Visiting a Family in Tuba – 30.10

Greetings to our friends all,

Yesterday (Monday, 30.10) afternoon, coming back home from another day in the South Hebron Hills, I could not find the strength to write. Now, morning, so much has happened since yesterday, so many things in the same places I had visited yesterday afternoon, that writing seems pale in comparison and cannot keep up. We need a kind of present continuous in Hebrew to express… present continuous. An action that began sometime in the past and is ongoing, and that will perhaps be ongoing tomorrow. Past continuous and present continuous, as in English. So that’s how you are invited to imagine it. 

We came to D.’s home in Tuba at 2:30 p.m. D., her elderly widowed mother and her 16-year-old son were waiting for us impatiently. The day before, settlers destroyed yet again whatever was left to destroy. D., her son and mother put things back in their place after the vandals left. But they could not replace the 4 sheep the settlers had stolen. The family witnesses the thefts and is prevented from moving – a loaded rifle is pointed at their heads. The settlers also took the son’s schoolbag with all his books and notebooks. They “treated” his cell phone with acid, destroyed any remainder of food (some of it, food we had brought them on our previous visits), broke kitchen utensils, the gas stove, cupboards, anything that could be broken. That happened on Saturday. On Sunday Eyal brought them several things they had asked for. On Monday, Yair, Noga, and I brought them some of the rest. 

D. is the bravest and strongest woman I have ever met. The settlers whip, burn, steal, break, destroy, vandalize, and every time she puts things back in order, puts on her embarrassed smile, serves us tea and says very little. So little that one must guess what she is really feeling. Yesterday I sat next to her in the exposed cave. Through the broken door of the cave we saw the virginal curves of this amazing desert in the gradually lowering sun. For long minutes we watched them silently. Suddenly D. said: “I’d like your advice – should we pack up and leave?” Those were the most numerous words I have heard her utter in the decade of our acquaintance. I fell silent for a moment, shocked, and she continued: “When they steal the rest of our flock, we shall have neither livelihood nor reason to stay here.” I made an effort to hold in my tears. I was silent.

We drove home. It was 4 p.m.

Just then, the Israeli army conducted a search in the home of other friends of ours in Tuba, and at 11 p.m. the settlers came back and vandalized all of the families in that village. D.’s cave is somewhat distanced. They reached her as well, cut off the electricity and in the dark, vandalized the place again. 

We shall go there today. Again.

Erella, on behalf of the Villages Group

Visit to Tuba 31.10

Yesterday, October 31, I wrote about what happened on October 30 at the home of the Tuba widow, at midnight between these two days I already knew what I was going to report now. The writing does not catch up with the pace of the events.

Yesterday we came again to D.’s house, who lives with her elderly mother and her 16-year-old brother. Everything we brought the previous day – a gas stove for cooking and gas, basic food and more that had been destroyed and ruined the day earlier – was destroyed or stolen yet again. This time the meager shack and cave were disconnected from electric power. We came towards noon. It was hot, and the mother insisted on preparing tea for us. She gathered twigs and lit them with the last drop of lighter fluid she had. There was no food. Neither for breakfast, nor for lunch. On the previous night they slept at a cave belonging to friends in the nearby village of Sefay (quite a walk inside the Masafer). They were afraid to sleep in their isolated dwelling in Tuba. This night’s looting took place in their absence. 

Ehud and Yair climbed on foot to other families in Tuba, whereas Shmuel and I drove to buy them some food in some god-forsaken store at Hemaideh (a Bedouin village near the Tuba slope). On our way back I met two soldiers who suspected that I was running away from them. One of them was from the shore city Ashkelon and I might have been able to speak with him, but the other, a settler called up from the nearby settlement of Havat Maon, told the first one what to say and what not to. They photographed our car, I photographed them. Words were exchanged but it was so superfluous. I simply left. I don’t have the energy to write all the details. I tell it because that’s what happened. 

