Bridge over (polluted) waters
Israeli Committee against House Demolitions helps Bedouin residents of West Bank village of Ramdin to bridge polluted stream which poses a hazard to village children
The Israeli Committee against House Demolitions (ICAHD), a direct-action group opposing demolition of Palestinian houses in the territories, have recently joined forces with the Bedouin residents of the village of Ramdin, in order to bridge a polluted stream.
The West Bank village of Ramdin is located south of Mount Hebron, and is home to the Hawarin Bedouins. The Hawarin's village is separated from the adjacent highway by a stream, which has been polluted by waste water pumped from the various factories in Hebron and the surrounding settlements.
"The stream is so polluted that any car passing through it has to change its tires every three months… (the water) simply eats through the metal," said Naser Hawarin, one of the village's patriarchs.
Before and after. The stream (Photo: activestills.org)
A Palestinian group had built a bridge over the stream in the past, he said, but it was taken down by the IDF some 20 years ago; generations since have had to hop through the waters when shallow, or stumble over shaky boards placed across them during winter.
"Sometimes, in winter, the water rise to a point where the children can't cross," added Hawarin. The last time the village children found themselves stranded, prompted the village to turn to the ICAHD for assistance.
The ICAHD was happy to land a hand, sending volunteers to help the resident of Ramdin to build a sturdy bridge over the stream.
"We’ve defied the destruction by building a bridge of mutual hope," said Eyal Niv of the ICAHD. "This is the strongest Israeli-Palestinian statement we could make."
