Masafer Yatta - a demolition order of a school in Umm Kusa
Masafer Yatta
The purpose of the shift: a visit to the village of Umm-Kusa, whose school (as well as other buildings) are under order of demolition. There are also posts about this on Facebook and Twitter.
At the turn to road 317 opposite the Meitarim industrial area, you can clearly see the progress of the work preparing the area intended for the Meitarim vineyard for making wine. There is already fencing in some of the area. Three bulldozers were working on leveling additional areas, one of them near the road. There is clearly an expansion into the territories of the Upper Wadada, where Ziad Awwad’s family lives.
On our way, we left clothing at Maktal-umm-Salem opposite the industrial area.
Umm Kusa is located near the road leading from Umm al-Kheir to the Jordanian border police building in Umm Daraj, north of the village of Al-Zuweedin, deep in the area. The village houses are scattered over a large area, with a spectacular view of the Judean desert, and some of them have demolition orders, despite ownership certificates dating back to the Ottoman period.
On our way we picked up Nasser al-Adara from At-Tuwani, and he gave us the following details: the village school (elementary school) was built about two years ago. A few trees were planted and a fence was built. A small building is used as a separate toilet. Nasser says that Ilan, from the Civil Administration, claims that the fence was not approved, and in addition other changes were made. According to Ilan, the school was built on military territory (the firing zone of Masafer Yatta) and therefore the demolition order. Nasser explains that there is probably permission to build the school a few hundred meters away towards the north, but not in the current location!
There is a court order ordering the villagers to destroy the school themselves. There is also a threat: if they do not do so within seven days, the authorities will carry out the demolition, and will charge the residents for the expenses of the tools and security. In other words, the residents will be required to pay the Border Police who guard the demolitions.
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
A Palestinian residentJun-9-2025Fuqiqis - Settler boys arrive with a herd and harass family members
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Mesafer Yatta
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Masafer Yatta
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Umm al-Kheir
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Umm al-Kheir
A Palestinian village in the southern Hebron governorate, populated by five families. The Palestinian residents settled there decades ago, after Israel expelled them from the Arad desert and purchased the land from the residents of the Palestinian village of Yatta. The village suffers from the violence of nearby Carmel settlers, from water shortage and is subject to frequent demolition of buildings by the Civil Administration.
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