We ate. They insisted we share with them the little food we brought from that measly store. It was so sad. I sat side by side, D. and I, looking at the amazing landscape from that tortured hamlet, until D. asked me that same question, again: “So, should I leave?” After the question’s echo disappeared among the rocks, I asked D.: “What do you feel when you think of leaving?” D. hesitated a bit, not used to such talks, and then answered: “A part of me wishes to leave already. But at the same time another part of me has a very difficult time, and I don’t know what to do.” I had never seen her eyes well up as I did now. “I think that for the next few nights we’ll take the flock and sleep at Sefay, in our relatives’ cave, and in the daytime, we’ll bring the flock here, perhaps until something changes. That might help me know what to do.” I told her it sounded like a good idea. Humbly, almost whispering, she asked me to call Elad, responsible for the solar power – for there is no electricity in the Sefay cave. “My mother will stay in Yatta with one of her older children”, D. answered my question.

And I thought that this is how leaving home begins… 

The few other families in Tuba who live closer to each other are holding on to their land. They even continue to graze their flocks nearby. 

Uniform-wearing settlers and soldiers patrol every once in a while in vehicles and on foot along the way dividing this tiny village. While they patrol, villagers fearfully watch them from windows, anticipating their departure and hoping they won’t enter the homes and trash them as they did just the night before and at other times.

At one such pause between patrols we managed to visit A.’s family, the largest family in the Tuba. They welcomed us in their friendly manner and made our shared time pleasant. For a while we felt we were sitting in a large company of friends, elderly people, women and children, seemingly disconnected from the threat of occupation and expropriation lurking at such a short distance from where we were sitting. After leaving Tuba, we were told on the phone by one of the villagers that seven Israeli volunteers arrived a bit later to spend that night and the coming days in the village.

Erella, on behalf of the Villages Group

Visit at Umm al-Khair – October 30, 2023

We began our morning shopping at Hura (Israeli Bedouin town). The supermarket owner, a learned, nice man who already knows us, refused to let us pay for the food we bought for D and her family. We also bought diapers, a gas stove, and Sim cards and chargers for the three phones we received as a donation and passed on to friends whose devices were stolen or vandalized. 

We continued to Umm al-Khair, a village we have been visiting for over 15 years, and most of whose inhabitants we know. In the past, this village has suffered friction with Carmel settlement that was built right next door, but in recent years there was relative quiet. Until the day before yesterday. The village is divided in two – a lower and an upper part. We got separate reports from the two. First is the testimony of Kh., from the lower part of Umm al-Khair: 

“At 6 p.m. (Sunday, October 29), a white pickup truck came to the village with three masked settlers in army uniforms and bearing M16 rifles [note: no one knows whether they are colonists pretending to be soldiers or settlers called up for reserves or regular army service]. They threatened with their weapons – “If you move, we’ll shoot you!” –

closed all the women and children in one of the houses, and concentrated all the men in a central tent. 

They took away everyone’s phones, forcing people to turn them on, and went over all the photos and WhatsApp messages and social media. They deleted every photo that showed soldiers or destruction scenes from Gaza, or Gazan children, and questioned the phone owner: “Why did you take this photo? Are you a Hamas supporter? You’ll all pay for what you did in the Israeli area around Gaza.” 

We tried to say we are not Hamas and do not support their actions, and why do they treat us this way, but they responded violently.

They continued to the Youth Center [the village has a small center that is used for youth and youngster encounters and contains a playground, library etc.], tore off the walls all the drawings that showed the Palestine flag, that the children of the village drew in their summer camp which volunteers held there for learning English. They broke a new laptop computer, threw around, tore up and scattered all the books in the library. From there they continued their rampage to the upper part of the village.” 

After hearing Kh., we too continued to the upper part and sat with T., who told us the following:

“The settlers came in a white ISUZU pickup truck, each with his M16, a handgun and a knife. Their leader was tall, one was very short and one dark-skinned.  They were masked and used pseudonyms such as ‘Johnnie’ but sometimes got mixed up and called their leader by his real name rather than Johnnie. 

Luckily, we managed to distance the children and women before they arrived. They concentrated us in the tent under armed threats, placed their vehicle opposite the opening so it would shine its light on us: ‘Sit facing the wall! Don’t move! You are all Hamas! Where’s the Mukhtar (head of the village)?’ I told him we have none and that he can speak with me. “Go bring him! You have one minute. You see this weapon? These bullets can blow your head in two. Tell everyone that whoever moves we’ll blow his brains out!’ 

