Maktal Umm-Salem - settlers throw sheep carcasses under the bridge
South Mount Hebron 14.8.2023
Smadar (reporting) and Muhammad. Editor: Mira Balaban; Translator: Natanya
The purpose of the shift was a visit to Khalet a-Daba’, south of At-Tuwani. But reality dictated otherwise.
From road 60 we turned to road 317, in the direction of Asael and Susiya.
Immediately after the intersection, in a small area called Maktal Umm-Salem, on the side of Samu’ from the north, Amer’s family lives. We went to meet them, to Umm Yasser, his wife, and to bring clothes and games. The kids were happy, and so were we. We asked about Saleh who was chased away by harassment and abandoned Lower Wadada (on the other side of road 317). She points to the hills in the direction of Samu’. She doesn’t know exactly where. We asked about the settlers. She says that they throw sheep carcasses under the bridge of Highway 317. Reminds me of the case of Abu Safi, that Israel Kaplan, from the Mikneh Yehuda farm near Asael, threw a sheep carcass at the entrance of his compound.
We drove to the crossing under the bridge on road 317. This is Wadi Radim, over which the bridge passes. And indeed, the sight is chilling. The smell too. Old carcasses and next to them fresh carcasses. One of them is a lamb from that day. Amer (from Maktal Umm Salem) sits on a hill, while his flock huddles in separate pens for goats and sheep, in the shade under the bridge. He says that at noon because of the heat, they are under the bridge. In the evening he will take them to the area where they live. Moving away from there in no way occurs to him. With all the suffering, this is his and his family’s place.
The pictures we took and the video that Muhammad took speak for themselves. The smell cannot be transferred!
We called Ziad from Upper Wadada to find out what was going on with them. The eldest son Yusuf answers, and says that like every year, they moved to the place next to the tall pillbox at the intersection of Shani-Livne.
On our way to visit Ziad from Wadada, we saw in front of the second intersection, near the pillbox on the left (north), near the pile of white lime, a cluster of tents that we had not seen before. We decided to check. There is no paved road of any kind, but Muhammad does not give up and drives on the rocks[N1] (there is a jeep). We were seen by some young men who looked frightened (they thought it was a settler vehicle). Muhammad shouted words of peace and they calmed down. They preferred to call the father of the family, Ahmad Abu Awwad. He told us about the family, which numbered about thirty people. The place is called Khalet al-Nias. Eight years ago they had to move to the current place, because in their previous place of residence, after Asael, they suffered harassment from settlers, who made their lives unbearable. But here too, as in other areas in Masafer Yetta, settlers with their herds come onto their pastures, and therefore they are forced to buy feed for the flock with a lot of money.
In previous years, the situation was better: when they reported to the police, they received assistance and the settlers were expelled (before their herds wiped out all the grass). This year they filed complaints with the Kiryat Arba police, but there was no response: the police did not even come to the scene. We contacted Yesh Din, hoping (faintly) to help on the issue. At night they sleep on beds they built themselves, which are placed outside, in order to guard the 160 heads of sheep in their possession. Indeed, a broken sleep.
Ahmad adds that about ten days ago, a settler appeared in their territory (he doesn’t know from where) and threatened to expel them from Khalet al Nias as well.
Another place where it’s hard to breathe when you leave.
On the way back, we noticed three large piles of fertilizer intended for the vineyards of the settler Yinon, from Meiter Farm. He continues to fulfil his dream, to take over the entire area and probably to operate a winery.
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 TsadikJul-25-2025The interior of the burnt house
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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 TsadikJul-25-2025The interior of the burnt house
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