At the first glance it might be part of the Israeli settlement along the Green Line in the northwestern West Bank, with the wall beside seven graves and a mosque there to divide the settlement from the rest of the village it was built on. What it turns out to be are the remains of a cemetery in Habla Village lands just two kilometers south of Qalqilia.
It is located high on a hill overlooking the coastal plain. The door is not closed and the green dome adds to the scene's beauty.
The area is not more than 20 square meters, with wild herbs growing and weeds poking out of the stone walls that surround the graves.
Fissures appear on the tombs and small walls that surround the graves, but not because of earthquakes or age, but rather by the mines placed during construction of a major wall built around the vicinity of the settlement.
Grave stones are scattered and the walls are broken from the explosions, down to about a meter from two.Habla Village resident Mujahid said, “Before the Intifada women came and prayed here. Then the Israeli Antiquities Authority brought in a group of experts and stayed several days. And the
Israeli authorities extended electrical cables for the settlement next to the cemetery and will no longer allow Palestinians to come because they say it threatens the security of the settlement.”Palestinians from the village brought trees to plant around the cemetery, but Israeli forces would not allow it, telling them it might “provide a shield for actions against the settlement.”
Plans are laid to place a barbed wire fence through the area, a high sniper tower looms above and military jeeps drive through with regularity. Palestinian children are nearby enjoying the sun on the hill, taking in the view of the west side while they still can.
