Stop the Destruction of an Old Arab Village in Israel!

Join the mailing list of the International Committee for Dar ElHanoun and help us bring an end to the long suffering of an old community of Israeli Arab citizens.

Updates 14.7.08: Reaction of the ICDH to the approval of Mitzpe Ilan at the National Israeli Council for Planning Construction 13.7.08: Donation event to Dar ElHanoun will take place in Belgium 7.10.08 3.7.08: Report on Dar ElHanoun by the Spanish news agency EFE 10.6.08: Ten organizations for alternative planning and civil rights call for recognition of Dar ElHanoun 10.6.08: Haaretz: "If the residents of Mitzpe Ilan would not live there, others would" - Minister for Nature Protection explains his decision to support Mitzpe Ilan 3.6.08: Haaretz: "State reneges on green deal for Wadi Ara Jewish town" 13.5.08: Yediot: "Not in Nature's Way" - Dar ElHanoun vs. Mitzpe Ilan 29.3.08: Land Day events in Dar ElHanoun    AlShams article (Arabic) 4.2.08: Israeli Government exposes its discriminatory motives 8.12.07: Reports in Haaretz and NRG (Israel), Le Soir (Belgium) and radio interview (Berlin) 15.11.07: Israeli Ministry of the Interior demolishes asphalted area in Dar ElHanoun! 10.11.07: Solidarity Events with Dar ElHanoun - Europe November-December 2007 more updates Reports & Photos Reaction of the ICDH to the approval of Mitzpe Ilan at the National Israeli Council for Planning Construction - ICDH Report July 2008 Mitzpe Ilan outpost vs. the unrecognized village Dar ElHanoun - ICDH Report March 2008    video Arab Israeli Citizens, Land and Discrimination: the case of Dar ElHanoun - ICDH Report September 2007 Photos 2007

comparison: Mitzpe Ilan outpost vs. Dar ElHanoun    video 14 March 2008: vigil in Berlin - recognize Dar ElHanoun and all unrecognized villages! video "not on any map" - the unrecognized Arab villages in Israel

Dar ElHanoun is an Arab-Palestinian village within the borders of the State of Israel. It is an old village that dates back to the 1920s, and its residents are Israeli citizens who legally own their lands. But the Israeli authorities refuse to recognize the village. The Israeli Ministry of the Interior consistently threatens to demolish the village and evacuate its inhabitants.

We are Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, activists for peace and equality between Jews and Arabs in Israel/Palestine. We are calling all peace loving people of the world who are concerned about the situation in Israel/Palestine: please help the struggle of Dar ElHanoun for recognition and prevent its destruction by the State of Israel!

We urge you to join the mailing list of the International Committee for Dar ElHanoun. Please follow the link below and join the mailing list today. By subscribing to the mailing list you will get up-to-date information about the situation in Dar ElHanoun, and on how you can help us to bring an end to its suffering and contribute to Arab-Jewish partnership in Israel/Palestine.

Dar ElHanoun is an Arab-Palestinian village within the borders of the State of Israel. The village exists since the 1920s, and its residents are Arab Israeli citizens who legally own their lands. However, Dar ElHanoun is not recognized by the State of Israel. As a result, the village has no paved road leading to it, no electricity and telephone connection, no health, education or post services. Against most of the houses of the village there are demolition orders pending, and some houses in it were already demolished by the Israeli authorities.
More on Dar ElHanoun

Dar ElHanoun is located in between the Arab villages of Kafr Qari and Arara in the Wadi Ara area (see map). Wadi Ara is a major cultural, political and economic center for the Arab citizens of Israel. The strategic importance of the area stems from its big population and its proximity to the occupied Palestinian territories in the northern West Bank as well as to the main highways connecting Tel-Aviv with the north of Israel. The new Road 6, which connects Wadi Ara to the center of Israel, increased the value of lands in the area.
Reaching Dar ElHanoun: From the Wadi Ara road, in the crossroad between Arara and Kafr Qara, turn to Katzir and Barta'a. After a few hundreds meters you will see a turn to the right to a dirt road going uphill. After a few more hundreds meters between the trees, you'll reach a crossroad. Turn right and go staright ahead to Dar ElHanoun.

