Sabine Horlitz and Oliver Clemens

++Israeli Planning Practice

The linkage between political interests, strategic control of space and the corresponding planning practice is obvious in the state of Israel: An ongoing battle concerning the borders of the country and the distribution of the territory takes place. The building of the Israeli wall and the discussion about the settlements in the occupied areas are only the most obvious examples. The nationalisation of land property - more than 90% are in the possession of the state of Israel - ensures the power over space. National institutions have the ability to decide about its distribution. Tenure over land and the right to set up villages is granted without reservation only to people with Jewish nationality. The free choice of residence is denied to the Arab-Palestinian minority which remained on Israeli territory after the war. Their precarious status is mirrored in the so-called "unrecognised villages". About 100.000 persons live in these villages, which are declared as illegal by the state of Israel. The basic supplies of electricity, water, roads and the right to autonomy are refused to them. They do not exist officially. Against the various forms of private tenure Israel seeks to consolidate the Palestinian lands as a Jewish national possession. The Palestinian inhabitants should be transferred to newly planned so-called townships. The right to use land is refused to those minorities or granted only in a limited and controllable way and not under the condition of self-determination.

++Ayn Hawd - Permanent Disfranchisement and the Fight for Recognition

Ayn Hawd is one of these unrecognised villages. In the course of the 1948 war Israeli forces expelled the approx. 650 - 950 inhabitants of the 900 years old Muslim village Ayn Hawd. Their land was confiscated by the state of Israel. Many former inhabitants ended up in refugee camps outside Israeli territory. However, the possession of property nearby the village made it possible for the family of Abu Hilmi to settle down in the nearby area, hoping to be able to return soon. With the end of the war however the means changed: The military eviction was followed by the legal deprivation of rights which legalized the status quo produced by the war. While the formerly Arab Ayn Hawd, renamed as Ein Hod, has become an artist colony in 1953 and a centre for Israeli cultural production, the basic services for livelihood have been refused to the inhabitants of the displaced Ayn Hawd. To the former Arab village Ayn Hawd belonged about 12.000 dunam of land. The 1948`s eviction of the inhabitants and the confiscation of the village have later been legalized by the "Law of Absentee Property" in 1950, thus preventing the possibility for return. The property of the expelled who where away from their land in Israel at that time, became the "legal" possession of the state of Israel. The internal refugees were declared as "present absentees" a status being equivalent to the loss of various civil rights. But also their new settlements were not recognized as being legal. In 1965 the "Building and Construction Law" provided the official basis for Israeli urban and regional planning. Only 123 Arab villages were included into the zoning maps, the existence of smaller rural Arab villages was negated therein. Moreover, the land of their homes was classified as "agricultural area", where no residences or other structures are permitted. Thereby also already existing buildings were considered as being illegal. The term "unrecognised villages" was officially applied by the "Markowitz Commission Report" in 1986. The report identified und listed unlicensed Arab dwellings as primary targets of demolition and confiscation. Since then the "unlicensed buildings" and their inhabitants are permanently exposed to the danger of demolition. Up to now there is still no possibility for legal building in the displaced Ayn Hawd. In 1951 it was declared as Israeli states property due to the "Law of the State's Property". The Ayn Hawd area has been declared in many different ways over the years: It was expelled as an agricultural area, as belonging to the Carmel Nationalpark, or partly as being a military area. The declaration of its use arbitrarily changed, however it was never declared as an area for settlement. Those circumstances clearly have an effect on the daily life of Ayn Hawd`s inhabitants: the disavowal of the village leads to a permanent threat of destruction and a lacking of providing the basic services. In addition, the inhabitants could not continue their traditional way of life. Initially the displaced Ayn Hawd has been self-sufficient due to the agrarian way of life. However, the judaization of the land, the planting of the fast growing cypresses, that caused the dying of the existing olive and fruit trees and the prohibition of certain livestock on the ground, esp. the "Black Goat Law", led to the destruction of self-sufficiency. Many inhabitants thus had to work outside in the new Ein Hod as gardeners, building workers or handymen. But since end of the 80's resistance also emerged: Due to the work of Arab organisations like the "Association of Forty", or the "Committee for the Defence of the Rights of the Displaced in Israel" some unrecognised villages, including Ayn Hawd, have been recognised by the government. Nevertheless, so far hardly nothing changed for the actual situation in Ayn Hawd: Without being in the official planning maps of Israel a full recognition of the municipality is not possible. The masterplans are the key to the establishment of a local autonomy, the improvement of the infrastructure and the declaration of building land.