While I went to get A., they approached the men one by one and opened their phones under armed threat. They yelled and cursed and beat up people every time they found a video or photos connected with the war. In M. ‘s phone they found pictures of him with a gun and immediately stood him up and pointed their rifles at him. ‘I am a policeman for the PA, I work for Abu Mazen.’ They called and 4 soldiers immediately came with an officer in an army vehicle. The army personnel said not a word to the settlers and just took M. for questioning. When people spoke to each other the settlers silenced them – ‘Silence! We’ll kill anyone who opens their mouth!’ 

They continued rummaging the phones and hitting people, reset some of the phones and deleted everything. A. came and asked what the problem was and why they were here. ‘Don’t ask questions. We are doing the asking here.’ I got up to help my cousin whom they hit hard in the back with their rifles. They pointed their guns at me again: ‘I’ll blow your brains out!’ 

The leader yelled at us: ‘You’re glad that Hamas kills Jews, cuts open pregnant women’s bellies, kills elderly people, That is… You’re glad?’

No, I answered. We are not glad, unconnected to Hamas, we are simple people, shepherds. We are against murder, on either side. 

‘Don’t talk on either side! Hamas are murderers! You are Hamas!’ 

They asked whom we know in the Carmel settlement, and I named a few people. The short guy said he was from Carmel and knows us, and that in the past he sat with my father and drank our tea. 

Their leader said: “You have to decide if you’re with us or against us. If you are against Hamas, I want to photograph you saying this.’ They stood A. in front of everyone and forced him to speak against Hamas and translate it so that everyone would repeat this text. We are very afraid that they will distribute this video and make us look like collaborators. Hamas supporters and even extreme people from the PLO could take revenge. It puts us in great danger. 

‘Now you have to prove to us that you are with us. Tomorrow evening at 7 we’ll be back and I want to see an Israeli flag on every house. Otherwise, we’ll kill you.’ 

We are Palestinians, I answered. Where do we get Israeli flags? How will we put them up? We’ll be killed. ‘If you don’t put up a flag, I’ll be back and kill you and all the others.’ And then they left.” 

From there we continued to Tuba, about which Erella has written to you already.

Yair, on behalf of the Villages Group

Recent Events in Abu Qbeta Hamlet 28.10

 Greetings to our friends all,

Below the bereavement that this war produces – the mourning that sweeps over the families impacted by October 7^th, the search for the missing persons and deep concern for the hostages, below the roars of vengeance that continue to murder innocents in Gaza, the most crowded open-air prison in the world – we witness the accumulating crimes perpetrated by the settlers backed up by the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank, especially in Area C – especially in the Jordan Valley and south Mt. Hebron. The events keep piling up and we cannot keep up our reports.

On Friday, October 27^th, we split up. While Ehud and I visited Khalat a-Da’be, our friends brought a water tank to the compound of the besieged Abu Qbeta family. The next day, Saturday, always foreboding as regards the settlers who “observe” the Sabbath, a severe incident occurred here, and this is how Umm Muhammad, wife of A. writes about it: 

“I was sitting down with my husband and our four children (9-year-old Mohammad, 7-year-old Abbas, 6-year-old Bisan, and 2-year-old Bahaa) for breakfast. As we were eating, we were surprised by the entry of the vehicle of the settler responsible for the security of Yatir settlement, only a few meters from our home. We were surprised by his uninvited visit without any court order. This settler attacked the 57-year-old brother of my husband who was busy at the time arranging the 2 sq.m. in front of his home with concrete. The settler – full of hate – prevented him from casting the concrete. Our relative’s 17-year-old daughter came to photograph this incident, but the settler grabbed her phone and hit her hand, all this without any court order or police warrant. This settler who hates us called the army unit of the area at the time, and reported that he was attacked. Soldiers arrived, assaulted our homes and fired random live bullets. Stun grenades were thrown at our feet, and teargas was hurled towards the women and children. We entered our homes to hide from the stifling gas, but they chased us there in order to arrest the men. One of the soldiers hit my husband’s back and then he was tied up, blindfolded and other soldiers kicked him. They did to another two brothers of my husband as well (57-year-old A and 30-year-old I.). They were thrown down on the ground shackled and blindfolded and kicked. The soldiers scared our children. A group of soldiers entered the room and said to the women: “Get your phones out or we shoot you”. My niece was told that “I am counting to ten. If you don’t give me your phone I shoot”. All this while pointing his gun at us. For fear we took out all our phones. They deleted all our personal information. Everything. Some of the phones were handed back, others were broken and thrown into the cesspool so there would no proof for their illegal actions. 

