Jubbet ad-Dib

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Jubbet ad-Dib is a small Palestinian village in the central West Bank, part of the Bethlehem Governorate. Founded in 1929 by Bedouin Arabs from the Bani Harb, it covers about 0.4 square kilometers and sits about 628 meters above sea level. The population was 144 in 2017, mostly from the al-Wahsh clan, and the name means “the Well of the Wolves.” The village is roughly 6.5 kilometers southeast of Bethlehem, just east of Jannatah and north of the Israeli settlement Kfar Eldad; its lands border the settlement of Havat Sdeh Bar. There is one mosque, the Hamza Bin Abd al-Muttalib Mosque.

Many men work in Israel as construction laborers, often spending long weeks away from home due to the Separation Barrier. In 2002, the Palestinian Authority set up a five-member local development committee to run Jubbet ad-Dib; the committee is appointed by the PA. The Women’s Committee has taken a leading role in development, supported by local NGOs and international donors. Their efforts have funded a school bus, a solar heating system, and solar electricity for the village.

About 70% of the village’s employed people work in the Israeli labor market, with the rest mainly in farming. Unemployment was 16% in 2008. Residents faced long-standing delays getting services, in part because the village lies in Area C and has no local government HQ. Roads were not paved, and many children walked muddy tracks to nearby towns for schooling.

Electricity and other services have come through development projects helped by the Women’s Committee and donors. The Netherlands funded the solar power system, which brought electricity to some families, though it was briefly confiscated by Israeli authorities in 2017 before being returned after protests. In the same year, EU-donated school cabins were demolished or removed; a replacement school was quickly built by Bethlehem activists amid security actions.

Overall, Jubbet ad-Dib is noted for its strong women’s leadership, which has improved local development and drawn support from international groups and Israeli and Palestinian NGOs.