Wadi Fukin - وادي فوكين: Wadi Fukin village

Wadi Fukin village

Location:- It is a small Palestinian village inhabited by more than"1188"people, it lies in a valley between the Palestinian mountains on 13km East West the city of Bethlehem, and boom above sea level. And it also lies directly on truce line (this line was created after 1948). The village is surrounded by some Palestinian villages,
From the north the kabu village which its inhabitance deserted in 1948, where an Israeli settlement called Bittar was built instead. From the south Nahaleen village, from the north Hussan village, and from the south Jabaa village. The Israeli forces confiscated all the lands surrounding these villages or lands which lie between. Till"1948"the village was more than 12000 dunum allowned by its local inhabitants, or those have been expelled as refugees. Since the establishment of Israeli Wadi-Fukin is land have been confiscated, more than 8300 dunum has been stolen and confiscated during the years of war 700 dunums have been confiscated to be added to Bittar Elite Settlement, the Settlement that was established on lands middling the four villages; Hussan, Nahaleen, Jabaa, and wadi Fukin 2600dunums are left to its citizens, and what is left for building affairs is not more than 250dunums...
Naming :- According to historical books the word "Fukin" goes back originally to Aramaic language "Sock" meaning thorn, than by the time and local dialects to" Fuk" than into" Fukin" instead of" sukin" which means in English "valley of thorns"??..

Historical Summary:-
Our village is a border one, lies on the truce line. This location has given her distinguished history, the people of the village has exposed to more than one military attack by the Zionist organizations during 1947-1949, the sames as other Palestinian villages So as to expel the inhabitants and control its land. It's inhabitants were expelled from their lands after the establishment of Israel on Palestinian lands to settle them down temporarily in near by villages especially Nahaleen village. The people of wade Fukin refused to give up and refused to forget their lands, maintaining a continuous work in their confiscated and house demolished village, they continued to cultivate their lands in spite of being out side it, ALSO the young people continued to confront Israel army and attacking them, until the final catastrophe happened where the rest of the in habitants moved to the near by refugee camp"Dhishee".Inspite this catastrophe, the people of the village did not give-up their lands and continued farming and cultivating it at day time and back to the camp at the end of the day according to the agreements of the truce commit, which contained three representatives from the village.
In 25/9/1956 the Jews launched a wide attack against hussan and National Guards Spots which was built in the village.

The village stayed so until the dream of return came true.after20years of living as refugees the first wave of its people came back on 16th February 1972 representing the spirit of co-operation and brother hood in re-building their village and bring life back to it .never the less the conflict hasn't been yet finished with our enemies who still planning to expel its people and confiscate the rest of its lands.
Arabic league comment concerning the attack which occurred in September 1954:-
The Jewish terrorist movement launched an attack on the village of Nahaleen in 1954 where the people of wade Fukin were living in it after being expelled from their lands, committing a massacre where seven innocent people of Nahaleen were martyred, citizens who opened their houses of wade Fukin inhabitants. The Arabic league described the massacre by saying; "Even children couldn't escape their lives from the brutality and savageness of the Jewish gangs, while the wade children were in their innocent playing in 19 of September 1954, the Jews shelled them of awide range bullets. Injuring two of them. This brutality shacked the U.N. observers, where commander" Hat chesson" the head of the Israeli-Jordanian tryce committee raised a special report about the accident to the U.N.General Secretary and assured. The Jordanian defence minister informed his deep sorrow for this accident and assured the general secretary that this action has left bad effect in the emotions of civilized world.
Settling in the village:-
Since 1948 and the lands of the village have been confiscated and controlled by the Israeli army for pretending false security accuses, during the war years large distances from the village lands have been confiscated, from the western side the village was surrounded by Israeli settlements.
Now a days the village is facing a ferocious settling attack threatening the future of the village and the future of its people, especially after the confiscating of all the lands lie in the North, and building Bittar Elite settlement, inaddition to what will be confiscated after declaring the building of the apartheid wall which threatens to swallow the rest of the village lands. We could conclude the losses as follows
Expected losses due to the wall Losses during Intifada Before Intifada Data
********** *********** 1188 Population
5.970.000 4.780.000 8.644.000 Total wages and annual income/shekel
2.800.000 2.600.000 5.100.000 Agricultural production
900.000 750.000 1.270.000 Animal production
1000.000 700.000 Losses due to damages
10.670.000 8.830.000 15.014.000 Total income and losses/shekel






Population:- the inhabitants of the village during the last years as follow:-

population Year
Person 149 1922
Person 205 1931
Person 280 1945
Person869 1997
Person1188 2004





The majority of those citizens are working in farming as a main job where fertile agricultural lands. Surrounding the village and all due to springs it has. What is going on now from confiscation of those lands threaten the lives of the citizens and ban them from planting their lands which is the main source of their basic incomes, and considered the main resource of providing Bethlehem with vegetables
Finally:-The village is facing dangerous settling attack which might cause a full control to the rest of its land, but despite the confiscation the demolition of houses or the arresting of its sons, its people will never leave her again, because they have no other home land, they have no other choice or alternative but wade Fukin, which is their home, born in it, have lived in her orchards and have grownup on her land.


Wade Fukin
Qays manasra
[email protected]