House demolitions in Rakiz in Masafer Yatta
We decided to travel today to A-Tuwani because the people of the area are suffering all the time from demolitions.
Nasser from Susiya tells us, while driving, that heavy vehicles are near the Imnaizel near the checkpoint, Mezadot Yehuda and the settlement of Beit Yatir. They are waiting to see where they are going. They are worried that they are going to JImba in Masafer Yatta at the edge of the Judean desert.
While driving, it turns out that work is being done on the sewage and this time there is no intention of demolition.
But when we arrived in A-Tuwani, Nasser suggests that we go to Raciz, where two families had their houses demolished a month and a half ago.
On the way he tells that he has become an “intelligence” prevented. Shows us the document he received today.
We arrived at Rakiz five minutes away from A-Tuwani. As you can see in the photos, the destruction is great. Next to them are the ruins of the Murad Hamami family home. They returned to live in a cave there. This is the home of the family of Rasmi Abu Rami and they now live in a tent provided by a welfare agency.
It turns out that at Dura a month ago there was also a demolition. They receive legal assistance from the Saint Yves organization which employs Jews and Arabs.
The situation is terrible there and it is hard to understand how they live without minimal conditions because even the toilet structure has been destroyed and it is impossible to use the kitchen. They ask for help at least with toilet facilities.
Clearly it turns out that anything they build on their land will be discovered by the glider and destroyed immediately. Even if these will be mobile toilets.
So one has to think about how to deal with this problem.
People say that the settlers of Mitzpe Abigail are constantly observing what they are doing and that skimmers are constantly taking pictures. There is no limit to evil. It is inconceivable and this in a difficult and desolate area which has been their home from time immemorial.
We were glad we had lots of bags with clothes and toys which we could give them.
Praise be to the young people of the area who have set up a support and assistance organization for these families and also renovate and rehabilitate caves which have once more become their homes.
I can only feel shame and tell their story.
I do not know how to help these people.
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
Raya YeorMay-15-2025No-traffic signs around Dahariya
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Imneizil
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Imneizil Located below the settlement of Beit Yatir near the Beit Yatir / Metsadot Yehuda checkpointhe, this village is part of the Palestinian settlements in the southern Hebron Mountains.Amnesiel has a school for the children of the area, also children of two clans from the Abu Qabita tribe who remained on the Israeli side of the Separation fence, along with some of the agricultural lands of Amnesiel. The women of MachsomWatch are monitoring the Metzsadot Yehuda checkpoint, and are in contact with the Abu Qabita family. We receive from them reports of prevention of entry and transfer of necessary goods.
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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
Raya YeorMay-15-2025No-traffic signs around Dahariya
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