Qawawis - Settlers attacked a 71-year-old man in the head and left him bleeding
Although we have visited others in the vicinity, we had never met the Najer family in Qawawis near Sha’ab al-Butum, relatives of the Jabarin family, who are literally at the mercy of the settlers who live and expand next to them.
On the way past the Meitar checkpoint, the separation fence had been repaired. Now, again, there are “stripping” operations. This is what the Hebrew word for uprooting trees that have grown and whose landscape could create hiding places for the Israeli security forces is called. Then the bulldozers uproot, strip and lay the area bare.
When we arrived, we found that they live in poverty in the low hills at the foot of the settlement of Mitzpe Yair. When we arrived, two volunteers also greeted us, one from Sweden and one with dark skin. Because of her reserved behaviour, I did not ask her where she was from. The Swede is also polite but reserved. When I asked her which organization she was from, she answered all kinds of organizations. Is this her first time in Israel? She smiles and answers: “I have been to Palestine 5 times already.”
Both she and the family members show us people in the distance, on the road to Mitzpe Yair. A gathering. These are the police, the settlers and volunteers from Israel, they say.
They all arrived because they were alerted by a neighbour, Taleb Musa Abu Haram, that the settlers and their herd had once again entered the his olive orchard, and they eat and break the trees.
Since the incident was being handled remotely by volunteers and the police, we sat down with Muhammad Najer, who insisted that we focus our visit on the incident that happened to his father.
He told us about his father Khaled, who was severely attacked by settlers on the night between Thursday and Friday. At 3 a.m. he heard his dog barking and he left his house with a flashlight. He keeps his sheep in a cave near his residence. Settlers who were hiding there attacked him with sticks and knives and wounded him and left him bleeding; they stole the flashlight, broke his phone, smashed it, and left. They left him in a condition that required hospitalization for three days in intensive care at a hospital in Hebron because of a blood clot in his brain. They called volunteers who took him to A-Tuwani and from there by ambulance to Hebron. They called the police, who only arrived on Friday morning.
When we arrived, he was recuperating with his brother at Yatta. He had 20 stitches in his head, bruises, and blue marks on his hands. Therefore, we didn’t meet him. But we received a video in which we could see and hear the horror and its consequences. When the police arrived, they gave them a form to take to the Kiryat Arba police station and file a complaint.
The man is 71 years old and has been attacked 4 times in recent years. Muhammad the younger says that at the beginning of the war, five settlers from Mitzpe Yair came in, stole the generator’s motors, took phones and broke the TV and refrigerator. They threw the grandmother to the floor. They ordered everyone to lie down with their hands on their heads, so that the Palestinians could not take pictures. The police arrived again and gave them a form with which to file a complaint. They emphasize that if the police are called by peace activists and Israelis, they come quickly. When the Palestinians call, many hours pass before they arrive.
We brought them food supplies and promised to be in constant contact with them.
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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Meitar checkpoint / Sansana
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Meitar Checkpoint / Sansana The checkpoint is located on the Green Line and serves as a border crossing between Israel and the West Bank. It is managed by the Border Crossing Authority of the Defense Ministry. It is comprised of sections for the transfer of goods as well as a vehicle checkpoint (intended for holders of blue identity cards, foreign nationals or diplomats and international organizations). Passing of Palestinians is prohibited, except for those with entry permits to Israel. Palestinians are permitted to cross on foot only. The crossing has a DCO / DCL / DCL / DCL (District Coordination Office), a customs unit, supervision, and a police unit. In the last year, a breach has been opened in the fence, not far from the crossing. This breach is known to all, including the army. There does not appear to be any interest in blocking it, probably as it permits needed Palestinian workers without the bureaucratic permits to get to work in Israel. Food stalls and a parking area economy have been created, but incidents of violent abuse by border police have also been recorded. Updated April 2022
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Sha'ab al-Butum
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Sha'ab al-Butum
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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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