Umm Qusa - Yoav the settler from Susiya harasses and limits the grazing area for the village shepherds
A visit to Umm Qusa with the Najah Taimat family
Umm Qusa, near Zwidin, a small village, where there is great suffering. The origins of its inhabitants are Bedouins from Israel who were deported to the region in 1948. To remind you that a settler from Susiya, named Yoav, settled near the village, and harasses and limits the grazing area for the shepherds of the village (as is done in the whole area). This time we came to hear by ourselves about the demolition of a family’s house which is behind the school. A demolition order was placed on its gates, but in the meantime has not been carried out.
We are greeted by Najah Taimat, a Hebrew speaker, who in a previous report reported the demolition of his house, which turned out have been done a mistake. The ongoing trial on this has of course been stopped. In the meantime, the family lives in a tent near the ruins.
The greenhouse we photographed on the previous visit is dry and painful to see. There is no water for whatever grows in it. Water arrives in two tanks every 8 days, financed by the Palestinian Authority.
We brought a basket of food and games for the children who were so happy.
Najah says quietly, “You saved us”.
Najah tells about two families who live in the village of Abdia. One of them received a demolition order for their house seven years ago.
On June 12, 2024, the Civil Administration personnel arrived, took pictures of the house, and a day later the demolition force arrived. Ahmad, the father of the family, has 12 children. While it was demolished, the whole family watched the destruction. With no choice, they live in a tent, all together.
Representatives of the B’Tselem organization and volunteers asked to document the demolition, but were ordered to stay a few hundred meters away from the scene.
On our way back, I photographed the ruins from a distance.
A sad visit.
This is the occupation.
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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