3.2. Case Study of Umm al-Fahm We are an oppressed people and have been subjected to numerous attempts of foreign colonization […] everything that is happening in Umm al-Fahm is either a direct or indirect consequence of foreign domination. Fahmawi Youth Movement Interview: Umm al-Fahm, 7 November 2019 Located on the cusp of the Green Line, bounded by the Apartheid Wall, Umm al-Fahm lies at the heart of the fragmented Palestinian territory, capable of constituting a bridge between Palestinians with Israeli citizenship and those in the West Bank. Yet, Israeli severing, appropriation and manipulation of the transportation sector in and around Umm al-Fahm serves to turn a tool for creating vibrant interconnected communities279 into a rigorous mechanism for the segregation, fragmentation and isolation of this city. The case of Umm al-Fahm clearly demonstrates that Palestinian communities inside the Green Line are no less immune from Israel’s policies that aim to erode social cohesion, debilitate Palestinian economy, and inhibit their political resilience, with the ultimate goal being to undermine the right to Palestinian self-determination. 3.2.1. From a Thriving Regional Hub to a Besieged City Similar to much of Palestinian society prior to the Nakba, Umm al-Fahm was a small city, that functioned more like a village nestled in a vibrant agricultural area at the heart of Wadi ‘Ara.280 Historical sources date its existence to the eleventh century, and its name, which translates to “mother of charcoal”, suggests that economic activity had always been the driving force of its development.281 By the second half of the nineteenth century, it had grown into a prosperous town, well-known for cattle-breeding, fruit farming and olive picking.282 With the population increasing rapidly from 279 General Director of Transportation, supra 143. 280 Wajdi Hassan Jabbarin, Researcher and Member of Umm al-Fahm’s Municipality, interview conducted by BADIL, Umm al-Fahm, 6 November 2019. 281 Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development [OECD], Spatial Planning and Policy in Israel: The Cases of Netanya and Umm al-Fahm (Paris: OECD Publishing, 2017), 130, available at: https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/urban-rural-and-regional-development/spatial-planning-and-policy-inisrael_9789264277366-en#page3 [accessed 28 February 2020]. 282 Umm al-Fahm Archive, “Olives” & “Agriculture” [Arabic], blog post, 3 August 2013, available at: http://ummelfahemarchive.com/portfolio_categories/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d9%8a%d8%a7% d8%a9-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%82%d8%aa%d8%b5%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%a9/?lang= en [accessed 28 February 2020]. 74