Masafer Bani Naim: Settlers are harassing and destroying Palestinian agricultural crops

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Observers: 
Smadar Becker and Muhammad Dabsan. Translator: Natanya
Dec-22-2024
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Morning
מסאפר בני נעים - מוחמד שלנו, עאדל המארח, נאסר עדרה וסמדר על רקע חלקת הצבר של המשפחה
מסאפר בני נעים - מאחז ממנו יוצאים מתנחלים להתעלל בתושבים. למעלה ניתן לראות את הכפר בני נעים
מסאפר בני נעים - סמדר שומעת אודות המשפחה והאזור

A shift to the Nasser family in Masafer Bani Naim.

This shift is to the Masafer Bani Naim area, an area that borders Masafer Yatta to the village of Bani Naim, which is about 8 km east of Hebron.

This is an area that we do usually not visit and we came at the request of Nasser Adara, our friend from the village of A-Tuwani, who knows the family we went to.

The journey began on Highway 317 and at the junction near the Carmel settlement we turned left onto Highway 356, through which we reach the checkpoints from the opposite direction, the Zif junction and then to Umm Qusa, Umm al-Kheir.

The entrance to the area is through the village of Dirat, east of Yatta, a village that we have mentioned several times due to the house demolitions and settler harassment.

Nasser chose this entrance so that we could see the dump that concentrates garbage from the villages scattered around, including Masafer Yatta.

Nasser explains to us that in Masafer Bani Naim, Dirat and Al-Bweib are the largest villages, and the rest are dozens of hamlets that sometimes contain one extended family.

In the area, near the settlement of Pnei Hever, several outposts have been established in recent years. Settlers have settled there and they are constantly harassing the Palestinians and destroying agricultural crops, as we know is happening in all the occupied territories. Two settlers, known by their names, are Natan Baruch and Matanya Kitsis. Sometimes they put a checkpoint and they don't allow passage through, because that's how they want it.

We are greeted by Adel Nasser, the father of a family of 11 children, the eldest of whom is 25. They are originally from Yatta and the land was purchased 7 years ago so as to enjoy a rural area, desert scenery and agriculture to support his family. The place is called Ras Wadi al-Jarfan.

Unfortunately, the settlers are not giving them any rest, access to the school located in Bani Naim is difficult and not easy for them.

An area where grapes were planted was destroyed by settlers and what remains is an area where they planted several species of saber (sabres). The fruit is marketed in Hebron and Bani Naim.

The house is small and the hospitality is heartwarming. Aya, the eldest, graduated with a bachelor's degree in English and makes it easy for communication. We noticed that some of the houses look abandoned and it is understandable that they are not lived in. We are explained that the difficulty in accessibility, water transfer and harassment by settlers are the reasons for this.

The amazing view from their home towards the desert is a contrast to what they go through every day.

Before we returned, the mother of the family came to say hello to me, and was surprised to see the Machsom Watch badge and to see that I was an Israeli Jew. I told her about us and that there are other Israeli human rights organizations like us.

They asked us very warmly to come again.