Umm Qusa - the settler Yoav and other settlers damage property
Shift in Umm Qusa
We got to Meitar checkpoint driving slowly, from Meitar to the checkpoint, half an hour. On the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which ends the month of Ramadan, we went shopping in Dahariya.
Umm Qusa, a village we already visited a few months ago, is located between Umm Al Kheir and Umm Daraj. There was a demolition order for the small school in the village and we went to check what happened with it. The army had luckily not destroyed it. This time we also passed by and took pictures. The school is on the way. We mentioned before in our previous visit on the demolition of the foundations of Najeh Taimat’s house by mistake. Yes, accidentally. The issue is being dealt with by a lawyer from Nazareth who represents Najeh in court. In about a month, the trial should resume.
On our way we saw red and blue pipes. They explain to us that these are water pipes to the village that come from the Carmel settlement and are funded by the Palestinian Authority. It is not surprising that there is almost no water that arrives as required. The solution is to purchase water from the family’s tank in the village of Zweidin near Umm al Kheir and Carmel.
As in all the villages in the southern Hebron Mountain area, there is violence and harassment by the settlers. Here, as we reported, Yoav and his family who settled over a year ago in a British police station (one of 6 such in the area) took ownership of the place, which sits on a hill, fenced off the entire area and does not allow anyone to approach the place.
Since the war, on October 7, Yoav has been wearing an IDF uniform. You know the phenomenon. He drives by with his van, several times a day, right next to Najeh’s place of residence. He is there to demonstrate his presence and to broadcast who is in control there. About a month ago, one of Taimat’s relatives purchased electric poles for the families in Umm Qusa. Yoav and a number of other settlers brutally cut the poles down. In all this evil, Najeh shows us a small greenhouse he set up near his house with a variety of vegetables.
We brought games and a food package for the family. The children were happy and thanked us and it warms the heart.
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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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
Muhammad D.May-13-2025Susiya - at Ahmad and Halima Nawaja'a
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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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