Masafer Yatta - a visit to Khalet al-daba'
This time, Natanya joined the shift because Anat Tuag had asked her to write, in her special style and from her point of view, about what was happening in Masafer Yatta.
We went to At-Tuwani to meet the activist, Nasser Adara, to hear what they had been going through in the last few days.
Since we also met Fuad at the entrance to the village, we also asked him to join, because he heads an organization which struggles for their right to this land. He has already told us in the past and we have already reported all he told us about what it is to live in that area.
Both told of the confiscation of vehicles of people who came to visit their family members on the holiday, even though the vehicles are legal and hold permits. The military claimed they were traveling in a closed military area. And really, in the last two months the army has turned the area into a firing zone, and only allows those who live there and are registered as such to walk around there.
Fuad tells of a large fence being built near Jimba. In his opinion, they intend to use it to demarcate the entire area and evacuate the people. According to his explanation, when the area is empty of people, then according to the agreement with Trump, it will be possible to annex it to Israel.
He and his friends are very active and are negotiating with the administration, regarding permits to live here. They are also protesting that the settlers are evidently fireproof and they do not have to leave these declared areas of fire.
The dialogue takes place only ostensibly because there is no real meeting of the opinions and plans of the two sides
We drove to Khalet al-Daba’.
From there we have the chance to see the whole area of Masafer Yatta.
We also wanted to see the holes in the ceiling of a house punctured by a machine gun bullet, and to hear from the people themselves how they are. We saw the holes in the tin ceiling where Sa’ud Dababse and his family live. They showed us the army base from which they thought the bullet was fired. Sa’ud says the army came to check the holes in the ceiling, and admitted that it looked like a bullet, but it could not be proven that it was caused by them. (Maybe it came from another planet)
Near the house they had set up a large tent donated to them by the PA fire services. The tent is large, spacious and equipped, and can be used for many purposes, including gatherings and residences.
Their neighbor, Jaber Dababse, arrived, who is also active in the organization which they set up to protect the villages and the land. This is similar to the organization of Nasser from At-Tuwani. Jaber says that in the last six years their situation has deteriorated greatly, and they are suffering from the army and the settlers. The settlers burned fields, stole water, uprooted and burned the olive trees which the Palestinians had planted. Until 6 years ago the situation was tolerable, somehow, but recently everything has gotten worse. They have no water, living conditions are more difficult, houses are demolished . In these harsh conditions families are thrown out into the sun, wind and cold.
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
Michal TsadikJan-29-2026Umm al-Khair - a security risk for Carmel settlers
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Mesafer Yatta
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This is happening in Fire Area 918 in the South Hebron Hills
On the eve of Remembrance Day (the day before Israel Independence Day), 4th May, 2022, the Israeli High Court decided on the transfer and expulsion of residents from 8 Palestinian communities in the area of Masafar Yata in the South Hebron Hills. Residents of the villages have been living under the threat of demolition, evacuation and expropriation since the IDF issued evacuation orders in 1999 based on the 1980s proclamation of their area of residence as a firing zone for IDF drills. None of the nearby settlements were included in this zone. The Masafer Yata Palestinian villages retain a special lifestyle and ancient agricultural culture. They also posess a clear historical documentation that testifies to a Palestinian settlement in this area, generations before the establishment of Israel, long ago in the caves and at later times outside them.
Evacuating residents from the area means destroying these historic villages and leaving entire families (about 2,000 people, children, adults, and the elderly) homeless. This is contrary to international law.
In June 2022, a firing drill started, and life became harder.
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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
Michal TsadikJan-29-2026Umm al-Khair - a security risk for Carmel settlers
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