It’s hard to describe what the children went through. They arrested my husband and his two brothers. My husband is a chronic diabetic. A diabetic should not be beaten for his wounds don’t heal well. In 12 homes they conducted searches and trashed things. Among the assailants were settlers whom we identified although they were masked. These are the guys from Havat Ya’acov. 

I am Umm Muhammad, wife of Muslim A., asking for security and peace and protection of my children. And I ask for my husband and his brothers to be freed.”

 What more can one add? There were many similar events going on that day – at Susya, Tuba, Jinba, Tha’ala and other villages 

On Sunday we were on the ground again. We came to the home of Abu Qbeta. Bringing life-rescuing medication for A., we went to the regional detention center Etzyon in order to give it to him. They would not let us in, but just then a lawyer phoned and told us that the army physician received the prescription from A., who keeps it in his phone (the phone that he wouldn’t give to the soldier and was arrested for his refusal)… How ironic can one get?

Erella, on behalf of the Villages Group 

A visit to Khalet A-Dhaba and A-Tuwani

October 27, 2023

Every day on our way to south Mt. Hebron Hebron, we call our friends there to find out what awaits us on the road. Whether there are soldiers and/or settlers at the junctions and/or in the villages we wish to visit. On weekends we pay even much more attention. “The religious settlers are very careful not to do any work on the holy Sabbath, but I guess destroying, threatening, giving blows, burning houses and cars – God likes all of these”, M. will tell us later in the day.  

 

We found out that the junction at a-Tuwani as of 9:30 a.m. was open, as well as the way from there to Khalat A-Dhaba, said N. from a-Tuwani. As we rolled onto the dirt road right below the village of Rakeez, we met N. harvesting his olives. The sky was overcast a bit, the green olive trees stood, a little dusty, on this late autumn day, and the ripe olives were gladly picked by the skilled hands of N. and women from his family. For a moment it seemed as though there was no war in the world. We stayed there a bit to breathe in the sight, and then our old vehicle continued to Khalet A-Daba.  

 

A., G.s wife, was in their small cave with her sons (12, 9, 5 and twins 1.5 years old). “A day before yesterday”, she begins, “settlers entered the cave. There were five of them. They trashed everything. The children were very scared. The settlers were armed so I could not do a thing. It was very crowded and they were right on top of us. It was very scary. They broke my phone and turned everything in the cave upside down. I didn’t care about myself. I could hardly breathe. I only wanted for my children to be unharmed.” The whole time A. described what happened there two days ago, she smiled with a mixture of shame and embarrassment. I thought it was really very embarrassing to say such things… I asked the older children what they felt. “I was very very scared” the eldest answered. In the meantime, Ehud and G. sat in the nice tree grove beside the cave. G. is wounded in the arm from the blows he received from settlers two days ago, and is telling Ehud about the settlers’ attack on the village – how they passed between the houses with their weapons, threatened, cursed, and smashed the school windows, and gave blows to people without limits, always saying “You’re all Hamas”. Afterwards a conversation ensued. 

G. has both brains and an intelligent heart. Conversations with him are ones of mutual listening, respectful and instructive. Ehud told G. what the Hamas people did to the Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip on October 7^th. G. who just now heard the details expressed deep shock. After staying silent for a long time, he said: “The settlers and soldiers say that we are Hamas. They are Jewish terrorists and they call us Hamas. There’s no law, no justice, and no one to turn to. It is top policy. But I shall not turn to violence. I will not be violent even if I have to die.”

