Khirbet al-Marajim
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Khirbet al-Marājim
خربة المراجم Khirbet al-Marājem; Khirbet al-Marjama | |
|---|---|
Palestinian hamlet | |
 Interactive map of Khirbet al-Marājim | |
| Coordinates: 32°14′02″N 35°14′06″E / 32.2340°N 35.2350°E | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Nablus |
| Population | |
• Total | Small hamlet (dozens of residents) |
Khirbet al-Marājim (Arabic: خربة المراجم), also spelled Khirbet al-Marājem or Khirbet al-Marjama, is a small Palestinian community located south of Nablus in the northern West Bank. The hamlet lies in the area classified as Area C under Israeli control.
The community is documented in mapping and rights-monitoring projects including those of Bimkom, PHTrail, and others focused on the plight of “unrecognized” Palestinian localities.[1][2]
Bimkom's “Mobile Pastoralist Communities” database locates Khirbet al-Marājim among small hamlets in Area C of the Nablus governorate, under the grid index used for West Bank planning documents.[3] According to the same database and overlay-map layers, the approximate geographic coordinates are 32.2340° N latitude, 35.2350° E longitude.
Administrative status
The Israeli civilian occupation authorities deny Khirbet al-Marājim recognizion, making nearly all structures subject to demolition orders. According to Bimkom, this lack of recognition leads to restricted access to basic services and infrastructure.[4]
Demolitions & Displacement
According to Land Research Center (LRC), in 2024 a house in Khirbet al-Marājim was demolished and its occupants displaced — part of a broader pattern of forced displacement of Palestinian communities in Area C.[5] More broadly, humanitarian reporting by UN OCHA documents a sharp increase in demolitions in 2025 across the West Bank, with nearly 900 Palestinians displaced so far this year due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits — a trend that affects hamlets such as Khirbet al-Marājim.[6]
Settler violence
Khirbet al-Marājim has suffered violent attacks by Israeli settlers. On 14 March 2025, armed settlers attacked the hamlet, burning six homes and a vehicle, and injuring residents.[7][8] Photographic evidence of destruction and resident displacement from these incidents has been published by the group ActiveStills.[9]
Living conditions & Humanitarian context
Because the hamlet lacks planning approval, residents of Khirbet al-Marājim have no formal access to basic infrastructure (water networks, electricity, paved roads), relying instead on rain-fed cisterns, occasional water deliveries, generator or solar for electricity, and unpaved tracks.[10]
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), recent campaigns of demolitions, forced displacement, and systematic restrictions on Palestinian communities in the West Bank — including Area C hamlets — amount to practices that may violate international humanitarian and human rights law. While Khirbet al-Marājim is not always named explicitly, its circumstances mirror those described in HRW's 2025 report on forced displacement policies.[11]