Introduction
Beir Nabala is located 9 km north west of east Jerusalem and is considered of the to be one many gateways to the city Jerusalem which made it a vital city. Beir Nabala borders as follows:
to the east: city Al Ram and the industrial area Araroot which is actually a piece of land from the city of Qalandeya.
To the west:Al-Jeeb town.
To the north:Aljdeera and qalandia rowns
To the south: Beit Hanina and Al-Nabi Samuel towns
.Origin of Name
Beir Nabala obtained its name from an actual water well that is located in the old city which was the main water supply there. Until recently, it was the major water sourcefor the city but it has dried out.The council of Beir Nabala in coordination with Natural Resources Authority is trying to rehabilitate the well in order to extract water again and serve the local community.
Population
There are around 10,000 inhabitants residing in this town,3,000 of which do not live Beir in Nabala as they live in different countries like America or parts of the Arab world. About 5o/o of the residents work agricultural farming ,15o/o of the residents work for governmentalorganizations and the rest of the population are into businesses mainly
after closing the lsraeli market against Palestinian workers by the lsraeli government.
The native citizens of the city earn their money by building stores or apartments and renting them out or selling them.The main reason behind the labor unrest is solely
because of the racist apartheid wall which has separated Beir Nabala from the city
of Jerusalem causing a lot of damage and entailing Jerusalem lD-holders to leave their homes and move back to Jerusalem. lt is worih noting the important role of the expatriates in flourishing the town by sending funds for their relatives for the purpose of investment.
Telephone Network
The telephone network of Bir Nabala covers 95o/o ofthe town.
Electricity Network
Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO) provides electricity for the entire town.
Water Network
Ramallah and Al-Bireh Water Undertaking provides the town with water in addition
to few artesian wells.
Sewage Network
The sewage network covers approximately 95o/o of the total area of the town ,the
sewage network of the town is connected to the lsraeli network since there is no
waste water treatment plant. The establishment of the Bir Nabala sewage network
dates back to the Nineteen's of the last century and it was completed a few years ago
through implementing several projects.
Road Network
Bir Nabala has a very good road network with a length about 11 kilometers and
sidewalks with a length about 2 kilometers. The main road of the town which is
considered one of the most significant roads in town with 2 kilometers long and 30 m
width is classified as commercial street,links the town with all north-west villages and
with Ramallah city and largely contributes in adding a commercial character to it.
The Local Council
The Local Council was established in 1966.lt remained a village Council until the
arrival of the Palestinian National Authority, and then it became a Local Council that
includes a local regulation and construction committee which issues licenses for
buildings and oversees regulation of urban activities.
The council has eleven male and female members, who were elected in the latest
local elections that took place in 2005 in accordance with the law of the Ministry of
Local Government.
The administrative structure of the council
The council consists of the following four divisions:
1' The Administrative Department: includes five employees who managing are in charge of administrative and human resources.
industries all stores as well as licenses of crafts and
3' The Engineering Department:consists of an engineer and a surveyor who are in
4' Health Services Department: consists of ten employees who work in solid waste management and in daily maintenance of sewage network.
The council owns several machines and equipment, provided by donors, national institutions, as well as the local council itseif; such as two solid waste trucks (waste collection vehicles, a digger, daily service car, a sewage pumping truck, insecticides spraying machine, an asphalt cutter, road roller and other mainte-nance equipment.
Services offered bY the council
The Local Council offers a wide range of vital services that enhance living standards
for citizens.These services include, but are not limited to:
1. Regulation of urban development in the town through issuing licenses for
buildings, and planning the town as deemed fit.
2. Granting licenses for di rent professions, crafts and industries, and oversight of
commercial stores in terms of goods meeting quality standards to preserve public
health.
3. Naming streets and neighborhoods, numbering buildings and organizing
addresses of citizens for official use.
4. preservation of environment through o ring solid waste collection and disposal
services.
5. Spraying insecticides to eradicate mosquitoes and other insects or pests to
preserve the citizens' health.
