Village of Shufa

January 11

Today, after Esther and I monitored the agriculture gate at Deir al-Ghusun in the early a.m., we journeyed to Shufa.  Our regular taxi driver, Muawya, drove us to the roadblock where we started our trek up the hill. 

Shufa is a little Palestinian village that has a rich history.  It was originally spelled Shoufeh and it is built on the rocky ridges of a high hill.  The name actually means “from here one can watch all the others.”  It is strategically placed on a hill midway between Nablus and the Mediterranean Sea.  A castle was built in Shufa in the 17^th century by the Barqawis family who controlled the countryside at that time.  The castle was almost totally destroyed in a battle two centuries later but the descendants of the Barqawis clan continued to live in their fortress home until the 1980’s.

The purpose of our visit to Shufa was to facilitate the women’s conversation class.  These classes were started when other EA groups were in this area and have continued on a weekly basis with each Tulkarm team.  There are two women in the community who are the leaders of ongoing women’s groups and they coordinate our visits to the village. 

Susanne, Suzan and Feeda

 Suzan and Feeda are very helpful and welcome us each time we come.  We passed the new High School newly completed in 2009 on the way to one of the women’s centers.  Feeda told us there are about 170 students currently attending this school.  There was a sign on the school in recognition of funds received from USAID for the building of the school.

After our meeting with the women we started our walk back through Shufa. 

Conversation Group in Shufa

A family beckoned us to come and share some coffee with them and we accepted their invitation.  As we walked around their yard and sat in the sun they shared some of their history.  Maryan, Awad, Sara and Sawsan Odeh have lived in Shufa all of their lives. 

Odeh Family

Awad said his mother who is 87 years old lives on the property right next door.  Maryan has her own kindergarten in the house and she proudly showed us her classroom and the materials she uses to teach the children. 

There are many flowering bushes and trees in the yard and a covered greenhouse by the side of the house.  They also have goats and chickens. Awad showed me an olive tree in his yard that is hundreds of years old.

As we walked down the road back to where our taxi driver would be waiting, we were mindful of the illegally built Israeli settlement closeby.   

Avne Hefez settlement

  

The Avne Hefez settlement has been expanding and the Israeli military provides support services to them.  Two large military vehicles passed us on their way to the Settlement as we were walking on the road.  The village of Shufa has been deliberately cut into two parts by an earth mound as well as road block made out of concrete. 

There was a main road linking upper Shufa to Lower Shufa and this same road linked both village parts to the city centre of Tulkarm.  Now the villagers are forced to take an alternative route and they are not allowed on the road used by the settlers and the Israeli military.  One of the men in Shufa told us that his brother’s farmland is on the other side of the barrier.  What used to be a 1 kilometer walk over to visit his brother now takes much longer due to the 50 kilometer route he is forced to take.  He said:  “I can see the place from where I live but I can’t get to it.”  When I asked him how it affects his life, he said:  “it is very difficult.”