Recently (November 2007) there has been an escalation in the acts of the Israeli authorities against Dar ElHanoun. The Israeli minister of the Interior has announced that he supports the policy of his ministry, which aims to evacuate Dar ElHanoun and demolish its houses. One of Dar ElHanoun's inhabitants has been convicted in asphalting a small pavement at the entrance to the village, in a joint peace activity of Jews and Arabs in August 2001. On November 14, 2007, at 3:00AM in the morning, bulldozers of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, accompanied by large police forces with horse riders and police service dogs, demolished the asphalted area. Another trial is pending, in which the State of Israel threatens to demolish the house of the same resident in Dar ElHanoun. This harassment may be connected to the fact that this resident - Moustafa Abu Hillal - has been active in the struggle of Dar ElHanoun together with Israeli Jewish political activists of Taayush (see below).
More on the Arab-Jewish workcamp in Dar ElHanoun in 2001
Demo 5.5.07 - no to demolitions in Dar ElHanoun!
14.11.07 - Israel Ministry of the Interior demolished asphalted area in Dar ElHanoun
More updates

We are peace activists, Jewish and Arab Israeli citizens, who take part in the grass-root organization of Taayush – Arab-Jewish Partnership. Since the beginning of the Second Intifada in 2000 we have been active together with Dar ElHanoun residents in the struggle for its recognition. In August 2001 we held a voluntary work camp in the village. Hundreds of Jewish and Arab activists stayed in the village. Together with its residents, we paved an asphalt entrance to the village and created a small playground for its children. Since then we have been in constant contact with the village and took part in its struggle for recognition. Our joint activities included demonstrations, protest vigils, public campaigns, legal aid and political lobbying.
More on Taayush
More on the Taayush/Dar ElHanoun workcamp in 2001

Dar ElHanoun is one of many unrecognized villages and dwelling places of Arab Israeli citizens. More than 80,000 Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel live in such villages. The refusal of the State of Israel to recognize those dwelling places of Israeli Arabs is only one of the many ways in which Israel acts again the basic political and human rights of its Arab citizens. It is part of on-going attempts of Israeli establishment to have as much land as possible under control of Jewish municipalities in Israel/Palestine.
Recently, leaders of the Arab-Palestinian community within Israel have initiated open proposals for stopping their discrimination. In response, the Israeli security service has announced that it would combat the activity of any group or individual seeking to harm Israel's "Jewish or democratic character," even if that activity was carried out through legal means.
The village of Dar ElHanoun is within the Wadi Ara area. Prominent Israeli politicians, including former minister Avigdor Lieberman and MK Otniel Schneller (in the ruling Kadima Party), have consistently called for taking away the citizenship of the Israeli-Arab inhabitants of Wadi Ara, and subject its population to the same treatment of the Palestinians in the occupied territories.
It is easy to estimate that the recent steps against Dar ElHanoun are part of a more global attack of Israeli authorities on the Arab citizens of Israel.
A document about the future vision of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel
Israeli Security Service's response
On Lieberman's plan
On Schneller's plan (1) more (2) more (3)
Mossawa Center - The Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel
The Association of Forty for the Unrecognized Villages in Israel
Negev Coexistence Forum

1. Join our mailing list, and be informed of further activities and campaigns.


2. Let your friends know about Dar ElHanoun and the unrecognized Arab villages in Israel:
   • Send a an email with a link to this site in a wide distribution. You can use our open letter.
   • Add a link to this website in relevant sites.
   • Distribute copies of our leaflet: printable pdf file
   
   
3. Send a donation to Taayush for helping the legal and public campaign of Dar ElHanoun.
   Checks drawn to "Taayush-North" can be sent to:
           POB 45896, Haifa, Israel
   Please mention "Dar ElHanoun" in a cover note.
   You can also notify our moderator about your donation, or for further questions about tax-free donations etc.


4. Send a protest letter to the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, with a copy to your nearby Israeli embassy or consulate. Please find instructions and an example for such a letter in the following link.


5. In case you are in Israel – please accept this as an open invitation to visit Dar ElHanoun. Coordinate a visit by sending an email to our moderator.

Address: Dar ElHanoun, P.O.Box 680, Arara 30026, Israel
Phone: +972-(0)52-2309527
Email: abuaviv@actcom.net.il