Nodinia
23-11-2007, 20:51
Jamil Jarwan, like most 12-year-olds, does not like the walk to school. It tires him out, he says. It's too hot in summer and too cold in winter, and when it rains the valley fills up with streams that he has to climb over. Even in maths, his favourite lesson, he gets sleepy, and besides, travelling in the West Bank is not safe. This is occupied territory, after all.
So, Jamil's family were delighted at the thought of a school being built in their village of Fasayil, nestled in the Jordan valley in the West Bank. Next door is the Israeli settlement of Tomer. In 1967, the UN Security Council decreed Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza illegal, yet they have flourished. Tomer is where the work is. Well irrigated, it produces dates, herbs and vegetables for supermarkets in the UK. Most of Fasayil's villagers work there, arriving at dawn in trucks, while some herd a few animals despite the risk of having their livestock confiscated.
When the idea to build a school was first discussed at a village meeting, Fasayil residents were realistic about what they might achieve. After all, their drinking water is rationed by the Israeli authorities, they are not allowed to build or repair roads, and even the electricity pylons that run through the village have a demolition order on them.
But, on the other hand, there are 115 children in the village, and many parents are reluctant to send the younger ones on the risky three-mile walk to the nearest school. The villagers knew any building would be at risk of demolition by the military, but hoped, as local coordinator Fathy Khadarat puts it, that "maybe some of the children will get their education first".
http://news.independent.co.uk/education/schools/article3180160.ece
I think any comment by me would be superflous....
So, Jamil's family were delighted at the thought of a school being built in their village of Fasayil, nestled in the Jordan valley in the West Bank. Next door is the Israeli settlement of Tomer. In 1967, the UN Security Council decreed Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza illegal, yet they have flourished. Tomer is where the work is. Well irrigated, it produces dates, herbs and vegetables for supermarkets in the UK. Most of Fasayil's villagers work there, arriving at dawn in trucks, while some herd a few animals despite the risk of having their livestock confiscated.
When the idea to build a school was first discussed at a village meeting, Fasayil residents were realistic about what they might achieve. After all, their drinking water is rationed by the Israeli authorities, they are not allowed to build or repair roads, and even the electricity pylons that run through the village have a demolition order on them.
But, on the other hand, there are 115 children in the village, and many parents are reluctant to send the younger ones on the risky three-mile walk to the nearest school. The villagers knew any building would be at risk of demolition by the military, but hoped, as local coordinator Fathy Khadarat puts it, that "maybe some of the children will get their education first".
http://news.independent.co.uk/education/schools/article3180160.ece
I think any comment by me would be superflous....