Masafer Bani Naim: Settlers are harassing and destroying Palestinian agricultural crops
A shift to the Nasser family in Masafer Bani Naim.
This shift is to the Masafer Bani Naim area, an area that borders Masafer Yatta to the village of Bani Naim, which is about 8 km east of Hebron.
This is an area that we do usually not visit and we came at the request of Nasser Adara, our friend from the village of A-Tuwani, who knows the family we went to.
The journey began on Highway 317 and at the junction near the Carmel settlement we turned left onto Highway 356, through which we reach the checkpoints from the opposite direction, the Zif junction and then to Umm Qusa, Umm al-Kheir.
The entrance to the area is through the village of Dirat, east of Yatta, a village that we have mentioned several times due to the house demolitions and settler harassment.
Nasser chose this entrance so that we could see the dump that concentrates garbage from the villages scattered around, including Masafer Yatta.
Nasser explains to us that in Masafer Bani Naim, Dirat and Al-Bweib are the largest villages, and the rest are dozens of hamlets that sometimes contain one extended family.
In the area, near the settlement of Pnei Hever, several outposts have been established in recent years. Settlers have settled there and they are constantly harassing the Palestinians and destroying agricultural crops, as we know is happening in all the occupied territories. Two settlers, known by their names, are Natan Baruch and Matanya Kitsis. Sometimes they put a checkpoint and they don’t allow passage through, because that’s how they want it.
We are greeted by Adel Nasser, the father of a family of 11 children, the eldest of whom is 25. They are originally from Yatta and the land was purchased 7 years ago so as to enjoy a rural area, desert scenery and agriculture to support his family. The place is called Ras Wadi al-Jarfan.
Unfortunately, the settlers are not giving them any rest, access to the school located in Bani Naim is difficult and not easy for them.
An area where grapes were planted was destroyed by settlers and what remains is an area where they planted several species of saber (sabres). The fruit is marketed in Hebron and Bani Naim.
The house is small and the hospitality is heartwarming. Aya, the eldest, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and makes it easy for communication. We noticed that some of the houses look abandoned and it is understandable that they are not lived in. We are explained that the difficulty in accessibility, water transfer and harassment by settlers are the reasons for this.
The amazing view from their home towards the desert is a contrast to what they go through every day.
Before we returned, the mother of the family came to say hello to me, and was surprised to see the Machsom Watch badge and to see that I was an Israeli Jew. I told her about us and that there are other Israeli human rights organizations like us.
They asked us very warmly to come again.
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
Daphna JungMar-16-2025Simia: Farhan and his wife
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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
Daphna JungMar-16-2025Simia: Farhan and his wife
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