A majority of House Democrats urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 31 to order the removal of a barbed-wire fence erected by residents of the Jewish community of Carmel, arguing that it prevents children from the nearby Bedouin village of Umm Al-Kheir from reaching their school.
The letter, signed by 111 House Democrats and led by Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), describes the Carmel residents as “extremists from the nearby settlement of Carmel,” who, for over three months, “have maintained a barbed wire fence blocking the path that the children of Umm Al-Kheir use to travel to their school.”
The lawmakers accuse the Israel Defense Forces of providing protection for the action, which they say “is a violation of the fundamental right to an education.”
The IDF has stated that Carmel residents erected the fence within the community’s municipal boundaries and that children from Umm Al-Kheir have a safe alternative route to school that “does not require passing through the community” of Carmel.
Eliram Azulay, head of the Mount Hebron Regional Council, released a video showing himself driving from Umm Al-Kheir to the school in about 70 seconds without obstruction, accusing village residents of misrepresenting the situation.
The Democratic lawmakers argue that the alternate route “comes with significant security risks” and “roughly doubles the distance that students need to travel,” while requiring them to pass Carmel and creating “more daily opportunities for negative and traumatizing interactions with settlers.”
Carmel residents said that the fencing was installed after Umm Al-Kheir residents repeatedly crossed through the community on foot. They also pointed to a 2022 funeral procession that passed through Carmel during which Hamas flags were displayed.
The Mount Hebron Regional Council has also argued that Umm Al-Kheir is an illegal outpost built on land belonging to Carmel. Israel’s Civil Administration, which administers the area, has issued demolition orders for 13 structures in the village.
In their letter, the lawmakers warned Netanyahu that “continuing down the path of settler extremism will further degrade Israel’s international standing and relationship with the United States,” and urged him to order Israeli forces to remove the fence and “safeguard every child’s right to an education.”
