Qawawis - accused of 'holding a stone' after a violent attack by settlers
Qawawis, South Hebron Hill
We went to Qawawis to meet Jibrin Abu Aram who was released after 15 days of detention in Ofer Prison. Sitting outside are Jibrin, his cousin Taleb, and several other family members. Two activists from the US are there, and that’s a good thing.
A settler with a flock of sheep is seen grazing on their land, a daily sight known throughout the occupied territories. In the report from 2.2.25, there is a detailed description of an incident in which about 40 settlers attacked the village.
A brief reminder:
Jibrin, 60, was expelled from his land nearby and was forced to move to Qawawis. The violent settlers do not allow him to go back to pick up personal belongings and repeatedly expel him. On 22.1.25, dozens of settlers attacked the villagers, injuring several residents.
Jibrin was beaten in the back and his phone was broken. To defend himself, he grabbed a stone, which was given as the reason for his being arrested. He spent one day in detention in Kiryat Arba, was taken to Ofer Prison, and his trial was postponed several times. He says that he was allowed to shower once a day, at 5 a.m. He wore the same clothes 15 days, one meal a day.
He was able to sleep very little because the guards frequently knocked on the door of his room. He was released on bail that activists collected for him and also for his nephew, who was also arrested. Jibrin received a summons to a trial on 26.3.25.
He was not told the reason, and there is no explanation for the summons. His ID card was taken from him and not returned to him.
The government’s policy, in collaboration with the army and the settlers, is abusive every day.
#ThisIsTheOccupation
Location Description
South Hebron Hills
See all reports for this place-
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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