Asira Al-Qibliya Village Council Facing Effects of The War

Prepared by: Asia Al-Qibliya Village Council

Located in southern Nablus, Asira al-Qibliya has been increasingly targeted by the Israeli occupying forces (IOF) and settlers. The village is adjacent to several settlements, including Yitzhar. Now and again, large groups of settlers set out from this settlement and attack the village. They set fire to land and attempted to burn down 15 homes. Settler gangs have served as a parallel army along with the IOF, who have persistently harassed and prevented villagers and farmers from accessing their land. The IOF set up checkpoints, placing restrictions on the movement of the village residents. These practices are designed to make the area unliveable, allow voluntary migration, and facilitate land grab and annexation of the West Bank. 

Under these tense circumstances, the Asira al-Qibliya Village Council’s role has arisen to protect citizens, make novel policies, and set new goals during the current emergency, ensuring the uninterrupted service provision to the local community by: 

1. Spatial planning: Protecting areas vulnerable to the aggression

The village council has identified sensitive areas that are vulnerable to the danger of settlement activity. It seeks to proactively protect these areas through effective spatial planning, a key tool in the face of the cancer of settlements. Spatial planning involved an integrated study of threatened land, analysis of potential Israeli risks, and development of protection plans, including construction of barriers and expansion of infrastructure as an efficient tool to safeguard vulnerable areas. 

2. Coordination and cooperation: Strategic partnerships to counter settlement activity

Countering settlement activity requires concerted efforts, including security and legal coordination. Cooperation is promoted with relevant security agencies and follow up on settlement-related legal cases to ensure the protection of citizens’ and their property. Full legal support is provided to affected people, whose land was seized, encouraging them to file cases before national and international courts, including the International Court of Justice, to expose illegal practice and hold Israel to account. Cooperation is in place with specialized human rights organizations, including the Jerusalem Legal Aid Centre and Land Research Centre, to document and raise international awareness of Israeli violations, impose sanctions on Israel, and put an end to settlement activity in all affected areas. To promote property rights, support is provided to landlords to obtain title deeds. The village council covers the cost of these certificates, strengthening citizens’ resilience in the face of settlement activity. 

Cooperation with Action Against Hunger is a prominent example of successful partnerships, which the village council has built to confront Israeli settlement policies. Through this partnership, the water network expansion project in areas close to settlements was implemented, significantly promoting citizens’ perseverance and meeting their needs in the face of daily challenges posed by the IOF. The cooperation was not just in response to an immediate need, but was part of an integrated strategy to enable local communities to overcome the pressure of settlement activity and ensure continued basic service delivery. 

3. Institution building and sustainable development: Enhancing resilience and infrastructure

Reflecting its sustainable development strategy, the village council pays special attention to promoting infrastructure and services in areas under the threat of settlement activity. For example, the village council constructed agricultural roads in parts adjacent to the Yitzhar settlement in the so-called Area C, facilitating farmers’ access to, and promoting their ability to continue to tend, their land. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to boost the local economy and reduce dependence on external aid. 

Due to ongoing escalation by settlers, with support from international organizations, the village council fortified homes in close proximity to the Yitzhar settlement by metal barriers and barbed wire fences. This preventive measure aims to protect property and create a safe environment, enhancing the village residents’ resilience against forced displacement attempts. 

4. Raising awareness and uniting efforts

The village gives utmost priority to raising awareness of, and uniting efforts to confront, the risks of settlement activity. To this avail, seminars and workshops have been organized in cooperation with pro-Palestinian institutions. The village council seeks to sensitize and mobilize the local community to actively participate in land preservation. It also provides financial and in-kind aid to families affected by the IOF policies, including of political prisoners, wounded citizens, and workers, to empower their resilience against economic and social constraints. 

5. Documenting violations and giving a voice to victims: Media role in advocacy

Through detailed periodic reports, the village council has managed to provide comprehensive and reliance documentation of Israeli recurrent abuses. These reports have played a critical role in highlighting the local community’s daily suffering and documented settler and IOF violence, including land confiscation, destruction of property, and physical assaults.