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The village of Beit Umar lies on the main road between Bethlehem and Hebron.It has 12,000 residents of whom 4,600 are school-age children. Beit Umar has suffered repeated harassment from the Israeli military and since the second Intifada began over a year ago, the main entrance to the village has been closed, forcing its residents to use back roads, which are also frequently closed by the military. Beit Umar's economic crisis stems from the closure and Israel's economic strangulation of the occupied territories. Unemployment is soaring and currently ranges between 60 to 80 percent. The majority of wage earners who used to work in Israel are currently prohibited from entering the country, while those who were employed in local workshops have been laid off due to the economic depression. The residents who make their living from agriculture have been equally hurt due to the military siege, which has prevented them from marketing their produce in Israel. This summer, families watched as their grapes and plums went unpicked, and many months of work and investment went down the drain. According to discussions held this week with Beit Umar's council and charity organizations, there are well over 250 families who literally cannot make ends meet.
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Nov 15, 2001 Two Palestinian youths from Beit Ummar detained Mohamed Hader Abed (15) and Usama Jabber (16) have been arrested by Israeli soldiers at the Al Muthalath checkpoint, in Beit Ummar, this afternoon. The soldiers claim that the two boys had been "observed throwing stones" 2 days ago. At this time we are unaware of any evidence to support this charge. For more information please contact Georgina Reeves on 052 840 767
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Beit Omar Background
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