South Hebron Hills, Susiya

Place:

South Hebron Hills

Susiya

Observers:

Smadar and Michal (reporting and photographing); Translator: Natanya

Leave this field blank

Nov-24-2020

Morning

The widow's house in Umm Tuba

Photo:

Michal Tsadik

Technological support in filliing water

Photo:

Michal Tsadik

Following a report written by some volunteer, we decided to travel to Umm Tuba, near the settlement Maon and the outpst Havat Maon in the east.

We arrived at the "home" of a widow living there with some of her children (adults it must be said). Turns out one of them is suspected of stealing a 2 m. long rope, a cable, a plastic and a container for watering sheep. A week ago this house was raided by the authorities and searched and the items were taken away . The man ran away and is afraid to return home because he received an summons for an interrogation. He was told present himself.

What day? Early. What time? Early. After a few phone calls with Itai Mack and ith further details from family members, contact was made with lawyers who deal with what is considered criminal offence and not just human rights.

We were told later that the man has a reputation for such offences. Maon settlers have complained more than once.

Seeing the misery and poverty of the family compared to situation of the settlement next to them, explains everything.

Later I was in contact with other decent people, who are in the area and help the victims of the settlers and I was happy to know that there are lawyers who deal with these disenfranchised.

The vehicle, which was full of clothes and baby info-icon equipment, was emptied there.

Then we drove to SusIya.

Nasser told of the demolitions in the area which are taking place the whole time. The next day he asked us to come to an event which was very unpleasant but we could not come.

In general we feel very bad in light of what is happening in the area and our inability to really help prevent the evil that is raging there.

Location Description

Yata / Southern Hebron hills

See all reports for this place

Yatta is a city located in the South Hebron Hills region. It is located in the border zone between the fertile area of Hebron and its surroundings and the desert of the Hebron Hills. Yatta has about 64,000 inhabitants. The surrounding villages are called Masafar 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, a number of 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 the withholding of 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. Road blocks 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

בדרך לרהווה - עם 2 הפועלים הפלסטינים שעובדים במפעל בשדרות

Apr-14-2024

Muhammad D.

On the way to Rahwe - With the 2 Palestinian workers who work at the factory in Sderot

View the full album

Susiya

See all reports for this place

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.