 

On our way back we visited M. and his family at a-tuwani again (we wrote about them in our reports from October 17 and 20). Only he, his wife and the baby were home. The children spent the weekend at their uncle’s, in Area B. “The day before yesterday soldiers came to the house. The commander called M. who came out, and told him: “I am a new commander here and I don’t know what things are like here. I see many people on your second floor.” I explained that these are my family members”. He approved, and said”: “Now I will tell you what is allowed and what is forbidden.  You are forbidden to come out towards the settlement  of Havat Ma’on” I told him that our oven is close to home but in the direction of the colony. “No problem”, he said, “but if anyone goes out towards the wood beyond the oven, he will be shot without warning. There’s a war now.” I told him that Hamas did not notify me that the war is on. What is happening over there is very sad, but I am not responsible for it. “It’s true, but you give Hamas its power”, said the commander. “I did not want to continue this talk. Ever since then, every time we go to the outdoor oven to bake our bread, soldiers arrive…”

We parted, praying that the Sabbath would be a peaceful one.

 

Erella, on behalf of the Villages Group

Very Urgent Message From Tariq

A grave and harrowing crisis is unfolding in the South Hebron Hills, demanding the utmost urgency and gravity. Settlers, masquerading as a military force, have launched a barbaric assault on Susyiah village. They have subjected the inhabitants, including innocent children, to brutal and violent attacks. These aggressors have issued a menacing ultimatum: if the villagers do not vacate within 24 hours, they vow to return and perpetrate murder.

Over the past three weeks, Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills have endured a relentless wave of terrorism. The absence of accountability, scrutiny, and media coverage has granted settlers carte blanche to commit heinous acts of murder, arson, demolition, destruction, theft, poisoning, and unrelenting terror. They are exploiting this crisis for their own gain.

The situation is so dire that ten villages have been compelled to forsake their ancestral lands and flee in abject fear. Susyiah village now stands as the next target. We urgently beseech you to intervene without delay and bring this horrific nightmare to a halt. What is occurring at this very moment is an echo of the Nakba and the tragic events of 1948, unfolding before the gaze of the world. We cannot stand idly by as this continues. Immediate, unwavering, and decisive action is imperative to prevent further catastrophe.

We implore you to harness the full weight of your resolve and influence. The people of Susyiah and the entire South Hebron Hills region need your support and intervention like never before. Let us unite and stand resolutely against this grave injustice. Together, we can bring an end to this nightmare and avert an impending catastrophe.

Tariq, 

Umm al-Khair

Visit at Umm Barid – Thursday, October 26, 2023

On Wednesday, D. recorded some WhatsApp messages for Erella. Soldiers came, entered the cave. Taftish – that’s the magic word – a search.

D. lives in a cave somewhat distant from the houses of Tuba village, just she and her widowed mother and another younger brother. This distance from the village makes it easy for settlers and soldiers to harass them on a daily basis with false searches intended to destroy, intimidate and threaten, break her until she leaves. In the evening four soldiers arrived, D. thinks. But perhaps they were settlers dressed as soldiers. It’s become hard to tell between the two lately. The entire contents of the cupboards got strewn on the ground. Everything in the fridge – flour, rice and oil, everything found itself on the floor.

In the morning D.l discovered that the settlers\soldiers stole 2,000 NIS from her. All of her savings. We wanted to visit them, but decided to go to M. first, at Umm Barid. (These incidents are happening faster than our visits). 

Umm Barid is some way from Shi’eb-Al-Butum. Like most of the villages in the south Mt. Hebron, too has been under a partial siege. The army situated giant boulders at the entrance to the village. We enter via a bypass track, only M. and his family.

We first met M. at his neighbor, Abu Hani (Erella wrote about him on October 15, 2023). The latter’s house was also isolated at some distance from Umm Barid. Settlers from the outpost Avigail erased it from the face of the earth, as well as Abu Hani’s fruit tree grove. M. was their next target. His home was attacked yesterday several times. He too, as well as his son Mu. Were hospitalized in Yatta.

His eldest son. Sh. (29-years-old) walked out to meet us and led us via a bypass track. Getting close to their house we noticed on the opposite hill, closer to Avigail, some few hundred meters away, an outpost with a large tent and kitchen. Next to it – a vehicle. According to F. (another son of M.) it was erected 3 days ago. Someone there was standing and observing us.

In spite of the demolitions, uprooting and incineration, one could still be impressed by the love and industry invested in this home, with its vegetable greenhouses, garden and several olive and almond trees. Now everything has been destroyed and burned.

