Housan

Housan is a small village, just West of Bethlehem in what is known as the West Bank, Palestine. It is a traditional farming village, known to its Israeli neighbours as Kfar Shalom, Village of Peace.

Like many other villages in Palestine Housan finds itself in a difficult situation. Israel's construction of the "Security Fence" in the West Bank is going to severely affect the village. The intended route of the Fence will literally encircle Housan and the neighbouring village of Bittir, cutting them off from the outside world. (The "Security Fence" usually takes the form of an 8 meter wall, presently in Housan it is an actual Fence. The villagers have no information regarding Israel's final plan for their village. The rationale for the construction of the "Security Fence" is unclear, the Israeli's claim "security reasons" while to many observers, the wall, which is built on Palestinian land and annexes 10% of the West Bank, is a strategic attempt by Israel to claim land.)

Villagers will require permission to leave the enclosed area, through a gate which will open for a few hours every day. The villagers are left without access to Hospitals, Universities, shops and other amenities which the rest of the world takes for granted, leaving them dependant on their own limited resources.



The aim of this blog is to give a voice to the people of the village.
It is not a political journal, but rather the story of a normal village, in an extraordinary situation.
It will be passed on to the people of the village so that they can continue to tell their story and their struggles long into the future.