The West Bank Barrier

Profile: Azun Atme

The village of Azun Atme was declared a ‘closed military zone’ on 30 October 2003. Although isolated between the barrier and the Green Line, the Israeli authorities do not consider the village as part of the ‘seam zone’ and residents do not require long term residents’ permits. However, those wishing to enter Azun Atme - including those with land and businesses in the village - are required to have permits, with the exception of school students and teachers whose names are compiled on a list at the gate. Azun Atme is now effectively cut off from the outside world, especially from the villages of Beit Amin and Saniriya with which it has strong social, economic and other ties. Sixty percent of Azun Atme’s land is owned by farmers from the other two villages and hundreds of families now find themselves cut off from their only source of income. Beit Amin also depends on Azun Atme for its water supply, schools and health clinic. There are also plans to encircle Azun Atme within an additional inner fence, which may isolate more of the village’s farm land and may also cut some 70 Azun Atme residents living in nine houses to the north of Route 505, used by settlers in Elkana and Sharei Tikva. The route of the barrier is such that the settlement block of Oranit (pop. 5,200), Elkana (3,000), Sharei Tikva (3,500) and Ets Efrayim (600) will lie to the west of the barrier, effectively annexed to Israel.

Access/ Permits/Gate issues

Acces:

• The gate is reportedly open from 0600 hours until 2300 hours, but village residents say that no one uses it after 1900 hours. On several occasions the gate has been closed even for permit holders for ‘security reasons’.

• On 1 January 2003, holders of valid permits were not allowed through the gate, restricting access to Azun Atme residents only.

Permits:

• Residents of Azun Atme do not require permits to reside in, or access, the village.

• Residents of neighbouring villages, including those with land and businesses in Azun Atme, do require permits to enter the enclave. The Palestinian Authority opposed this, arguing that this would mean a de facto recognition of the barrier. The village councils in Beit Amin and Saniriya also refused to distribute these permits for more than 40 days, but had to give in as soldiers have refused entrance to people without permits since 11 December 2003. By 1 January, 460 farmers have requested and obtained permits. However, some permits have been issued to the least able members of the family, such as elderly women or young children. More than 130 families have applied for but not obtained permits or have refused to apply on principle.

• Occasionally farmers can still cross without permits, depending on the goodwill of the soldiers at the gate. However, soldiers at the gate are keeping track of farmers who cross the gate once a week or so and have refused to let them in again, arguing that they have been sleeping in the enclave without a proper permit and must be punished for ‘breaking the law’. Many farmers are considering a change of address – for example, changing their place of residence from Beit Amin to Azun Atme – to avoid the requirement of a permit. Reportedly, the Israeli authorities are not granting changes of residency anymore, aware that this is being done for the sole purpose of accessing agricultural land and businesses. An estimated 40% of the farmers do not have permits. In excess of 100 families (father, sons and brothers usually work the land as these are ‘family-run’ businesses) have applied for permits but not yet obtained them.

• Students of Azun Atme’s two schools who reside outside the enclave do not require permits. However, children over 12 years old must apply for permits if not enrolled in the village’s schools.

• The names of other outsiders who do not require permits are compiled on a list at the gate. These names have been submitted by individuals or village councils, not the Palestinian Authority. There are 98 names on the list, including the following professions: repairmen, car mechanics, various technicians (electricity, telephone, etc.), public transportation drivers, trucks and truck-drivers (that collect Azun Atme’s vegetable produce), P.A. doctors, engineers, cement mixers and vendors of agricultural products. Recently the rubbish-truck driver (+ the truck) has been added to the list as well. Since then the rubbish truck has had no problems entering the enclave. This list is separate from the teachers’ list,’ that contains 44 names (36 full-time teachers and eight on stand-by). However, school inspectors were not allowed to enter on 8 December 2003 because their names did not appear on the list.

• Permits are requested by the individuals themselves at the Israeli DCL. The procedure is long and might or might not be successful. Permits might or might not be renewed, and their duration is limited (from 12 days to three months). Permits are mainly sought by farmers and landowners who need to cross the gate on a daily basis and who can prove ownership to land inside the enclave.

• Lists are prepared by village councils or municipalities and sent to the Palestinian DCL who in turn forwards them to the Israeli DCL. Lists are for persons who have to cross the gates for professional reasons other than farming, like repairmen or technicians. However, one setback is that lists are constantly renewed or changed and soldiers often claim that the name ‘is not on the list’ despite previous coordination between the Palestinian and Israeli DCLs; for obvious reasons, soldiers cannot do the same thing with a valid permit.