M.’s wife, L. was waiting for us there – an impressive, hearty woman who shows no signs of anger or bitterness in spite of everything she has been through. Her husband M. joined us later, having lodged a complaint with the Yatta Palestinian police (the occupation police wouldn’t accept his complaint). His back hurts from the beatings he sustained and he is limited in his movement. He showed us photos of his son Mu. Whose arm is in cast, lying in hospital. He does not show any despair either.

This is what we were told by L.: Tuesday afternoon she and M., Sh. and his 4 children, son Mu. and his wife F. (who have children too but they were not there), and 13-year-old daughter F. were at home. At 3 p.m. five settlers showed up, broke windows and the house door, smashed the solar panels, punctured and emptied the water tanks. They took everyone under armed threats to the greenhouse, somewhat distant from the house, seated them with their hands behind their backs like prisoners, cursing them as daughters of bitches etc. They beat up Mu. While cursing him “You are Hamas, get out of here!”

Half an hour later they left.

Sh.’s 4-year-old son wet his pants from sheer fright. When the settlers left, Sh. Took his whole family and evacuated them to their relatives in Yatta. Good for them, because shortly thereafter the settlers were back, this time a larger group in two vehicles, one of them white and large like the army’s. Once again curses, “questioning” M. claiming that he is Hamas. And that he invades ground that is not really owned by him. Thus, claimed settlers of a 3-day-old outpost!

Again, they took the women under armed threat to the greenhouse, grabbed their cell phones, seated them with their hands behind their backs, and forbade them to turn their heads and look at the house. At the same time their buddies scattered the flour, sugar, oil and everything else on the kitchen floor, and emptied the water tank over it all.

One of the settlers stepped on M.’s neck, the other beat him with his rifle butt at the back: “You’re Hamas!” again and again.  M.’s son was beaten hard with a metal rod and his shoulder was fractured. They were both taken to the Yatta hospital. M. was released with bruises in his back. Mu. Remained for continued treatment.

This second “visit” lasted 2 hours. When L. described it, Erella needed a dictionary for the word “pogrom”. Mazbaha in Arabic, from the root zabah which means ‘slaughter’. 

This time the destruction was thorough. The settlers broke the windows and the door lock so that it could no longer be locked. They locked another room and took away the key. They cut the electrical wires and broke the solar panels. They took 4 generators and two water pumps from the water hole. Finally, they trashed the old Peugeot pickup truck he uses for his work – cut the tires, opened the engine and took away the battery.

Before they left, they threatened M. that if he summons the police or the Civil Administration he and his family will be finished off. After they left, L. found a rifle bullet standing on the gas stove of the kitchen, as a blatant threat.

That night the family did not dare sleep at home and stayed with neighbors in the village. At night the settlers arrived yet again, ruined the latrine and the hot water device.

We brought them flour, rice, oil, potatoes, tuna, tomatoes and wafers for the children. We remained there for a few hours. L. insisted on preparing food for us. Occasionally I came out to watch the outpost, overlooking them at such close quarters. Every time an ATV or ‘mule’ came out of it, I waited to see whether they were headed towards us. Frightening indeed.

M. said they didn’t spend this night at home either. 

I took photos of the house and the vegetable patch, thinking that even the remains of this home might be totally demolished, just like Abu Hani’s. 

On our way home we held on to the strong impression left by L., M. and their sons. How, after everything they had been through, they manage not to hate, not to feel like victims, and stay connected to their heart.

Yair, on behalf of the Villages Group

Tariq Report – Events in South Mt. Hebron Between 13-20 of October

Our friend Tariq from Umm al-Khair sent us a report that covers many of the events that happened in south Mt. Hebron on the week between 13-20 of October.  

Dear Friends,

I’m sincerely grateful for your care and support during these times. Your concern means the world to us. In the midst of uncertainty, your presence is a reminder of the strength of our bonds and the kindness that surrounds us. We know that we are not alone.

Here is a report message for the second week of this barbarian war:

In my village of Khirbet Umm Al Khair, we continue to face numerous challenges. Settlers in military uniforms persist in imposing a kind of siege around the village, particularly during the night, making it virtually impossible for anyone to venture more than a meter beyond the village’s boundaries. They have implemented stringent security measures in our community, even deploying surveillance drones that fly at very low altitudes. This week, they went so far as to send a speaking drone to issue warnings and threats to the residents, and they repeatedly harassed my disabled brother, whom I mentioned in my previous message. It feels as though we are imprisoned within our own village, akin to being in a prison.