++Our Perspective: A Fair Distribution of Space

We regard our contribution as a political tool for the achievement of spatial justice. The analysis and visualisation of the existing political-spatial conditions and conflicts are the bases of our work. This is the starting point for alternative demands, new perspectives and corresponding argumentations. The investigation of the policy of space distribution concerning the existing Israeli settlement Ein Hod / Nir Ezion as well as the different master plans for Ayn Hawd are the starting point of our proposal: How much space is granted to the Israeli settlements? What is the strategy behind the master plans? Which alternative position seems worthwhile to us ? Which argumentation is necessary for its implementation?

A close look at the different master plans gives evidence that planning is apparently a field of conflict. The draft of 1992 granted Ayn Hawd a common land of 500 dunam, in the end of the 90's still 160 dunam were offered whereas in today's master plan the area is cut down to only 80. A comparison of the average municipality area per inhabitant in the Carmelregion shows, how little land is allocated to the inhabitants of Ayn Hawd. While the inhabitants of the entire Karmelregion have use of approx. 6 Dunam municipality area per person and the inhabitants of Ein Hod/ Nir Etzion dispose of 2.63 Dunam, the inhabitants of Ayn Hawd should have only 0.36 Dunam per person on disposel according to the state`s masterplan. The municipality area of the artist colony Ein Hod affords future developments whereas the state master plan for Ayn Hawd freezes any demographic, economic or touristic development of the village due to the lack of land. It provides only 40 Dunam for existing and future building lots, marks lots with already existing buildings as future building area and in consequence of that concedes a construction area, which covers hardly the current need. Aside from that not the entire municipal area is under control of the inhabitants since 13 Dunam are proven as military area. The plan only freezes the status quo. Beyond that: In case Ayn Hawd will be officially recognized as a village, a master plan for the whole region already exists, allocating the area of the current national park as future settlement area. A spatial development and expansion of Ayn Hawd would be prevented by Israeli settlements enclosing the village.

++A Future Village for 1000 People

A goal and starting point of our proposal is to afford the inhabitants of Ayn Hawd the same base of lifelihood as the inhabitants of the adjacent Israeli settlements already have. Analogous to the principle of spatial justice the future common land of Ayn Hawd is dimensioned after the comparable area of 2,6 Dunam/person as it exists in Ein Hod and Nir Etzion. The proposals calculation is based on today's total population of Ayn Hawd with approx. 300 persons. As a result of this account almost 800 Dunam have to be placed at the disposal for the future development of Ayn Hawd. Regarding the demographic development of the Palestinian population (and the number of inhabitants of the historical Ayn Hawd), a future village size of 1000 inhabitants seems to be likely in the next 30-50 years. A sustainable planning must provide this amount of space for the community. Already today building lots for housing are needed as well as space for public utilities and infrastructure. A goal is to accept and integrate the existing buildings and facilities in the extended planning and to guarantee a development perspective, which can be adapted gradually to the needs. We propose a new housing area of total 350 Dunam and lots of 0,50 Dunam in average. In addition, a larger school, a kindergarten and area for further public facilities will be developed. Possibilities shell be improved for better self-supporting as well as for economic and touristic development. The water supply and waste water disposal, the connection to the public road system and the supply of electricity and telecommunication must be ensured.

++The Cultural Centre as a Sign of Community

A certain space right in the middle of the village is declared for public and economical purpose. The future graduallly expandable school and sports field will be located in this area, but also the projected cultural centre. Especially the cultural centre, including the town-hall and the local administration, will have an importance as a first collective sign of the autonomy and self-government of the village. The building is located at a central square where markets or events can take place, and the central bus stop can be found. Due to the financial abilities and needs, the cultural centre can be built in subsequent stages of construction. It consists of three parts: a two-storied part, a single-storied centrepiece and a multifunctional assembly hall. The cultural centre will contain the townhall with offices for the mayor and the local administration, space to a documentary exhibition on the history of Ayn Hawd, including an archive, a library and a cafe with public internet access. There will be also rooms, that serve for a medical centre. This initial part of the cultural centre can be extended by a multifunctional assembly hall, that provides space for cultural events such as theatre or cinema, for temporary exhibitions and ceremonies like weddings or other celebrations. It may also serve for larger assemblies or could be used by the adjacent school as a sports hall. We understand our proposed plan as a tool in the process of achieving full spatial and legal equalization for the people of Ayn Hawd. The recognition of the village, however, must be followed by its self-government and political representation and right to say.