Tour to the destroyed Palestinian village of Imwas, marking the anniversary of the occupation and uprooting of the Latrun villages

53 years to the occupation of the West Bank, part of 72 years of ongoing Nakba

Zochrot invites the public to a tour among the ruins of the Palestinian village of Imwas, one of three villages in the Latrun area – together with Yalu and Beit Nuba – which the Israeli army occupied and destroyed in June 1967, ethnically cleansing their entire population. The Latrun area was targeted for occupation already in the 1948 war, but the Israeli army’s attempts to take it over failed repeatedly. In the 1967 war, the goal was achieved. The villages in the area were occupied in a matter of minutes, almost without a fight. Their surprised inhabitants were ordered by the military to evacuate the villages and march to Ramallah. Within two weeks, Imwas, Yalu and Beit Nuba were razed to the ground, and the military used force to prevent the villages from returning after the war. This was a planned move of ethnic cleansing to total erasure.

What happened in 1967 was the continuation of the 1948 Nakba, which unfortunately endures to this day. Despite the fact that the Latrun area – now euphemistically called Canada Park or Ayalon Park – was occupied like the rest of the West Bank and is thus located across the Green Line – it is de facto annexed to Israel. These days, Israel apparently intends to annex additional sections of the West Bank in accordance with the American-Israeli “Deal of the Century”. This deal is yet another manifestation of the ongoing Nakba, representing the approach that has guided Zionism since its early beginnings.

Hence, the occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1967 and the additional “facts” created by Israel on that ground must be seen as part of the ongoing Nakba.

The tour will include a walk between the ruins of one of the Latrun villages – Imwas – explanation about the erasure process, reading texts and presenting historical images.

Saturday, June 6, 11:00-13:00

Tour guide: Umar Al-Ghubari

The tour will be held in Hebrew, with Arabic if needed. English interpretation will be provided.

The transport will leave from Levinsky Garden, HaGdud HaIvri St., at 10:00

Estimated return to Tel Aviv at 14:00

To register for the transport: Tours@zochrot.org

For questions: 052-874-3099

To arrive independently to the meeting point in Imwas, get off Highway 1 at Latrun Junction, and drive east toward “Park Ayalon-Canada” (follow the signs). After about half a kilometer on Route 3, turn right at the main park entrance, where the tour will start.

You can also use our iNakba app to navigate to the destination.

Cost: For the tour you may donate 30 sh, or 50 sh for the tour& tranportation.

For general donation to Zochrot please enter our website https://zochrot.org/en/donate/landingPage