Rahwe - threats by the settler Yinon Levy, who was sanctioned by the USA and European countries
A visit to Rahwe
We went to Rahwe, a village we have visited before. We drove via road 325, which leads to the settlement of Tene Omarim, a few kilometres from the Meitar checkpoint. The settlement was established in 1983 and has about 1000 residents. A little before Tene Omarim is the village of Rahwe and we turn right, on road 325 before the entrance to the settlement.
Ahmad, who grazes his herd up in the hills above the village, near Route 60, asked a few days ago that we come to them for a return visit. Near the area of their residence there is the possibility to graze their herds, but, as I mentioned in the report from 28.11.23, settlers from two nearby farms are harassing them and driving them away: Mor Farm and Avraham Farm located east of the Tene Omarim settlement and north of Rahwa.
We are greeted by all the family members who are there, waiting for our arrival. After exchanging greetings, I ask what has been happening since we were at their place. They tell about settlers, some in civilian clothes and some in IDF uniforms (a familiar pattern to us), every few days.
According to them also Yinon Levy, from Meitarim farm, who appears on Biden’s lists. And so they said: “he led a group of settlers who engaged in actions that created an atmosphere of fear in the West Bank. He regularly led groups of settlers from the Meitarim Farm outpost that attacked Palestinian citizens and Bedouins, threatened them with further violence if they did not leave their homes, burned their fields and destroyed their property. Levy and additional settlers in Meitarim Farm repeatedly attacked many settlements.”
I was surprised that, despite the sanctions, He appears amongst them with no fear of being identified. I showed them the photo of his face (Google), and they affirmed it was him.
Dunia, a Bedouin from Hura, who is married to Samer, one of the family members, speaks Hebrew and confirms the fact that it is Yinon. He told her that they are forbidden to graze the herds more than 100 meters from their house. He threatened them that they are not to photograph him, so there is no record of this.
They do their shopping in Dahariya, and talk about a checkpoint which has been set up during Ramadan, every day from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. It is a barrier that causes traffic jams that sometimes delay the Iftar (breaking of the daily fast). We promised to come back and visit them.
On our way back, along the polluted Hebron stream, near road 325, we met a shepherd we didn’t know. We stopped to talk to him. His name is Jamal, the brother of the teacher Majdi Alatka we met on the previous visit. He also talks about the limitation of the grazing area due to the settlers’ threats.
Surrounded by evil and cruelty as in all the occupied territories.
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
Raya YeorMay-15-2025No-traffic signs around Dahariya
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