Annexation plan casts shadow on Palestinian village

RAMALLAH, Palestine — Fears over the impending Israeli plan to annex the Jordan Valley in the West Bank has cast a shadow on the Palestinian residents of al-Walaja village, northwest of Bethlehem, as the Palestinian village is surrounded by several Israeli settlements.

Sitting in the balcony of his house, Ammar Abu al-Teen, an employee of the Palestinian Authority,

was brooding over the fate of his family in case Israel implements its annexation plan that covers al-Walaja.

The 40-year-old man lives with eight family members in a two-story house close to the Israeli West Bank barrier, a separation wall Israel has been building since 2002.

“We suffer a lot because of the difficult situation in the village as a result of the Israeli measures as well as Israeli settlers’ harassment,” he said.

The Israeli authorities storm the village almost daily, notifying the residents that their homes will be demolished for being built without a license, Abu al-Teen said.

“The village has been subjected to annexation for many years through demolishing homes to displace residents and replace them with settlers,” he said, expressing a deep fear about the bulldozing and demolitions in his village.

“The fate of the villagers is not clear if Israel carries out the annexation plan,” he said.

Since 2002, the Israeli separation wall has turned al-Walaja village, home to 3,000 Palestinians, into an isolated enclave, as the village, originally covering 1,700 hectares, has now shrunk to 250 hectares with all the other parts under the full control of Israel.

Omar Hajajla, 52, another resident of the village, also voiced angst about the Israeli separation wall and the expansion of settlements.

He and his family, whose house is surrounded by a wall and an electronic gate, have to move through a tunnel under the wall, with cameras monitoring them around the clock.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu had planned to start the process by Wednesday, saying he wanted to begin annexing West Bank territory in line with US President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan.

But Israeli cabinet minister Ofir Akunis said the annexation process had been delayed, saying on Wednesday that officials were still working out the final details. He said he expected the annexation to take place later this month.