fell swoop, leaving Jerusalem residents east of the barrier and the residents of a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah and a‑Sheikh Sa’ed to its west. Nearly a decade later, the residents of the villages remain isolated and disconnected from their families, places of work and service centers on the other side of the Separation Barrier.
After the construction of the Separation Barrier and checkpoints in the area, Israeli authorities imposed a series of arbitrary restrictions on the residents of the villages, exacerbating the forced isolation, classifying the residents into four separate categories:
- 1,300 residents of a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah who hold Israeli identity cards, live adjacent to the a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah Checkpoint, or work in international organizations: The names of these residents are on a list maintained at a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah Checkpoint. For the past year or so, they have been permitted to cross this checkpoint by car to go into East Jerusalem and return home. This arrangement is valid only from 6:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
- Residents of a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah and a‑Sheikh Sa’ed who hold Israeli identity cards (with a registered address in Jabal al-Mukabber): These residents are permitted to cross a‑Sheikh Sa’ed Checkpoint as pedestrians (in both directions) as well as a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah Checkpoint (only in one direction – out of East Jerusalem). Alternatively, to travel by car, they must take a long, hour-long detour and cross at a‑Za’ayem Checkpoint.
- Residents of a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah who hold West Bank identity cards and entry permits to Israel can enter the city solely through a‑Zaytun or a‑Za’ayem Checkpoints. They are prohibited to cross via a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah Checkpoint.
- Residents of a‑Sheikh Sa’ed who hold West Bank identity cards and entry permits to Israel are permitted to cross only at a‑Sheikh Sa’ed Checkpoint and only on foot.
Residents of East Jerusalem who live in the city and wish to visit a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah or a‑Sheikh Sa’ed by car may do so solely via a‑Za’ayem Checkpoint. Alternatively, on foot, they can leave Jerusalem via a‑Sheikh Sa’ed Checkpoint; however, they cannot re-enter the city through this checkpoint.
These draconian, convoluted restrictions severely hamper daily life and maintaining relationships between the residents of the villages and their relatives on the other side of the Separation Barrier. Brothers and sisters, parents and children have been separated from each other. Due to the considerable difficulties in crossing, many of them meet only rarely, on religious holidays or for family celebrations or milestones. Moreover, many residents have lost their jobs and find it difficult to obtain the services they once received in Jerusalem.
The Separation Barrier has also created a problem concerning burial. The cemetery serving both villages is situated in Jabal al-Mukabber, on the other side of the Separation Barrier. In order to attend the funeral of a resident of a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah or a‑Sheikh Sa’ed, village residents must enter East Jerusalem. Security forces at the checkpoint allow only fifty residents, including relatives of the deceased, to cross the checkpoint and take part in the funeral. After the funeral, relatives find it difficult to visit the grave due to the restrictions detailed above.
S.G., a married mother of five who lives in a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah, recounted the following to B’Tselem field researcher ‘Amer ‘Aruri:
I was born in Jabal al-Mukabber, East Jerusalem. In 1991 I married a man from a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah with a Palestinian identity card. At that time, a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah and Jabal al-Mukabber formed a single geographical area. There were no military checkpoints and no Separation Barrier dividing relatives and people. Residents in both areas belonged to the same families. I gave birth to my five daughters at hospitals in East Jerusalem…
Before military army checkpoints were put in place, I used to visit my family in Jabal al-Mukabber once a week. It took five minutes to get from y home to theirs… Today I visit my family once every three months. Naturally, every visit involves delays at the checkpoint and questions and answers about my identity card. Also my relatives, who used to visit me every week before there was a checkpoint, now come only on special occasions, such as religious holidays or during the month of Ramadan. My mom and dad are elderly and they can’t walk across the a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah Checkpoint to get to my home. They prefer to come by car, and that means they have to travel via a‑Za’ayem Checkpoint, and that’s a long trip.
N.G. was also born in Jabal al-Mukabber and lives with her husband in a‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah:
The checkpoint separates me from my family. My mom is elderly and she’s gone blind. She can’t come to visit me on her own by crossing the checkpoint on foot. It’s too hard for her. So usually one of my brothers drives her through a‑Za’ayem Checkpoint – it takes them about an hour instead of being a five minute-drive. It’s become so visits are only on holidays, special occasions, and during Ramadan. Their most recent visit was on the holiday of ‘Id al-Adha – eight months ago. Before the checkpoint was put in place, I’d just call them and invite them to pop over because I’d made one of their favorite dishes, and they’d be here within five minutes.
The arbitrary restrictions imposed by the authorities on the residents’ movements disrupt almost every aspect of their lives. They keep families apart and make it difficult for residents to pursue their everyday lives. There is no justification for these restrictions, security or otherwise. It is also difficult to understand their underlying logic: Why was the number fifty fixed as the number of people allowed to attend a funeral? Why can someone use a particular checkpoint only in order to return home, but is prohibited from using the same checkpoint to go to work?
Israel must remove the barrier, which artificially severs an urban, historical, and cultural continuüm and greatly disrupts the lives of tens of thousands of people. Until it does so, Israel must permit regular passage between these villages and East Jerusalem in such a way as to allow the residents of the isolated villages lead normal lives.
A‑Sawahrah a‑Sharqiyah and a‑Sheikh Sa’ed isolated from rest of East Jerusalem