Planning, building, maintenance and rehabilitation of roads.
installation and maintenance of necessary sewage networks to accommodate
urban expansion.
implemented Projects
Since the arrival of the Palestinian National Authority, several projects have been
implemented in Bir Nabala. These projects have had a great impact in enhancing
the infrastructure of the town, and consequently improved the living standard of its
citizens. Such projects include:
Road pavement Projects:
1. Eight kilometers out of the total road network of the town have been paved.The
pavement process was funded by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, a
French donation through the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and
Reconstruction (PECDAR) and a donation by the European Union (EU) through
the Municipal Development Fund.
2. Sewage Lines Installation Projects:
Four kilometers of sewer lines with different diameters have been installed through
donations offered by the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and
Reconstruction (PECDAR) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Some of the expenses of these projects were self-financed by the Bir Nabala Local
Council.
This center will not only offer services to people in the town but also to all towns to the
North of Jerusalem whose number exceeds 60,000 people and who are suffering from
siege and from checkpoints which splits the towns from the nearest governmental
hospital in Ramallah city.
Park
Due to the difficult situation the Palestinians go through especially after the siege and
the problems that was caused by the construction of the Apart'heid Wall especially
the psychological problems, the local council has set forth a plan to create a park for
the citizens of Beir Nabala. The 9 dunum Park was established on a Land classified
according to the Master Plan as public parks.The project consists of several phases.
The First phase was funded by the German Bank (KFW) through the United Nations
for Development Program UNDP which cost 70,000 Euro. The local council has
contributed an amount of 50,000 Euro for building the infrastructure of the park and
for finishing the first phase which is opened for citizens.
The first phase included seating area, a water fountain and a water fall, basketball
courts and WCs.The project's phases will consist of establishing two swimming pools
for adults and for children in addition to a spacious restaurant. As a result, the local
council wrote several proposals for the purpose of raising more funding.
1' The second Phase of the construction which consists of establishing
swimming pool for adults a children. This phase is donated by Ministry of
Finance through a program porting the most affected towns of building
the separation wall.
2' The Aim of this park is to provide a healthy environment for the citizens of this
town to spend good time and to have a good recreation especially the children,
who can play, exercise and practice sports.
Land Registration project
This project will be implemented on parts of the townt lands and will be funded
by the Finnish Government through the World Bank and will be executed by the
surveying department of the Ministry of Housing.This project aims at registering the
lands of the town in order to maintain the ownership and boundaries of these lands
which are considered natural basins so far.
Needed Projects for the Town:
' Like all other Palestinian towns Bir Nabala still needs a lot of projects to be
implemented in order to fulfill its needs such as: ' Establishing a Center of Services Project: the current building of the Council is
8
rented from the Ministry of waqf (Endowments)which is not a property for the
council' In addition,the building is considered to be small in space and there
designs for establishing a new building.
a 3 dunums of land that is classified according to the Master plan as public
. Project of planning
according to the master plan,The council has obtained a grant from for this purpose the Ministry of works' However,the project was stopped because of the current political circumstances but it will r.rrr. in the coming few months. ' completing the two remaining phases of Bir Nabara,s public park.
institutions
There are many institutions, of which are the foilowings: ' A post office rendering services to the Ministry of Post & telecommunications.lt
also provides services of distributing telephone bills, the mail and stamps. They also cash cheques related to the social welfare. Also, it provides the services of paying electricity and telephone bills. ' Mother and child centre which provides services twice a week and it is subsidiary to the Ministry of Health.
Women's Association
Founded in 2005, it consists of 5 men
society practices many activities, some
extra school courses in alt subjects for s
in sewing and embroidery for the wom
to help raise the standard of living of their families and enable them to find a source of income.
Ministry of Culture. it aims at creating jobs of Palestinian unemployed women in the local communities in Jerusalem Government who are interested in Palestinian
Heritage through long term job creation program through developing and updating techniques of traditional heritage, glass! recycling, factory and ceramic and hey.
