Report of the demonstration in Masafer Yatta
Report of the demonstration in Masafer Yatta
We passed the Meitar checkpoint without any problems a little before 10.00. To our surprise, the parking lot was full even though it was Friday.
We drove to At-Tuwani, where all the protesters were supposed to meet. The road was open, with no military presence and no military vehicles were seen, neither on Route 60 nor on Route 317.
Until we got to At-Tuwani. There, at the entrance to the road leading up to the village, a military jeep was parked and one of the soldiers ordered us to stop. About five soldiers came out to us with aimed weapons and announced that it was a closed military area. I asked to see the order and also asked them if we were so threatening that they stood in front of us with armed weapons. The answer was that this is how they always stand.
We made a U-turn and reached At-Tuwani through the hills, thanks to the resourcefulness of Muhammad. At Basel’s house, we met peace activists who had arrived there the day before. Probably they had anticipated what happened to us and also to others. Some of the people started marching towards the villages of Bir al-Eid and Jinba, which are close to the illegal outpost of Mitzpe Yair. In this area, the IDF had destroyed 19 buildings two days earlier.
The red mark on the map indicates our location and is close to Mitzpe Yair.
We drove from At–Tuwani to the demonstration area and on the way we met bus passengers who had come from Jerusalem marching to the demonstration site and of course Netanya was among them.
We were unable to get close with the vehicle because the settlers had blocked the road and did not allow the vehicles to pass, so we joined the marchers. Suddenly people started running. It turned out that the settlers started throwing stones and then also a smoke grenade and tear gas were thrown.
Now I understand why the photographer is equipped with a gas mask.
The settlers came down to us equipped with batons and pistols but the army prevented them from approaching us. Apparently this behavior was so unusual that one of the settlers turned to an officer on the ground and asked him, “What is happening to you?” The settler was shocked that the army was doing what it was supposed to do. The army behaved in a respectful manner.
In the background is Mitzpe Yair. The settlement was established as a so-called neighborhood of Susiya but is in fact an illegal outpost.
According to the website of the Judea and Samaria Council, Mitzpe Yair is an:
“agricultural community in the southern Hebron Mountains that overlooks the amazing view of the Judean Desert. Technically considered a branch of Susiya, in practice – an independent locality. The Mitzpe Yair neighborhood is suitable for any good person who loves his family, who has a desire to give of himself. A great place in development and growth, and especially to people who love to live in a natural environment and love spaces and landscapes.”
On the way back we met passengers from a bus that had come from Tel Aviv and Haifa. At the Meitar checkpoint, they did not let the bus pass and they drove to the checkpoint from Metzadot Yehuda, where it was only possible to cross on foot. The bus was waiting on the Israeli side. Several Druze also arrived on this bus.
A-Tuwani
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A-Tuwani
The locals came to a-Tuwani during the 20th century from the village of Yatta. They settled in abandoned ruins, utilizing the arable land, pastures for grazing sheep and the abundance of natural caves for habitation. The residents who settled in the caves came from families who could not purchase land for houses in the mother villages, as well as shepherds who did not have enough land to graze. They were joined by clan members who quarreled with other families in the mother locality.
Some of the residents today live in concrete buildings built above the caves. In the area of the village are several water cisterns and an ancient water well called 'Ein a-Tuwani. Local residents are forced to buy water in containers and transport them through many road blocks to the village. With the help of international organizations, an electrical system was installed in the village. In the late 90s of the 20tTh century, an elementary school was established in the serving several small villages in the area.
In 2004, MachsomWatch began visiting and reporting from the Khirbet Tuwani cave village, which suffers badly from the settlers of nearby outposts, and especially from the extremist Ma'on outpost. . The settlers contaminate cisterns, poison the flocks and uproot trees.Particularly notable is the harassment of children from the surrounding villages on their way to school in a-Tuwani, so much so that military escort of children is required to separate them from the attackers (this was arranged following an initiative of the organization's members). In the past year, the escort has been without the vital presence of overseas volunteers.
Near a-Tuwani there are several families who have returned to the caves due to the incessant demolitions of the civil administration (as there is a total construction ban in all of area C). Destroyed are not only residential and agricultural buildings, but also water pipes, machinery. Even water cisterns are clogged up. a-Tuwani residents have created an association for non-violent demolition protests, but in the past year the army’s harsh harassment and settler violence have intensified and escalated. The incident of the small generator confiscation, which left a young man paralyzed, is one of many examples - any legitimate protection of property rights leads to violence and even shootings by the army and the civil administration.
Updated April 2022
Michal TsadikFeb-17-2026Umm al-Khair: The soccer field for Palestinian children is surrounded by new trailers and lots of Israeli flags
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Meitar checkpoint / Sansana
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Meitar Checkpoint / Sansana The checkpoint is located on the Green Line and serves as a border crossing between Israel and the West Bank. It is managed by the Border Crossing Authority of the Defense Ministry. It is comprised of sections for the transfer of goods as well as a vehicle checkpoint (intended for holders of blue identity cards, foreign nationals or diplomats and international organizations). Passing of Palestinians is prohibited, except for those with entry permits to Israel. Palestinians are permitted to cross on foot only. The crossing has a DCO / DCL / DCL / DCL (District Coordination Office), a customs unit, supervision, and a police unit. In the last year, a breach has been opened in the fence, not far from the crossing. This breach is known to all, including the army. There does not appear to be any interest in blocking it, probably as it permits needed Palestinian workers without the bureaucratic permits to get to work in Israel. Food stalls and a parking area economy have been created, but incidents of violent abuse by border police have also been recorded. Updated April 2022
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Mesafer Yatta
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This is happening in Fire Area 918 in the South Hebron Hills
On the eve of Remembrance Day (the day before Israel Independence Day), 4th May, 2022, the Israeli High Court decided on the transfer and expulsion of residents from 8 Palestinian communities in the area of Masafar Yata in the South Hebron Hills. Residents of the villages have been living under the threat of demolition, evacuation and expropriation since the IDF issued evacuation orders in 1999 based on the 1980s proclamation of their area of residence as a firing zone for IDF drills. None of the nearby settlements were included in this zone. The Masafer Yata Palestinian villages retain a special lifestyle and ancient agricultural culture. They also posess a clear historical documentation that testifies to a Palestinian settlement in this area, generations before the establishment of Israel, long ago in the caves and at later times outside them.
Evacuating residents from the area means destroying these historic villages and leaving entire families (about 2,000 people, children, adults, and the elderly) homeless. This is contrary to international law.
In June 2022, a firing drill started, and life became harder.
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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
Michal TsadikFeb-17-2026Umm al-Khair: The soccer field for Palestinian children is surrounded by new trailers and lots of Israeli flags
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