South Hebron Hills, Susiya
We wanted to visit the family of Abu Kbita but he was busy sowing. We will wait until the season ends and then visit him at home.
We visited Azam at Susiya. He and his wife and later his daughter with her baby who also joined us, received us most pleasantly and of course brought us refreshments made by their own hands. (Everything, the wheat and the labane and also the olive oil which they grow and grind by themselves). Azam told us that with the help of a friend (Eyal from Meitar) who helped them to get permits, he and his family visited the alpaca farm at Mitzpeh Ramon and also Na’ama of the women’s organization at Lakiya. Na’ama gave his wife work in embroidery. We saw the beautiful result and she will be happy to sell. Next week a group of tourists will visit them and we suggested that they prepare some of their produce to be tasted and which might then be sold.
At the bottom of the hill, between the many stones, Azam’s sons plough the small lots of land and this is done with the plough attached to the donkeys!! It is hard to believe but they have no option and they try to use the smallest piece of ground. They have other ground which is further away but they are not allowed to approach this land so as to work it. They do the sowing as our fathers did, throwing the seeds by hand. So “pastoral”. At some stage a tractor joined. But it had to go forward and backward as there was no place to turn.
When we left the village we saw the dirt road which leads to Yatta. But often the residents of Susiya cannot use it because the army controls it from the base which is on the hill and they block it.