The Apartheid ll
Bir Nabala, like many other Palestinians towns suffered a lot from blockages, closure
and siege as a result of the apartheid wall which swallowed up and isolated more
than 750 dunums from the of the town.The lsraeli army decided to confiscate large
areas of Bir Nabala to make three divisions on the town's land.
The commander of the middle area in the lsraeli army announced a plan to make
this part on the lands of Bir Nabala to the east, south and north. A year ago the town
council and i 50 inhabitants of Bir Nabala filed a lawsuit to the lsraeli High Court of
Justice. ln that case they assured their opposition to any land confiscation and they
opposed building the wall on their lands or on the neighboring lands
After several discussions and meetings as a result of the submitted petition, a writted
letter was received which states cancelling the main part which closes the area under
the bridge and which comes from the bypass connecting Gevaat Zaeva and the city
of Jerusalem.
the town which used to be a trade center seems empty after building the wall.
Shops and workshops are closed.The several-story buildings are either closed or left
under-managed. The.The only thing that breaks the silence there is the noise of the lsraeli
bulldozers and heavy trucks digging the land to lay down large masses of concrete
while scattering white dust in every direction.
It is estimated that half of the inhabitants left the town. Most of them left to Jerusalem
because they feared to lose their citizenship (blue identity card), or those who live
abroad and have stopped visiting it because of its bad circumstances.
As for the main street which used to connect with Jerusalem and many other heavily populated
towns such as al-Ram, Dahiat Al Barid with towns located in the west north
of Beer Nabala ,it is now empty except some vehicles travelling on that road .The
town has only few shops because most of them moved to neighboring towns.
Bypass (settlements roads)
|n1999, the lsraeli army started constructing a bypass passing through the lands of
the town into other neighboring towns.The road has swallowed up to more than 50
dunums from the lands of Bir Nabala and Beit Haneena .Moreover about 100 dunums
have become invalid for building since building there is forbidden after the bypass.
The purpose of the bypass is to connect Jerusalem with the western settlements.The
sides of the wall are surrounded by walls to isolate it from the neighboring lands of
the Palestinians.
10
Beir Nabala is located 9 km north west of east Jerusalem and is considered of the to be one many gateways to the city Jerusalem which made it a vital city. Beir Nabala borders as follows:
to the east: city Al Ram and the industrial area Araroot which is actually a piece of land from the city of Qalandeya.
To the west:Al-Jeeb town.
To the north:Aljdeera and qalandia rowns
To the south: Beit Hanina and Al-Nabi Samuel towns
.Origin of Name
Beir Nabala obtained its name from an actual water well that is located in the old city which was the main water supply there. Until recently, it was the major water sourcefor the city but it has dried out.The council of Beir Nabala in coordination with Natural Resources Authority is trying to rehabilitate the well in order to extract water again and serve the local community.
Population
There are around 10,000 inhabitants residing in this town,3,000 of which do not live Beir in Nabala as they live in different countries like America or parts of the Arab world. About 5o/o of the residents work agricultural farming ,15o/o of the residents work for governmentalorganizations and the rest of the population are into businesses mainly
after closing the lsraeli market against Palestinian workers by the lsraeli government.
The native citizens of the city earn their money by building stores or apartments and renting them out or selling them.The main reason behind the labor unrest is solely
because of the racist apartheid wall which has separated Beir Nabala from the city
of Jerusalem causing a lot of damage and entailing Jerusalem lD-holders to leave their homes and move back to Jerusalem. lt is worih noting the important role of the expatriates in flourishing the town by sending funds for their relatives for the purpose of investment.
Telephone Network
The telephone network of Bir Nabala covers 95o/o ofthe town.
Electricity Network
Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO) provides electricity for the entire town.
Water Network
Ramallah and Al-Bireh Water Undertaking provides the town with water in addition
to few artesian wells.
Sewage Network
The sewage network covers approximately 95o/o of the total area of the town ,the
sewage network of the town is connected to the lsraeli network since there is no
waste water treatment plant. The establishment of the Bir Nabala sewage network
dates back to the Nineteen's of the last century and it was completed a few years ago
through implementing several projects.
