Places in Palestine: The Forgotten City of Imwas

      If you were to ask a native Palestinian about the village of Imwas, you would likely be met with an emotional response. Imwas was located 18 miles south of the Israeli city of Ramla and almost 16 miles away from the Holy City of Jerusalem. My particular fascination with this long-forgotten village stems from the fact that it was the village the my grandfather was born and raised in. Growing up, my Sidu (Arabic for grandfather) would often tell me stories of his village and the beauty that it encompassed. Lucius vegetation, beautiful rivers, free-roaming camels and other wildlife were a few of the many aspect's of Imwas' natural beauty. Unfortunately, this beauty is forever gone, at least for the native Palestinians that lived in Imwas and the surrounding villages. After the Nakba (the forced exodus of Palestinians from their native land), Imwas was spared from Israeli rule and instead placed under Jordanian rule. This period of stability for those in Imwas lasted less than two decades, when it was eventually put under Israeli control after the disastrous 6 Day War.

       Perhaps the saddest element to the story of Imwas is the current state of the land. On June 7th, 1967, Israeli leader Rabin ordered the complete destruction and depopulation of the Imwas and the surrounding villages of Yalu and Bait Nuba. Rather than repopulating the territory with Jewish settlers, the Israeli government decided to turn the stunning landscape into a park. The international Zionist organization Jewish National Fund raised 15 million dollars from donations by Canadian Jews and turned the villages into Ayalon Canada Park. A visit to the parks website makes no mention of the rich Palestinian history of the territory and the forced expulsion that took place in decades ago. Nevertheless, it shows several images of the natural beauty inside the park and all the sightseeing opportunities. The gallery below includes several images, showing the stark contrast between Imwas prior and during the Israeli expulsion and the current status of the land. Unfortunately, Imwas is only one of many examples of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. It is estimated by Palestinian historians that an astonishing 400 other Palestinian villages have been destroyed since the creation of Israel in 1948. Although Israel may have succeed in removing all physical traces of Imwas from "Canada Park", they will never be able to deny the rich Palestinian history of the territory.

For more on the forced expulsion of Imwas including quotes from Israeli commanders: http://itisapartheid.org/ethnic03.html 

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