The residents of Aqabah, Mayor Haj Sami Sadeq and Israeli and American human rights organizations are determined to continue to fight to save the village.

In a letter of protest to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, wrote:
Those who sign such a barbaric order and send soldiers to terrorize children in a small, quiet village where few hundred families live, prove the nullity of the governmental peace speeches and solemn conferences."

The Rebuilding Alliance and Gush Shalom state that the Supreme Court's decision is seriously flawed because it is based on grave misrepresentations and omission of facts.
As documents from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs prove, in 1998 the Village Council filed a master plan.

Thus, the assertion that there is no master plan is factually wrong.
Had the Civil Administration authorized it or addressed it in any manner, the villagers would have been able to obtain permits for construction.
In addition, in 2006 the village commissioned another comprehensive land-use plan which was drawn by Architect Jamal Juma but the Israeli Civil Administration ignored the plan.

In its decision, the Israeli High Court of Justice ignored the existence of these plans, falsely portraying the villagers as "law-breakers"  and "chaotic builders" who have no respect for rule of law.

Moreover, in April 2008, the Israeli-NGO BIMKOM (Israeli Planners for Planning Rights) reviewed  the village's zoning plan to insure its conformity to Israeli standards.
Architect Shmuel Groag, co-founder of BIMKOM and an expert in town planning, reviewed and edited the plan and recommended that it be authorized.
In September 2008, while appearing before Congressmen on Capitol Hill, Mr. Groag stated:
Al Aqabah village has clear title to its land, knows its own needs, and should have the same right to be recognized and have a master plan like any other town in the modern world.
Yet the Israeli Army routinely denies building permits for Palestinians in Area C without regard to Palestinian needs - while Jewish settlements are expanding in Area C without regard to international law.

Rebuilding Alliance founder Donna Baranski-Walker issued a press release noting that the village has never posed any security problem, and there is no justification for demolishing the houses.
The demolition orders should be stayed until BIMKOM's land-use plan is authorized.

This course of action follows a precedent that was set in the case of the Palestinian village Wallaje in southern Jerusalem which was also saved pending the authorization of a land-use plan.
The families of Aqabah, the Mayor, BIMKOM and Gush Shalom have called for the implementation of a similar plan in the case of Aqabah, and urged the Israeli authorities to avoid the destruction of the village.
The residents of Aqabah, Mayor Haj Sami Sadeq and Israeli and American human rights organizations are determined to continue to fight to save the village.
In a letter of protest to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc, wrote:
Those who sign such a barbaric order and send soldiers to terrorize children in a small, quiet village where few hundred families live, prove the nullity of the governmental peace speeches and solemn conferences."
The Rebuilding Alliance and Gush Shalom state that the Supreme Court's decision is seriously flawed because it is based on grave misrepresentations and omission of facts. As documents from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs prove, in 1998 the Village Council filed a master plan.
Thus, the assertion that there is no master plan is factually wrong. Had the Civil Administration authorized it or addressed it in any manner, the villagers would have been able to obtain permits for construction. In addition, in 2006 the village commissioned another comprehensive land-use plan which was drawn by Architect Jamal Juma but the Israeli Civil Administration ignored the plan.
In its decision, the Israeli High Court of Justice ignored the existence of these plans, falsely portraying the villagers as "law-breakers"  and "chaotic builders" who have no respect for rule of law.
Moreover, in April 2008, the Israeli-NGO BIMKOM (Israeli Planners for Planning Rights) reviewed  the village's zoning plan to insure its conformity to Israeli standards. Architect Shmuel Groag, co-founder of BIMKOM and an expert in town planning, reviewed and edited the plan and recommended that it be authorized. In September 2008, while appearing before Congressmen on Capitol Hill, Mr. Groag stated:
Al Aqabah village has clear title to its land, knows its own needs, and should have the same right to be recognized and have a master plan like any other town in the modern world. Yet the Israeli Army routinely denies building permits for Palestinians in Area C without regard to Palestinian needs - while Jewish settlements are expanding in Area C without regard to international law.
Rebuilding Alliance founder Donna Baranski-Walker issued a press release noting that the village has never posed any security problem, and there is no justification for demolishing the houses. The demolition orders should be stayed until BIMKOM's land-use plan is authorized.
This course of action follows a precedent that was set in the case of the Palestinian village Wallaje in southern Jerusalem which was also saved pending the authorization of a land-use plan. The families of Aqabah, the Mayor, BIMKOM and Gush Shalom have called for the implementation of a similar plan in the case of Aqabah, and urged the Israeli authorities to avoid the destruction of the village.
Aqabah