• Reportedly, it is ‘faster’ to send the lists to the gate (through the DCL) than to have permits granted. This is why it is used for individuals who might need to enter the enclave only once and on short notice (e.g. technicians to repair a damaged electrical pole or a telephone line). Neither the lists nor the permits grant access to the enclave at all times. On several occasions soldiers have declared the enclave a ‘closed military zone’ and have not allowed anyone in for several hours or a whole day. Also, neither system grants obtaining permit or having name on list; on several occasions people have been refused for ‘security reasons.’

• At least 200 people changed their addresses to Azun Atma in anticipation of access difficulties because of the gate. Currently many others have applied for such changes but the Israeli authorities have not been granting changes of addresses, aware that this was being done to ensure access to the lands.

Health

• There is only one PA health clinic in Azun Atma, and none in Beit Amin. The P.A. doctor comes to the health clinic in the enclave twice a week for two hours each time (total of four hours per week). His name has been recently put on the ‘list’ and since then he has not been turned back. However, he is reportedly not allowed to cross into the enclave twice on the same day. The vaccination campaigns have taken place on time and there is a full-time nurse from Azun Atma who can provide first aid and other basic medical treatment at the clinic, which is open 6 days a week.

• The UNRWA mobile clinic which visits Azun Atme is now treating fewer patients than expected, because residents of Beit Amin and Saniriya ere not able to enter the enclave without permits.

• The rubbish truck was denied access through the gate four times during the month of November, posing a potentially serious health hazard. (there is a rubbish container in front of the school).

Education

• 96 students from neighbouring villages attend school in Azun Atme. 15 to 20 schoolboys are now working their parents’ land after school hours: the parents, residents of neighbouring villages and owning land in Azun Atme, have not been issued permits. This is having a negative impact on the children’s schooling.

• 38 teachers come from neighboring villages. They have been facing delays at the gate. As cars that are not registered in Azun Atme are not allowed through the gate, the teachers have to walk the one-kilometre that separates the gate from the school.

Socio-Economic issues

• The enclave has 700 dunums of greenhouses and 4,000 dunums of arable land. Most landowners who are from outside the enclave do not have permits to enter the enclave and are unable to farm their lands regularly: the land is accessible to only 40 percent of their owners. At least 70 farmers are sleeping in their greenhouses to avoid crossing the gate and are thinking of building small sleeping units adjacent to the greenhouses. However, the Border Police have threatened to demolish any unauthorized construction, as Azun Atme is in area ‘C’ and new construction requires the authorisation of the Israeli authorities.

• Before the intifada, most of Azun Atme’s agricultural produce was ‘exported’ to the rest of West Bank and to the most lucrative market, Israel. Azun Atme now only sends produce to the main vegetable market in Beita, on the few trucks that have been issued Israeli permits to enter the enclave. This has decreased the farmers’ net profit because they have to pay more for transportation and commission fees and because vegetable prices in the West Bank are lower than in Israel.

• The price of land in Azun Atme has declined, as there is now a low demand for land in the enclave.

• As there are few agricultural workers able to farm the greenhouses and arable lands in Azun Atme, because of access difficulties and the permit system, the Daman and Mouzara’a systems are not cost-efficient anymore. (Daman system: when an agricultural worker pays a fixed-income to the landowner in exchange for working his land and keeping the rest of the profit. Farming expenses are borne by the agricultural worker. Muzara’a system: when an agricultural worker agrees with the landowner on a specific percentage to be obtained in exchange for work on his land. Farming expenses are shared by the worker and the landowner, proportionally)

• The poultry sector, once a thriving business in Azun Atme, has also almost collapsed. Several farmers had to get rid of their chickens because they could not obtain food for three consecutive days and the chickens fell ill. One farmer had to incinerate his 4,500 dead chickens, whose eggs used to earn him more than NIS 200 a day.

• The enclave has five water wells. One of the wells may become ‘off-limits’ if the inner fence is constructed, and two will be negatively affected.
• Basic commodities imported from the West Bank (green plate trucks) are brought in ‘back-to-back.’

• Some businesses related to cars, such as garages, tires’ repairs and gas station have ran out of business and closed down because no cars from outside Azun Atma are allowed through the gate and the cars in Azun Atma are not enough to keep them in business.

• The marble factory closed.

• The cement factory sold his mixers and wants to move to Kufr Tulth.