Since 2016, Sir village, south of Jenin, has not received any projects and support, which deprived its residents of many services, while it lacks a health center, which causes great suffering to the citizens.
Sir village, which is 18 km from the city of Jenin, is located, according to Council Chairman Wael Irsheed, on a high mountain, from which it is possible to see the regions of Jordan and several cities in the interior, such as Afula, Nazareth and Galilee, and its name is linked to an old name from the Roman era, “Sheer”. Its distortion over time to Sir, which rises 470 meters above sea level, and embraces a group of Roman ruins and ancient historical monuments.
According to Irsheed, there is a 130-year-old mosque in the village, an old corner, and a religious shrine that includes the tomb of the guardian of “Sheikh Theeb”, who is one of the righteous saints who were visited by the villagers in the past decades, just as the Jews used to visit after the Israeli occupation in the June setback of 1967. They also call it the shrine of Sheikh Theeb, and there is a very old ruin in the village that includes ruins, and two olive presses, one old and the other modern, used by the people during the olive season.
Borders and population .. The village of Sir is bordered to the north by the town of Zababdeh, to the south by the villages of Siris and Al Jadida, to the west by Mithlon Sanur, to the northwest by Musliah, and to the east by Aqaba and the village of Al Kfeir.
Irsheed stated that the village population, according to the official census, is 857 citizens, 7% of whom are refugees who were displaced by the Zionist gangs in the Nakba in 1948, from the villages of Umm Al-Zinat and Al-Ghabeya. Among the families who were displaced during the two phases of the Nakba and the setback of June 1957, and some of them were forced to move to live in the neighboring villages and the city of Jenin.
Necessities of life
In an interview with Al-Quds.com, the head of the council explained that the majority of Sir’s residents depend for their livelihood on agriculture, with its vegetable and animal counterparts. , medicinal herbs, and there are two farms for breeding and producing poultry.
Village council
The village council includes an administrative body consisting of 7 members, including the president, and it was able to build a headquarters for the council in 2009, consisting of one floor. Ending the merger, its ownership returned to the Council to exercise its functions independently until today.
Village needs
Irsheed explained that the council, since the end of the merger with the United Municipality, has not received any forms of support or projects since 2016 until today, which hinders its role and tasks, explaining that the village needs support to implement a project to build internal roads with a length of 5 meters.
He stated that there is a structural street in the village that has been subjected to major collapses, which poses a threat to citizens’ homes and the lives of citizens. It is a very basic and important project, but to no avail, we are still waiting.”
He said, “There is an urgent need to rehabilitate a main road linking the two villages of Masaliyah Sir, with a length of 4 km. For 10 years, the council has been waiting for approval or support to complete the project, in addition to the village’s need to implement the electricity network maintenance project.”
At the same time, Irsheed pointed to the suffering of patients due to the lack of a health clinic to meet the needs of patients, especially the elderly, women, and child care, in addition to the opening of a medical laboratory. He added, “This problem has been going on for 16 years, and we submitted books and requests to the Ministry of Health to open a clinic and provide medical staff.” But you did not respond to our request.
He added, “The village and the council need to build a multi-purpose hall to serve the people, especially since Sir lacks reliable community institutions and centers, and the full responsibility rests with the council, which devotes all its efforts to serving the citizens and completing vital projects, but it is still powerless due to the lack of support and assistance.”
Irshid pointed out that the farmers were affected by the failure to complete the second and third phases of the watershed project in Marj Sanur, which aimed to rehabilitate and reclaim lands and build agricultural roads, explaining that only the first phase was completed.
The village is famous for its large forests, and the council, according to Irsheed, is still seeking support for the establishment of a public park to be an outlet for citizens due to the aesthetic features that the area represents.
He added, “Our vision is to advance and develop the village, and provide all services to citizens, including building a second floor for the council, which includes a multi-purpose hall and the rest of the departments required for the council’s roundabout. The plan is still under study to complete the project at the expense of the council.”
He continued, “We appeal to President Mahmoud Abbas and the Prime Minister to issue their instructions to the relevant ministries and institutions to provide support and support for our village, to implement the required vital and development projects.”
