‘Sussiya has only been Arab village for 20 years’
AS LEFT-WING Israeli groups fight to avert demolitions at Sussiya, members of the Israeli right are arguing that there is no Arab heritage there and that Arab dwellings have only been in place for a decade or two.
“Arab Sussiya is a contradiction in terms, it’s all a myth,” claimed Nadia Matar, joint head of the women’s prosettlement movement Women in Green.
“All the proof shows that there were never any Arab homes on the land there and it’s a very recent invention.”
These comments echo the views of some prominent politicians.
Deputy Defence Minister Eli Ben Dahan, of the pro-settler Jewish Home party, reportedly said that an Arab village called Sussiya never existed, and alleged a “land grab carried out by leftist organisations”.
On the history of the area, Ms Matar refers to an archaeological site at Sussiya, which, it is claimed, turned up evidence of an ancient synagogue.
The site’s manager, Nadav Abramov, claims that the Palestinian presence dates back only 20 years, when an extended Arab family began to settle there.
The right-wing legal advocacy organisation Regavim also argues this point. “All of the proof we have seen is that there was never a historical Arab village of Sussiya,” said Regavim’s director of international relations Ari Briggs.
“There is a whole archeological site of Jewish significance, but no one has brought any proof of an historical Arab village.”
Mr Briggs claimed an even more narrow timeline for its establishment than Ms Matar and Mr Abramov.
He said that the Arab presence in Sussiya was around a decade old. He added that from 2009 to 2011 it was a “settlement” of 30 homes and that it was only after 2011 that a further 30 homes were established.
Mr Briggs is angry with the Israeli state for not presenting a clear position on how and when he believes Arab Sussiya was established and grew — and for not pushing hard for demolition.
“I blame the state for most of this problem — it’s the state that didn’t enforce the law earlier,” he said.
‘There is an archaeological site of Jewish significance but no proof of Arab heritage’