The M Family outside their house, rebuilt by ICAHD & ICAHD-USA
Zatara is situated just south of Jerusalem in Area ‘C’ near the Har Homa settlement. The family paid over 7,000 shekels to apply for a building permit in 1995 but was refused. Mr. M went ahead and built a home on their own land in 1996 and lived there with his wife and two children. Mr. M inherited the land from his father. The family home where Mr. M grew up was legally built with a permit from the Jordanian Authorities who occupied the area before 1967. The house was demolished on 10th November 1997. The family rebuilt the house and lived there until 20th September 2006 when the second demolition occurred, with the entire family present. Solders cordoned off the entire village and declared a curfew before the bulldozers were brought in. The family also owns 20 dunams (5 acres) of land near the Nicodeem settlement. However they are unable to work the land due to being run off by settlers who have also uprooted their olive trees.
