Unfazed by IDF evacuation order, Bedouin villagers on Lebanese border cling to home
1,400 residents of Arab al-Aramshe have declined to leave despite army declaring the location a closed military zone
Some 1,400 residents of the Bedouin village of Arab al-Aramshe in the Western Galilee, which was declared a closed military zone on Monday for a week, have decided to stay despite the evacuation order, The Times of Israel has learned.
The IDF has made an exception to its orders, allowing these residents — who make up the majority of the village’s population — to remain, though they are not permitted to leave their houses, according to Adeb Mazal, the village’s community manager.
The village, part of the Mateh Asher Regional Council, is less than five kilometers (three miles) from the Lebanese border.
A year ago, after the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel and the onset of Hezbollah rocket fire toward northern Israel, the IDF ordered an evacuation of the village. Most residents were relocated to hotels in Nazareth, but within two months about half of them had returned, and by February, the majority had come back to the village.
At the start of this week, Mazal estimates that around 1,500 of the village’s 1,800 residents were at home in Arab al-Aramshe, with the other 50 families having rented apartments elsewhere in the Western Galilee. On Monday, he said, “a small number, perhaps 100, left for hotels in Acre and Nahariya, while the rest remained in the village.”
According to Mazal, the main reason for staying is aside from a general reluctance to leave, the fact that hotels — which are hosting many long-term evacuees plus hundreds recently evacuated from nearby Shlomi and other areas — have no room to accommodate most of the village’s residents on such short notice.
“We are in an extremely challenging situation,” Mazal said. “The IDF is only allowing entry to the village for essential workers. The rest, if they leave, cannot return, and if they stay, they cannot leave their homes. They’re saying it’s fine; they have water, food, and shelter.”
“They are taking a huge risk,” he continued. “They are giving up their freedom of movement, and they are also risking the possibility that the order will be extended beyond October 13, potentially for a long period. I urge the residents: If you can, if you have somewhere to go, evacuate. For your safety. And if you stay, please follow the IDF’s instructions.”
A closed military zone is an area the IDF declares off-limits due to security risks, under emergency regulations. The declaration means that residents who leave the village will not be allowed to return until the order is lifted.
On Monday, Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin declared the town of Shlomi, the kibbutzim of Rosh Hanikra, Hanita, and Adamit in the Western Galilee, and Arab al-Aramshe closed military zones.
Also inside the closed military zone were several Upper Galilee towns, including Metula, Manara, Yiftach, Malchia, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi. Most residents of these areas had been evacuated at the start of the war, and some who had stayed or returned left this week following the declaration.
The military orders, signed by Gordin, state: “No civilian shall enter the closed zone without permission granted by me or on my behalf.”
In April of this year, Dor Zimel, a reservist in the Etzioni Brigade, was killed in Arab al-Aramshe by a Hezbollah drone. Eighteen other people were wounded — 14 IDF soldiers and members of the village’s emergency response team, and four civilians.
During the 2006 Second Lebanon War, a mother and her daughters — Fadia, Jumaa and Samira Sultana, residents of the village — were killed by a Hezbollah rocket.
Mazal himself evacuated last year and is currently living in Shavei Zion, although his parents returned to the village. In an interview with The Times of Israel in June he declared: “I oppose returning to the village and try to convince the residents to leave.”
He explained at the time, however, why residents had returned: “Our connection to our home and land is integral to our culture. It’s unacceptable for us to live in an apartment building. The Bedouin want their sheep and cows in their garden.
“As the administrator for our community, I’ve had to deal with numerous complaints. People didn’t understand where they were or what they were supposed to do.
“The connection to the home and land is an inseparable part of Bedouin culture. We’re not accustomed to living in housing complexes; we want the sheep and cow in the yard. I had to deal with endless complaints. People didn’t understand where they were or what to do. We were welcomed warmly in Nazareth, but still didn’t feel like we belonged there.”
The IDF told The Times of Israel, in response to a request for comment on this story: “The Home Front Command and Civil Defense officers are in continuous contact with residents and local authorities, providing updated instructions based on the situation assessment.
“The IDF urges residents to continue staying informed and to follow the Home Front Command’s instructions, as they save lives.”
Translated and edited from the original Hebrew on The Times of Israel’s sister site, Zman Yisrael.
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