The Unrecognised Villages
An exploration of the situation of three ‘unrecognised’ Palestinian Arab villages in the state of Israel – Kamaneh, Arab Naim and Ein Hod, early 1990s.
Within the state of Israel today some 70 Arab villages officially do not exist at all. Most predate the state of Israel, others were founded by ‘internal refugees’ or ‘present absentees’ as a result of the 1948 war, none of them appear on any maps. Successive Israeli governments have branded them illegal, zoning the land for agricultural use only. The inhabitants are Israeli citizens, but in order to persuade them to move, services such as electricity, drinking water and access roads are withheld – connection to national networks is forbidden. Existing schools and clinics have been closed. New construction – including improvements and new homes – is banned.
All images © Peter Fryer