Road Network
Bir Nabala has a very good road network with a length about 11 kilometers and
sidewalks with a length about 2 kilometers. The main road of the town which is
considered one of the most significant roads in town with 2 kilometers long and 30 m
width is classified as commercial street,links the town with all north-west villages and
with Ramallah city and largely contributes in adding a commercial character to it.
The Local Council
The Local Council was established in 1966.lt remained a village Council until the
arrival of the Palestinian National Authority, and then it became a Local Council that
includes a local regulation and construction committee which issues licenses for
buildings and oversees regulation of urban activities.
The council has eleven male and female members, who were elected in the latest
local elections that took place in 2005 in accordance with the law of the Ministry of
Local Government.
The administrative structure of the council
The council consists of the following four divisions:
1' The Administrative Department: includes five employees who managing are in charge of administrative and human resources.
industries all stores as well as licenses of crafts and
3' The Engineering Department:consists of an engineer and a surveyor who are in
4' Health Services Department: consists of ten employees who work in solid waste management and in daily maintenance of sewage network.
The council owns several machines and equipment, provided by donors, national institutions, as well as the local council itseif; such as two solid waste trucks (waste collection vehicles, a digger, daily service car, a sewage pumping truck, insecticides spraying machine, an asphalt cutter, road roller and other mainte-nance equipment.
Services offered bY the council
The Local Council offers a wide range of vital services that enhance living standards
for citizens.These services include, but are not limited to:
1. Regulation of urban development in the town through issuing licenses for
buildings, and planning the town as deemed fit.
2. Granting licenses for di rent professions, crafts and industries, and oversight of
commercial stores in terms of goods meeting quality standards to preserve public
health.
3. Naming streets and neighborhoods, numbering buildings and organizing
addresses of citizens for official use.
4. preservation of environment through o ring solid waste collection and disposal
services.
5. Spraying insecticides to eradicate mosquitoes and other insects or pests to
preserve the citizens' health.
Planning, building, maintenance and rehabilitation of roads.
installation and maintenance of necessary sewage networks to accommodate
urban expansion.
implemented Projects
Since the arrival of the Palestinian National Authority, several projects have been
implemented in Bir Nabala. These projects have had a great impact in enhancing
the infrastructure of the town, and consequently improved the living standard of its
citizens. Such projects include:
Road pavement Projects:
1. Eight kilometers out of the total road network of the town have been paved.The
pavement process was funded by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, a
French donation through the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and
Reconstruction (PECDAR) and a donation by the European Union (EU) through
the Municipal Development Fund.
2. Sewage Lines Installation Projects:
Four kilometers of sewer lines with different diameters have been installed through
donations offered by the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and
Reconstruction (PECDAR) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Some of the expenses of these projects were self-financed by the Bir Nabala Local
Council.
This center will not only offer services to people in the town but also to all towns to the
North of Jerusalem whose number exceeds 60,000 people and who are suffering from
siege and from checkpoints which splits the towns from the nearest governmental
hospital in Ramallah city.
Park
Due to the difficult situation the Palestinians go through especially after the siege and
the problems that was caused by the construction of the Apart'heid Wall especially
the psychological problems, the local council has set forth a plan to create a park for
the citizens of Beir Nabala. The 9 dunum Park was established on a Land classified
according to the Master Plan as public parks.The project consists of several phases.
The First phase was funded by the German Bank (KFW) through the United Nations
for Development Program UNDP which cost 70,000 Euro. The local council has
contributed an amount of 50,000 Euro for building the infrastructure of the park and
for finishing the first phase which is opened for citizens.
The first phase included seating area, a water fountain and a water fall, basketball
courts and WCs.The project's phases will consist of establishing two swimming pools
for adults and for children in addition to a spacious restaurant. As a result, the local
council wrote several proposals for the purpose of raising more funding.
1' The second Phase of the construction which consists of establishing
swimming pool for adults a children. This phase is donated by Ministry of
Finance through a program porting the most affected towns of building
the separation wall.
