Road 446, A-Louban, A-Garbia, Rantis, Rantis CP, Road 445.
The Purpose of the shift was tocheck whether the villages at the continuation of road 446 from DirBalut southwards suffer from the scheming of the settlers and the army, or from the prevention of traffic.
After conversation at the Magelas of Rantis and the coffee house at A-Louban A-Garbia it turned out that the relations of the villagers with the nearby settlements Beit Arye, Halamish and Rehelim are in order.
The terrible pain of the Rantis inhabitants is, that out of 40.000 dunams which belonged to the village, 30.000 had been confiscated for the building of the fence near what used to be the old, Turkish, train station. Later another 6.000 dunams were confiscated to be used as "firing range". The people fear that this area will eventually pass onto the Rehelim settlement. From the window of the magelas they showed us in pain the areas that were robbed and all the olive trees in them felled. All this had happened over ten years ago.
At A-Louban A-Garbia they told us that in spite of the fact that their relationaship with the settlers is good, they are angry with the army that enables the settlers to act as they wish
.
The drive on road 446 westwards, by way of Bruqin and Kufr alDik causes despair. It is difficult to see the expansion of the building along the ridge of Bruqin, Aley Zahav, Leshem and more and more preparation of the ground for more building, and also ongoing building along the ridge of Peduel as well.
10.45 We reached the village of A-Louban, A-Garbia. The Magelas building is shut, but we talked with two young men who worked at the carpentry workshop and with people in an improvised coffee shop near one of the shops.
The young men told us that they work for the locals, as well as for the settlers of the neighborhood. They took care to emphasize that their relations with the settlers are in order. Only some times, when soldiers enter the village, the locals prefer to shut themselves up in their houses…
The people we met at the coffee house are not local, but come from Ramallah and Akraba. They came to the village for business purposes and told us that they have good relations with the people of the settlements Beit Arye, Halamishand Rehelim. A conversation followed at the end of which one of them said that they are not angry with the settlers but with the army that doesn't stop them.
The youngest among them said that when he came that week to Duma to offer his condolences, settlers from the region threw stones at him. He showed us a selfie photo next to a malicious graffiti which the settlers hadpainted at Duma
12.00 Rantis.We entered the shipshape Magelas building. The head of the Magelas received us with his usual cordiality. He told us that in the village which comprised 10.000 inhabitants, today only about 3.000 remained. 7.000 left in the last 10-20 years to the countries of the region– Jordan, Syria, Kuweit and America too. Most of them do not uphold relations with the village (the realization of the dream of the settlers and the people who send them(.
The economical situation at the village isn't good. They are suffocated .Most of their lands have been confiscated, and most of the inhabitants of the village are not allowed to work in Israel. No financial help arrives from families who have left years ago, as those who passed on to Jordan or Syria are themselves in great difficulties.
In general the relations with the neighboring settlements are proper, but three years ago settlers came to the village and burnt two vehicles.
There is a flow of sewage from the Rehelim settlement to the southern end of the village.
As the entire area around the village is Zone C, they are not allowed to build beyond the built up area.
We exchanged telephone numbers and also gave the head of the village Silvia's number. Her name is known to him.
13.30 Rantis CP. We passed without questions.
Back by road 445 through Nahshonim and Rosh Ha'Ayin
.