Mufaqara- Settlers invaded the yard, broke olive trees and destroyed things in the yard
Meitar checkpoint, the parking lot is almost deserted, as usual, since the beginning of the war in October ‘23.
For those who don’t know, Palestinians are not allowed to enter Israel, they are not allowed to work in the country.
We drove to A-Tuwani, the road is beautiful, green, but the fields and areas along the way are empty of herds and farmers, Palestinians, afraid to go out to pasture, or to work in agriculture on their lands.
Nasser tells about various events in the vicinity of A-Tuwani:
In Dirat – a large village which has a master plan, and yet the Civil Administration demolished (the day before the visit), a house that was built on the edge of the village, even though there are legal proceedings against it.
Smotrich recently visited the area and wants to widen the road, so demolitions are being expedited…. In the entire area there are about 100 demolition orders up to Umm Al-Khair. On the same day, permission was also given to expand Abigail, at the expense of the Palestinians of course. They have 10 days to object, and indeed, they filed a request for a trial.
In Mufaqara, settlers (Shiloh?) invaded the yard of Nu’man, Fadel’s neighbor, broke olive trees, destroyed things in the yard. The police were called, it took a while for them to arrive, they looked, called the army and left…. Soldiers arrived and they claimed that the Palestinian Nu’man beat the settler, a young shepherd. In response, they arrested Nu’man, tied his hands, blindfolded him, took him to the Susiya base for 5-6 hours and then released him. They have a video that describes what happened.
In another case, from the army, Nasser was also taken to the Susiya base and from there the police took him to the police station in Kiryat Arba, and all this because he complained about a settler who came with the herd to the village lands. The settler complained that Nasser beat him! The police intend to take him to court and demanded 1,000 NIS. After he spoke with a lawyer, they gave him a discount of 500 NIS.
The day before we arrived, there was also a mess near Halawa, near Jimba.
A Palestinian, who owns a sheep feed shop in Yatta, and who distributes sheep feed in the area, returned home and on the way settlers were waiting for him and broke his truck. He called the police and when they arrived, the settlers fled. The police called in the army, who were looking for the settlers and are still looking…..
Basel, almost elected…..lost in the council elections, by one vote. Will serve in the opposition.
This is a selected file, from the events in the area…
There is no end to it and the pressure is daily!
Location Description
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 TsadikMay-20-2026The noisy machine that disturbs the IDF
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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 TsadikMay-20-2026The noisy machine that disturbs the IDF
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Umm al-Khair
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Umm al-Kheir
A Palestinian village in the southern Hebron governorate, populated by five families. The Palestinian residents settled there decades ago, after Israel expelled them from the Arad desert and purchased the land from the residents of the Palestinian village of Yatta. The village suffers from the violence of nearby Carmel settlers, from water shortage and is subject to frequent demolition of buildings by the Civil Administration.
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