The Arab Jahalin are the biggest Bedouin tribe in the West Bank, living primarily in the areas around Jerusalem. Originally from Tal Arad, near Bir Saba’ in historic Palestine, the Jahalin were violently expelled from their homes during the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe) and forced to live as refuges in the West Bank. Following the 1967 occupation, Israeli military forces again targeted the Jahalin, expelling them from land confiscated for Jewish settlement. This campaign of ethnic cleansing continues into the present, as the Wall and expanding settlements around Jerusalem threatens to displace the Jahalin once again. This documentary is a collection of interviews with members of the Jahalin, who narrate the histories and experiences from 1948 until the present.

The documentary is accompanied by a publication entitled: ‘Arab Jahalin: From the Nakba to the Wall, which features a unique collection oral histories spanning, like the film, from 1948 until the present. Arab Jahalin also offers important analysis about the historical continuity and relationship between ethnic cleansing and settlement, highlighting the role of the Wall in the most current phase.

Download the text here: stopthewall.org/activistresources/1720.shtml

StoptheWall.org is the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign outlet of information about the Wall as well as resistance to it on the ground. There have been important developments in the status of the Jahalin since this film was released, a sampling of which may be found below:

Feb. 21, 2009: Ongoing expulsion of Jahalin near al-‘Eizariya
stopthewall.org/latestnews/1861.shtml

Feb. 9, 2009: Demolition in Jahalin community leaves 30 homeless
stopthewall.org/latestnews/1837.shtml

Feb. 4, 2009: Across West Bank, villages hit with confiscation orders
stopthewall.org/latestnews/1828.shtml