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Wadi Radim - a settler closed the water tap of the well and they have to bring expensive water tankers from Samu'

Observers: Daphna (reporting), and Mohammad. Editor: Mira Balaban; Translator: Natanya
Aug-06-2023
| Morning

Meitar: Sunday, the parking lots are full as usual.

Early in the morning, there were roadblocks at the Dura-Al Fawwar intersection. At the Sheep crossing the army is present but without a checkpoint.

Nasser Nawaja’, a B’Tselem investigator from Susiya, says that Hamudi Harini, from At-Tuwani, was detained by the security forces for several hours. People didn’t know what had become of him. It turns out that he went to his land above the village to irrigate the area. Settlers came down to him, called in the army, and complained that he was threatening them. That’s why he was arrested. He was released unconditionally and without restrictions!

A visit to Abu Safi, whose home is in threatening proximity to Yisrael Kaplan’s Mikneh Yehuda farm, near Asael:

Abu-Safi he does not look well. He is awaiting heart surgery, maybe next week. He cannot work and cultivate his lands, so he depends on his son and daughters who do their best, especially with the flock of sheep.

A few days ago, the carcass of a goat was found at the entrance to the road leading to his family’s home. He spoke to Kaplan who denied having anything to do with this.

Abu Safi complains that a settler by the name of Amnon, who probably came down from the Meitarim farm in the vicinity of Zanuta, closed the water tap of the well in his (Abu Safi’s) territory, and drove out his son, who had come with the sheep to water them.

The result: they have to bring water tankers from Samu. It takes half a day and costs a lot of money. Luckily for him, the settlers do not come near his house but pass by the nearby road, but still manage to disrupt his life and that of his family.

  • 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

      דרום הר חברון, בית חגי: סוללים דרך ביטחון פנימית
      Muhammad
      Feb-24-2026
      South Hebron Hill, Beit Hagai: Paving an internal security road
  • Hakvasim (sheep) Junction

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    • One of the roadblocks (earthworks, rocks, concrete blocks or iron gates) that prevent transit of vehicles to Route 60 in the southern West Bank and block the southern entrance to Hebron. A manned pillbox supervises the place.
  • 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
  • Susiya

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    • Susiya The Palestinian area lies between the settlement of Susya and a military base. The residents began to settle in areas outside the villages in the 1830s and lived in caves, tents and sukkot. To this day they maintain a traditional lifestyle and their livelihood is based on agriculture and herding. Until the 1948 war, the farmers cultivated areas that extended to the Arad area. As a result of the war, a significant portion of their land left on the Israeli side was lost. After the 1967 war and the Israeli occupation, military camps were established in the area, fire zones and nature reserves were declared, and the land area was further reduced. The Jewish settlement in Susya began in 1979. Since then, there has been a stubborn struggle to remove the remains of Palestinian residents who refuse to leave their place of birth and move to nearby  town Yatta. With the development of a tourist site in Khirbet Susya in the late 1980s (an ancient synagogue), dozens of families living in caves in its vicinity were deported. In the second half of the 1990s, a new form of settlement developed in the area - shepherds' farms of individual settlers. This phenomenon increased the tension between the settlers and the original, Palestinian residents, and led to repeated harassment of the residents of the farms towards the Palestinians. At the same time, demolition of buildings and crop destruction by security forces continued, as well as water and electricity prevention. In the Palestinian Susya, as in a large part of the villages of the southern Hebron Mountains, there is no running water, but the water pipe that supplies water to the Susya Jewish settlement passes through it. Palestinians have to buy expensive water that comes in tankers. Solar electricity is provided by a collector system, installed with donation funds. But the frequent demolitions in the villages do not spare water cisterns or the solar panels and power poles designed to transfer solar electricity between the villages. Updated April 2021, Anat T.  
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