• CAMDEN Abu Dis Friendship Association (CADFA) is extremely concerned at the sudden news that the villagers of Jabal al-Baba have suddenly been told by the Israeli army that they must leave the area within the next week.

This is part of Israel’s effort to free up land for expansion of Israeli settlements in the controversial “E1” area around Jerusalem.

All settlements on occupied land are illegal under international law and pushing the local inhabitants off the land to replace them with others amounts to ethnic cleansing.

Jabal al-Baba is close to Abu Dis, CADFA’s partner town, and known to many of the hundreds of visitors that CADFA has taken to Palestine in the last 14 years.

We are very distressed about the situation and when we heard this shocking news, we immediately held a small demonstration in Kentish Town in the middle of Friday (hence only members who were not working could take part) – so that we could send an immediate message to our friends in the threatened village that they are not forgotten.

We are asking our members and others to be active in bringing this to international attention, so that the homes of the people in Jabal al-Baba can be saved. We have also written to Keir Starmer MP concerning this.

NAOMI POTTER
CADFA