Eid abu Khamis Jahalin, spokesman for Al Khan al Ahmar and brother of its mukhtar, successfully arrived in Washington DC last weekend, to lobby on the Hill. The week’s congressional lobby is organised by Rebuilding Alliance and also involves Alon Cohen-Lifshitz and Nava Sheer of Bimkom, an Israeli NGO of planners for planning rights in the delegation. Photographs are at the Facebook page ofEid Jahalin. The news from Al Khan al Ahmar is not good; the community of Abu Hilu awaits the bulldozers. We activists receive regular alarms as to military build-ups, since Israeli police and military (often accompanied by settlers and settler security from Kfar Adumim) are in the village on an almost daily basis. Whether for planning or intimidation, they are loudly stating in the hearing of villagers “We will put the buses there. Ambulances over there. You’ll need a police car down there to close off access.” They have at least twice measured the concrete blocks at the village entrance, to plan to move them for bulldozer access. It was presumed demolition would not take place during the visit of Greenblatt & Kushner, but no assurance has been given that demolition will not take place after HHR Prince William departs. The intimidation also extends to regular drone videos buzzing over the village. Eid abu Khamis was “offered” an alternative site past Wadi abu Hindi, suggesting that Jabal West is obviously unsuitable and maybe the military acknowledge that fact. Eid rejected the move and the people remain “sumud.” But deeply anxious. Yesterday, the electricity company started work at Jabal West, the named relocation site (next to Arab a-Jahalin “village” in Azaria/Abu Dis), fulfilling a commitment to the High Court that there would be no “relocation” until electricity was online. So THE FORCIBLE DISPLACEMENT IS STILL IN PREPARATION. A senior UN diplomat stated (last night at the UK Consulate reception for Prince William): “They will demolish the school. Oh yes. They are going to do it.” Another UN diplomat surmised it would happen in August, during summer holidays when diplomats and journalists are away. The State also committed not to demolish the school until a replacement school is erected, but that could mean “caravans” erected within 48 hours. Meanwhile, various actors are engaged in advocacy: Some months ago, J Street achieved a letter signed by 76 Members of the House, as last year Rebuilding Alliance achieved a letter signed by 10 Senators (including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Diane Feinstein), both calling for non-demolition of Susiya and Al Khan al Ahmar. B’Tselem, MAP-UK, CAABU, PSC are all working within the UK for awareness raising and political pressure, including support for Jahalin Solidarity’s social media campaign and Early Day Motion: B’Tselem worked with CAABU to get 100 UK MPs to send a letter on this issue to Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev, has developed a short 2 minute film in which Eid talks of being born in Kfar Adumim area). They got 300 leading academics, parliamentarians, writers, film makers, and Israeli national prize winners to sign a petition, placed in Haaretz as a full page ad, calling on Israel not to demolish. Chairman David Zonsheine’s op-ed was published in The Guardian; Rida abu Rass of BTselem wrote in YNet in Hebrew and English. NGOs are engaged in Brussels, various others are working in their capitals – e.g., Vento di Terra in Italy, Angela Celeste Costantino artist and traveler woman, with the new Italian government and civil society for a petition. There is input from the group of settlers from Kfar Adumim who reject the forcible displacement, such as Sallai Meridor, past chairman of the Jewish Agency and past Israeli ambassador to the USA. His powerful op-ed has apparently had major impact on the Israeli “establishment” stating that if demolition goes ahead, he and others will live with the “mark of Cain” on himself forever. Zehava Galon wrotein Haaretz and tweeted when at Al Khan al Ahmar last Friday, with BTselem. A delegate on that visit, Tel Aviv headmaster Ram Cohen wrote, in his weekly column for Yisrael HaYom about the planned demolition and forcible displacement war crimes. Dr Alice Panepinto, legal expert teaching international law at Queens Belfast writes: https://theconversation.com/a-tiny-west-bank-village-is-due-to-be-demolished-heres-how-international-law-could-be-used-to-intervene-97885 Our two shorts by Guy Davidi with music by Brian Eno: TWILIGHT OF A SCHOOL (Ali & Nisreen) are at http://www.jahalin.org/category/video, and a one minute trailer, with English, Hebrew, German, Russian, Italian, French and Arabic versions. Early Day Motion 1169 now has 90 signatories building pressure for debate in the UK Parliament. It includes a call for the British Government to impose political, diplomatic and economic pressure on the Israeli government to avoid demolition. On 26th June, the UK Parliament aired this issue, too, during Foreign Office question time: Minister Alistair Burt’s responses and the questions are here. The issue has just hit US mainstream media (pace last year’s article by the LA Times). The New York Times’ David Halbfinger covered it (initial pitch and briefings by Jahalin Solidarity) and as reported by CNN, mentioning Gaza, settlements, Trump’s unilateral recognition of Jerusalem and “when Israel's plans to demolish the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar have drawn condemnation, the first ever official visit from Britain's royal family is a welcome reprieve.” Similarly, the worldwide Catholic News Service has just released a piece by Judith Sudilovsky: http://catholicphilly.com/2018/06/news/world-news/comboni-nun-says-bedouin-faced-with-village-demolition-feel-hopeless “A child says, ‘Father protect me,’ but I can’t protect my children when a bulldozer comes,” he said. “I try to calm my children and tell them that the whole world is with us and they won’t let it happen, but inside of me I know it will happen.” Despite the considerable media campaign both inside Israel and internationally, despite diplomatic support for the community (many delegation visits, an EU HoM solidarity visit and Iftar), PA advocacy and visits, including for a rally by the children at the school, and despite statements made by various delegations (Germany, France, UK, UN (including UNSG Antonio Guterres), Spain, Italy and the EU, inter alia, the plans for imminent forcible displacement are ongoing. The community is awaiting the bulldozers. If and when they arrive, many children may well have to say goodbye to their dreams and their rights. And we should also say goodbye to future Palestinian viability, sovereignty, Jerusalem as its capital or economic sustainability. Did we do enough? That could be the mark of Cain question many of us will be asking ourselves forever after. All the more reason to push now for maximum pressure before the window of opportunity slams in our face. Before the school and village slam to the ground in pieces. And indigenous Bedouin life takes another fatal blow. Refugee rights? A bankruptcy lawyer, a real estate lawyer and a son-in-law should not be final guardians of such inalienable rights or able to over-ride international law or derogate from Third State responsibility. Sincerely, JAHALIN SOLIDARITY