2' The Aim of this park is to provide a healthy environment for the citizens of this
town to spend good time and to have a good recreation especially the children,
who can play, exercise and practice sports.
Land Registration project
This project will be implemented on parts of the townt lands and will be funded
by the Finnish Government through the World Bank and will be executed by the
surveying department of the Ministry of Housing.This project aims at registering the
lands of the town in order to maintain the ownership and boundaries of these lands
which are considered natural basins so far.
Needed Projects for the Town:
' Like all other Palestinian towns Bir Nabala still needs a lot of projects to be
implemented in order to fulfill its needs such as: ' Establishing a Center of Services Project: the current building of the Council is
8
rented from the Ministry of waqf (Endowments)which is not a property for the
council' In addition,the building is considered to be small in space and there
designs for establishing a new building.
a 3 dunums of land that is classified according to the Master plan as public
. Project of planning
according to the master plan,The council has obtained a grant from for this purpose the Ministry of works' However,the project was stopped because of the current political circumstances but it will r.rrr. in the coming few months. ' completing the two remaining phases of Bir Nabara,s public park.
institutions
There are many institutions, of which are the foilowings: ' A post office rendering services to the Ministry of Post & telecommunications.lt
also provides services of distributing telephone bills, the mail and stamps. They also cash cheques related to the social welfare. Also, it provides the services of paying electricity and telephone bills. ' Mother and child centre which provides services twice a week and it is subsidiary to the Ministry of Health.
Women's Association
Founded in 2005, it consists of 5 men
society practices many activities, some
extra school courses in alt subjects for s
in sewing and embroidery for the wom
to help raise the standard of living of their families and enable them to find a source of income.
Ministry of Culture. it aims at creating jobs of Palestinian unemployed women in the local communities in Jerusalem Government who are interested in Palestinian
Heritage through long term job creation program through developing and updating techniques of traditional heritage, glass! recycling, factory and ceramic and hey.
The Apartheid ll
Bir Nabala, like many other Palestinians towns suffered a lot from blockages, closure
and siege as a result of the apartheid wall which swallowed up and isolated more
than 750 dunums from the of the town.The lsraeli army decided to confiscate large
areas of Bir Nabala to make three divisions on the town's land.
The commander of the middle area in the lsraeli army announced a plan to make
this part on the lands of Bir Nabala to the east, south and north. A year ago the town
council and i 50 inhabitants of Bir Nabala filed a lawsuit to the lsraeli High Court of
Justice. ln that case they assured their opposition to any land confiscation and they
opposed building the wall on their lands or on the neighboring lands
After several discussions and meetings as a result of the submitted petition, a writted
letter was received which states cancelling the main part which closes the area under
the bridge and which comes from the bypass connecting Gevaat Zaeva and the city
of Jerusalem.
the town which used to be a trade center seems empty after building the wall.
Shops and workshops are closed.The several-story buildings are either closed or left
under-managed. The.The only thing that breaks the silence there is the noise of the lsraeli
bulldozers and heavy trucks digging the land to lay down large masses of concrete
while scattering white dust in every direction.
It is estimated that half of the inhabitants left the town. Most of them left to Jerusalem
because they feared to lose their citizenship (blue identity card), or those who live
abroad and have stopped visiting it because of its bad circumstances.
As for the main street which used to connect with Jerusalem and many other heavily populated
towns such as al-Ram, Dahiat Al Barid with towns located in the west north
of Beer Nabala ,it is now empty except some vehicles travelling on that road .The
town has only few shops because most of them moved to neighboring towns.
Bypass (settlements roads)
|n1999, the lsraeli army started constructing a bypass passing through the lands of
the town into other neighboring towns.The road has swallowed up to more than 50
dunums from the lands of Bir Nabala and Beit Haneena .Moreover about 100 dunums
have become invalid for building since building there is forbidden after the bypass.
The purpose of the bypass is to connect Jerusalem with the western settlements.The
sides of the wall are surrounded by walls to isolate it from the neighboring lands of
the Palestinians.
10