Helpless against the might of the state: Rabbi Ascherman replies to a friend of Carmel
02 March 2014
The Bedouin village of Umm el-Kheir is just a stone’s throw away from the Carmel settlement in the South Hebron Hills. Its residents live in huts and tents in abject poverty, without water hook-ups or electricity, while the residents of Carmel enjoy an existence resembling life in the suburbs of any Western country.
For a number of years, the shepherds of Umm el-Kheir have struggled against the settlers of Carmel who claim that part of Umm el-Kheir sits on the Jewish settlement. Recently, tensions came to the surface again as settlers planted trees on a ridge– a tactic used in the past to “claim” their land. The trees were uprooted and as a result, the village shepherds were collectively punished by blocked access to their pastures. Additionally, Carmel settlers physically attempted to prevent the flocks from passing.
Carmel settlers chase Umm el Kheir flocks
RHR has advocated for the rights of Bedouin at Umm el Kheir for years; recently, Rabbi Ascherman received an email from a friend of the Carmel settlement inquiring into the uprooting of the trees planted by the settlers on Tu B’Shevat. Their correspondence appears below:
in full: http://rhr.org.il/eng/2014/03/helpless-against-the-might-of-the-state-rabbi-ascherman-replies-to-a-friend-of-carmel/
