Turmus 'Aya/ Against all odds

Turmus ‘Aya is a village located northeast of Ramallah, Palestine. It is found between Nablus and Ramallah and consists of a population of approximately 8000 people. It is a tremendously beautiful agricultural village. Almost half of its population have duel citizenships and also live in the United States. The occupants of Turmus ‘ Aya greatly rely on their land as a source of income. Most of the villagers seemed to be patriotic. When we arrived we were greeted by one of the villagers, who had lived in the United States for a significant amount of years. He was very proud of his origins in Turmus ‘Aya. All the villagers were very enthusiastic to meet us and give us a tour of the village. The Israeli settlements located nearby the village have always caused misfortune for the occupants of Turmus ‘Aya; the seizing of land, destroying of crops and also occasional raids. As I walked through the historical village of Turmus’ Aya, I passed by a store keeper who told me about the conflicts they had, and still have, with the Israeli occupation.

As I was talking to the store keeper, I asked him the question that I wanted to base this paper on. The question was: what was one of the major Israeli actions that affected Turmus ‘Aya negatively? He looked at me with a sad face and started telling the depressing story. It all started in the beginning of the second intifada (September 2000). Turmus ‘Aya villagers mostly depend on their crops and trees, most importantly olive trees, to sustain them throughout the years. Due to Israeli settlement expansions taking place, large amounts of Palestinian territory in the village were lost. Most of the stolen land belonged to farmers who were dependent on their harvests. This didn’t stop the Israelis from detaching the land from their rightful owners since the land stolen was to be used as an outpost. The reason such outposts erect is not only to serve as colonies, but as points to connect other neighboring settlements to each other. This outpost now connects many settlements that neighbor Turmus ‘Aya together such as Shilo, Ofra, Eli, etc.

As I left the store with that saddening story in my head, it got me questioning certain aspects. By international law, settlements are illegal according to their commandments, but they are legal by Israeli law. On the other hand outposts are not only internationally illegal, but some are also not authorized by the Israeli government. Settlers, not only around Turmus ‘Aya, but throughout the whole West Bank set these outposts claiming the land as their rightful territory. Even though some of these outposts are illegal by Israeli law, they tend not to take any actions against it. In those rare cases when the United States pressures Israel over there settlement situation, they may select one or two outposts to dismantle. This is generally a publicity stunt because they usually select minor settlements or outposts, which are only to be reestablished a few days later by the settlers.

Later that day, as we walked towards the horse club some of us encountered a man with a suspicious expression. He firmly enquired who we were and what we were doing in that area. When we explained to him that we are Abu-Dis college students, he relaxed and told us why he acted guarded. He told us that he heard that settlers were infiltrating areas in and around Turmus’ Aya. As he was telling us his concerns it made me remember a story I heard from a resident in Turmus’ Aya. The residents of the village not only got their lands confiscated by the Israelis, but also had to ignore their olive groves in fear of attacks from the settlers. I was not shocked when I first heard this. I personally have witnessed such actions taking place when I would be travelling by the village. They tended to usually attack these groves during the olive picking season when it was filled with Palestinians. Not only would the settlers be harassing the Palestinian olive pickers, but the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) would be protecting the settlers as well. One of the residents of the village was telling me how he was afraid to go to his own land to pick his own olives due to the fear the settlers have built in them.

Despite all the restrictions and terror the residents of Turmus’ Aya had been through, they are actually progressing much more than other villages. It had started out as a village, but over the years it has grown into a “town”. It has banks, clinics, a horse club, and villas. This “village” is actually trying to get itself recognized as a town by the Palestinian Authority. This growth might make the settlers a bit nervous, but hopefully Turmus’ Aya will continue to prosper regardless of the surrounding Israeli settlements.