Shweika - A visit to Fares, who was expelled from Zanuta
We drove to Fares and his family in Shweika, near Dahariya. The entrance from Highway 60 is difficult due to dirt piles that the army built to make life more difficult for the Palestinians.
Recall that the family was expelled shortly after October 7th from Khirbet Zanuta, by rioters led by Yinon Levi from the Meitarim farm. They had invaded the village long before, going into their agricultural lands and had made their lives hell. The village was destroyed, including the small but important school which had been built for the village’s children.
We are welcomed in the beautiful and tidy Shig. Fares’ sons and 2 grandchildren are with us. Lately there has been less harassment from Elyashiv Nahum, from the nearby Yehuda farm, probably because Fares’ herd has not been grazing in the nearby wadi for a long time, following his expulsion by Elyashiv. The only food is from bags of food that is purchased. On the other hand, Fares says that in Tiran, which is located below Shweika, and below Havat Yehuda, violent invasions are frequent.
I tell Fares that Kamar Mishraki, a lawyer from the Hakel organization, received the Vivian Silver Award. Kamar is the one who took care of the residents of Zanuta before the High Court of Justice, which ruled that they had permission to return there. (They did not return because they understood that Yinon Levi does not consider the law and it would not happen).
I call her, introduce myself as one of the Machsomwatch women, and we congratulate her on her victory. She thanks us and talks to Fares about the situation.
We left the Shig to show Noga, who was accompanying us, where Elyashiv Nachum’s Yehuda farm is located, and the vineyard we saw opposite Zanuta, which was established by Yinon Levi. You can see the back side of the vineyard.
We went to see the barn and the goats and lambs that were recently born.
Fares’ wife is preparing lunch for the family, the children are already back from school, and they insist that we stay. We eat and enjoy, it’s so delicious.
We left bags of donations that are distributed to the extended family. Always during visits there, sadness lies in the loss of a home and lands that will always be a part of them in Zanuta.
#ThisIsTheOccupation
Location Description
Shweika
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Shweika
The checkpoint is located north of the Palestinian city of Shweika. In this area, the separation barrier was built east of the Green Line, for no apparent reason. There is no settlement there that should be in succession with the State of Israel.
But ... there is a single house that belongs to a Palestinian family. The separation barrier cut off the house and its occupants from the Palestinian settlement and left them in the seam area. That is, between the fence and the West Bank.
The residents of the house are supposed to manage their lives in connection with the settlements in the West Bank. They are not allowed to move within the State of Israel. In order to reach the West Bank, they need a permit and soldiers to open the checkpoint for them ...
One more catch...
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South Hebron Hills
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South Hebron Hills
South Hebron Hills is a large area in the West Bank's southern part.
Yatta is a major city in this area: right in the border zone between the fertile region of Hebron and its surroundings and the desert of the Hebron Hills. Yatta has about 64,000 inhabitants.
The surrounding villages are called Masafer Yatta (Yatta's daughter villages). Their inhabitants subsist on livestock and agriculture. Agriculture is possible only in small plots, especially near streams. Most of the area consists of rocky terraces.Since the beginning of the 1980s, many settlements have been established on the agricultural land cultivated by the Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills region: Carmel, Maon, Susia, Masadot Yehuda, Othniel, and more. Since the settlements were established and Palestinians cultivation areas have been reduced; the residents of the South Hebron Hills have been suffering from harassment by the settlers. Attempts to evict and demolish houses have continued, along with withholding water and electricity. The military and police usually refrain from intervening in violent incidents between settlers and Palestinians do not enforce the law when it comes to the investigation of extensive violent Jewish settlers. The harassment in the South Hebron Hills includes attacking and attempting to burn residential tents, harassing dogs, harming herds, and preventing access to pastures.
There are several checkpoints in the South Hebron Hills, on Routes 317 and 60. In most of them, no military presence is apparent, but rather an array of pillboxes monitor the villages. Roadblocks are frequently set up according to the settlers and the army's needs. These are located at the Zif Junction, the Dura-al Fawwar crossing, and the Sheep Junction at the southern entrance to Hebron.
Updated April 2022
Muhammad D.Jan-20-2026New settlement - Merom Yehuda
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Zanuta
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Zanuta was a small rural Palestinian locality until its demolition. It was situated in the space around the town Dahariya in the South Hebron Hills, about a ten-minute ride from Meitar Checkpoint. There are documented remains of a large Byzantine settlement in the area. Since the Ottoman (Turkish Empire) period (1516-1917) Zanuta was documented as a locality of shepherds and farmers who live in the remains of the ancient structures and the residential caves near them.
Two individual ranches of colonists were created next to Zanuta: Meitarim (of the colonist Yinon Levi) to the east, and Yehudah (of the colonist Elyashiv Nachum) to the north. Endless attacks, harassments and attempt to chase away the Zanuta villagers have originated in these two outposts.
Until the expulsion, four families lived in the village: A-Samama, Al-Tel, Al Batat, and Al-Qaisia. Farming constituted their main economic activity and employed most of the villagers. The total area of the village is about 12,000 dunams, of which about 3,000 are tended, mostly with field crops.
This village has never had a master plan that would legitimize construction permits. The Civil Administration claimed it was too small and the distance to the next town, Dahariya, too great. For this reason, the Israeli authorities pressured the villagers to leave. The colonists did the job for them.
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