Umm al-Hiran Residents to Protest at Beersheba Court Over Unfulfilled Evacuation Agreement

Residents of the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran have called for a protest outside the Central Court in Beersheba on Thursday, September 17, at 11:30 AM. The demonstration is intended to demand the implementation of an evacuation agreement signed with them, which they claim has not been fulfilled despite years having passed since their relocation to Hura.

In a statement, the residents emphasized that their action is part of a "struggle for rights, justice, and recognition of the agreement signed with us." They reiterated their commitment to the rights stipulated in the agreement and urged public participation in the court session and the gathering outside.

The residents trace their displacement back to the early 1950s when they say they were first evicted from their lands in Wadi Sbeila. This relocation, they state, was the fourth in a series of moves over the subsequent decades, culminating in their move to Hura approximately 70 years after the initial eviction, as part of an evacuation agreement.

According to the residents, the agreement to move to Hura included specific rights for them. However, they assert that these rights have not been realized to date, even years after their relocation. Their current efforts are focused on enforcing this signed agreement, which they consider the core of their participation in the upcoming court session and protest.

The planned protest coincides with the court hearing concerning the agreement and the rights the residents are demanding be implemented. They stressed that their presence at the court is to demand the fulfillment of the agreed-upon rights and to insist on the implementation of the agreement's provisions.