A-Tuwani - settlers, under the protection of the soldiers, destroy and burn Palestinian property
Following problematic events last Saturday between the settlers of the Maon farm and the people of A-Tuwani, we went to see and hear from them what had happened. We met Fuad who was injured in the incident. There were stitches in his head and his ribs are broken. In a central place in the village they arranged chairs and waited for EU representatives to come to get a report. I wish they too would report on what is happening.
Also to report on Eviatar and what is happening with this illegal settlement and which appears as an example of the trend and conduct which receives the approval of the government.
We did not have time to wait and join the meeting and we went with Basel to see the remains of the destruction of the houses which were a few kilometer away. The temporary houses of the shepherds which they used when out with the flocks or were tending the olive orchards had been burned. There had been a big fire and everything had been burned. The olive saplings were broken or badly scorched. In the meantime, to try to save them, the villagers have put up a kind of wooden cross that supports each tree.
This is what a plot full of crucified olive trees looks like … and my head was at a different time in a different place under different circumstances. (Michal was reminded of the way the Romans crucified the Jews in ancient times.)
Basel says that every Saturday settlers who come by bus flock as reinforcements to the locals and burn and beat and destroy everything that belongs to them and which is in the area between them and Havat Maon. A father and two sons were arrested about a month ago and have not yet been released.(Palestinians, of course. Settlers are practically never arrested, soon released and never brought to justice)
The army arrives and watches from the side. So are the police. No one prevents or stops the settlers. The people of A-Tuwani are terrified when Saturday comes around.
I wish we could have been there in real time. It seems to me that it would have strengthened them greatly.
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
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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 TsadikDec-23-2025Wadi Shahish - The family car vandalized by settlers
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