Southern Hebron Mountains: Settlers bathe in a Palestinian water cistern

Place:

A-Tuwani

Sansana (Meitar Crossing)

South Hebron Hills

Observers:

Michal (reporting and photographing); Translator: Natanya

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Apr-27-2021

Morning

Bassel's broken windshield

Photo:

Michal Tsadik

We set out towards noon to also see what happens during the short working days due to Ramadan.

But we went mainly to hear from Bassel and Nasser Adara from a-Tuwani what happened on Saturday the 24.4.2021 with the settlers of Havat Maon. (This is one of the most violent settlements and their favourite occupation is harassing and scaring the children going to school. The soldiers are supposed to protect the children but often do not arrive and when they do, do little to protect the children).

In the square next to the junction of the Meitar checkpoint, soldiers are standing. It is not clear why. The fence which has a gap in it through which people can go without being checked by the soldiers remains like this and men and women pass unhindered despite the presence of the soldiers 200 m away.

a-Tuwani

The shattered windows in Nasser's car also testify to the drama that was three days ago. Nasser says: There is a place next the village called Humra where the Palestinians graze and there is also a cistern used to irrigate the sheep and for the shepherds. Suddenly two settlers arrived and went to bathe in the pit. F., the Palestinian, approached and asked them to get out of the water which is used for drinking purposes only. They left but then in their place settlers began to flock in droves. A vehicle with reinforcements and weapons arrived. The settlers were shouting , “Get out of here, this is our land." They were beating the Palestinians and throwing stones at them.

Ta'ayush (an Israeli group which fights for human rights) arrived in an attempt to support the Palestinians and were also beaten. Only after an hour did a military jeep arrive. The soldiers stood and spoke to the settlers and did nothing.

The incident continued and spread in the direction of Umm Fukara. The stone-throwing at the Palestinians continued. Then the soldiers started throwing gas grenades instead of calming the situation. Women and children who were there fainted. Remember that this is at noon when people are fasting.

A bus arrived with 50 more settlers and the situation continued as before. 5 to 6 Palestinian vehicles were damaged by the stones. Only after about an hour and a half did the police arrived. Nasser thinks they came late on purpose.

The members of Ta'ayush tried to talk to the police who demanded that leave and that they had no right to be there. All attempts also by F. and M. to calm things did not succeed. Jassem Hamamda was injured by a stone to his leg. He said that he went to the police to complain about the gas cannisters but they would not accept the complain. They said they did not want to file his complaint. Nasser and Bassel think that this attack was planned a long time ago and carefully. This according to the large amount of settlers who arrived so conveniently. Only when the DCO men arrived and talked to both sides did the winds calm down. The men from the DCO promised to take care of the matter.

No one believes that this will be done and that there will be justice.

The picture shows the broken windows of Bassel's car.

Location Description

Yata / Southern Hebron hills

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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

Apr-10-2024

Muhammad D.

Sa'ir - Yael and Ahmad

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Meitar

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Sansana (Meitar Crossing)

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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 (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

At-Tuwani

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The locals came to At-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 at-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 20th 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 at-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 at-Tuwani there are several families who have returned to the caves due to the incessant demolitions of the civil administration info-icon (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. at-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

Apr-10-2024

Muhammad D.

Sa'ir - Yael and Ahmad

View the full album