A shift for Masafer Yatta, Khalet a-Daba’

This time we travelled following reports from the village of Khalet a-Daba’ about a pogrom, literally, that took place there on July 3, 2024, around 10:00 p.m.

Before the incident in the village itself, settlers burned olive trees in the wadi at the foot of Khalet a-Daba’. An Israeli fire engine arrived there for fear that the fire would spread to the surrounding outposts, not to mention the danger to the residents of the nearby village of Khalet a-Daba’.

We gather at Shig, where a number of friends from the village are already sitting, adding details about what happened there. Try to imagine over 100 settlers gathered from the infamous nearby outposts (Avigayil, Havat Ma’on, Mitzpe Yair). All the solar panels were violently smashed, and therefore there is no electricity, for all that is implied, until new ones are installed. They increased the burning of the house of the S. Dababsa family. There were four people in the house, who fled in panic outside.

A Palestinian Authority fire engine with 5 fire fighters arrived at the scene, and the settlers threw stones at it and violently attacked the firefighters.

At the time of this cruel event, several settlers invaded the barn of two families and stole 84 sheep. A flock is a means of livelihood, especially since the war that there is no possibility to work and earn money. This is a huge financial loss and it is not new that this is happening, but the amount is large and the damage is very great.

Today, 7.7.24, they filed a complaint about this with the Kiryat Arba police. I assume that a complaint to the police won’t bring the sheep back.

Jaber Dababsa, who usually hosts us, tells about dozens of settlers attacking E., beating him with clubs, kidnapping him with the intention of pouring fuel on him, and the intention is clear.

The army came and saved him.

E., wounded, whose leg was broken and his whole body was injured, was transferred to the Hospital in Yatta.

The police came a day later. What was the reason? According to them, the people of the village burned a tent at the Avigayil outpost, which of course did not happen.

Increasing incidents of severe violence are reported at all hours of the day in all the occupied territories. This week, the commander of the Central Command, Yehuda Fuchs, said this publicly.

This is a government policy that is carried out without any intervention from the army, which usually cooperates with the settlers.

This is the occupation.