Lebanon-Israel: Case of a Nomadic Gypsy Village………
“ was considered part of Syria until after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, when Israel occupied the village and the Golan Heights. Israel annexed the Golan in 1981, and residents of Ghajar became Israeli citizens. But over the years, the village overflowed its original boundaries, spilling northwards. This was not a problem between 1978 and 2000, when southern Lebanon was under Israeli occupation. But when Israel withdrew in 2000, UN cartographers determined that the northern part of the village was in Lebanon. The UN resisted Israeli pressure to build a fence through the village at that point……… In public, many villagers say they do not mind who ends up controlling the area, as long as their community is not divided. But in private, most say they want to stay under Israeli control for now. For some, this is because they hope Israel will eventually hand the Golan back to Syria. But not for all. A young man who owns a falafel stall a few miles from the village said that like many of its residents, he considered himself Syrian, but he would rather stay in Israel. "I've only heard stories about Syria, but I know the economy here is much better than in Syria," he says. And it's not just Israel that is worried about Hezbollah. ………”
This seems like many border regions in Western Europe until after World War II, and even later.
“Ghajar” means “gypsies” in Arabic, perhaps appropriate given the uncertainty of the situation of the village.
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mhg
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