Al-Resalah Net – Agencies
As part of its plan to erase Palestinian landmarks within the territories occupied in 1948, the Israeli government is planning to seize what remains of the village of Jisr az-Zarqa, near Haifa.
The occupation authorities are promoting a new settlement project called “Turquoise” as part of the “West of Jisr” plan, in a scenic area along the Mediterranean coast. The site is a nature reserve covering an area of 300 dunams, which was taken over in 1948.
Sami Al-Ali, head of the Popular Committee in Jisr az-Zarqa, said that the project excludes the residents of Jisr az-Zarqa. According to him, under the project’s conditions, 70% of the eligible beneficiaries would come from outside the village, while only 30% would be from within it, due to the difficult requirements and very high prices.
The project concerns land that represents the village’s last and only remaining space for future development. The area of the project is 300 dunams and is entirely owned by the Israel Land Authority, following its seizure during the Nakba, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Al-Ali noted that the plan includes vital facilities and 530 housing units that do not correspond with the traditional Arab lifestyle. It does not give housing priority to families in need, but rather opens the opportunity to people from outside the village, attracting Jewish residents and settlers. Therefore, he said, “we objected to the project from the beginning and demanded its cancellation.”
Al-Ali explained that the project is “dangerous because it adds to a series of plans targeting Jisr az-Zarqa and seeking control over the area. In the 1990s, a nature reserve was established north of the village. A settlement also borders us there, limiting the village’s northern expansion and cutting its connection with the archaeological heritage in that area. To the east, we are bordered by the Haifa–Tel Aviv highway, which was built adjacent to homes, threatening residents’ safety, creating an environmental hazard, and restricting the village’s eastern development. To the south, there is the separation wall built in 2002, which separated us from the wealthy city of Caesarea and limited the village’s southern expansion.”
It is worth noting that Jisr az-Zarqa has a population of approximately 15,000 residents and is the only Palestinian village on the Palestinian coast. The village requires hundreds of housing units to address its ongoing housing crisis.
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