The heightened security measures enforced in the village have generated fear and anxiety among families, especially the children. Security patrols routinely intercept people, and we are denied access to our agricultural fields. We are still enduring very difficult times, and we wonder what the future holds and when we will be able to return to the already challenging life we were living before. The situation remains deeply unsettling and perilous, resembling a never-ending nightmare.

Here is an arrangement of the incidents that I have been able to document in my region of the South Hebron Hills:

The situation in South Hebron Hills has continued to deteriorate for the second week. This is happening amidst ongoing airstrikes and humanitarian disasters in the Gaza Strip, with the number of martyrs surpassing 5,000, the majority of them children. The settlers in the South Hebron Hills area, devoid of any accountability, are acting as if they were in their own separate state, perpetuating their series of crimes and terrorism against innocent, vulnerable, unarmed Palestinian civilians. Most of the events in the southern Hebron hills are either caused by settlers or by the military, who are mostly settlers in military attire.

On the evening of Friday, the 13th and throughout the second week of war, following the tragic shooting of Zakariah Adarah by settlers from Khavat Maon, the Israeli army opened fire on a group of youth near the village of Al-Majaz. They narrowly escaped the gunfire, and it was their quick running away from the area that ultimately saved their lives. Consequently, this dire situation has prompted numerous families to leave their villages as people seek safety amidst the escalating terrorism in the region, particularly in the so-called “firing zone 918.” This is the very area where the village of Al-Majaz is situated and where the aforementioned attack happened.

On Saturday the 14th, the occupation army shot at a man in Susyiah while he was herding his sheep and forced him off his own private land. Additionally, on the same day, the army intercepted the families of Al Asaafir who were attempting to reach the town in search of basic human necessities. These families had been under complete siege for a week due to the situation. This happened despite that they had obtained coordination from the DCO office, and an officer personally led their way. This is the reason they were not subjected to beatings or arrests. However, they faced significant challenges in reaching their destination and getting things done within the very short time they were given.

Furthermore, on Saturday, the army harassed the residents of Khashm Ad-Daraj and chased vehicles within the village, resorting to physically assaulting one of the people. In another incident, a group of settlers fired upon a civilian as he was on his way home to the village of Al-Markaz throughout Shib Al Botom road. The bullets struck his driver seat, but miraculously, he was fortunate to escape unharmed, under God’s protection.

On the same day, they tightened the grip on the village of Al-Jwaya, with a group of infantry soldiers restricting the movement of people to and from the village. During the nighttime hours of Saturday, there was another attack on the citizens in Maghayir Al-‘Abeed by the settlers, terrorizing the population, including children. Subsequently, they proceeded to attack the village of As-Safi Al-Tahta, vandalizing people’s property, including residential rooms, water tanks, and solar panels. They engaged in provocative actions while passing through the village of Tubah on their way out.

On Sunday the 15th, a group of settlers attacked the people in Fatih Sidro, getting their sheep into the fields of Fareed Al-Hamamda and destroying tens of olive and almond trees. In the afternoon, settlers demolished the house of Abu Hani Al-Hamamda near the village of Al-Mufaqarah, destroying and cutting wells, tanks, and trees surrounding his house. In the village of Um Al-Khair, a settler in a civilian car assaulted the citizens, forcing them to enter their homes under the threat of weapons, claiming a curfew. And he even pulled the trigger on an old man to scare him. In the Ghzayweh area, occupation soldiers opened fire on some farmers working in their fields.

The occupation army decided to open the entrance of the Khallet Al-Ma’iah town for people to pass through, but they placed a checkpoint of infantry soldiers hindering people for hours, and not to mention the attacks and arrests of some passers-by that they were carrying out. In the village of Susiya, the settlers demolished and vandalized water wells and uprooted  planted with trees like olives. And they ended up blocking all of the roads to the village, leaving not even a small gap for people to use. Prior to that, they were in the village of Al-Radeem, where they demolished two-thirds of the community and its contents, including houses, barns, tanks, wells, and this was done brutally to destroy the facilities, including furniture, goods, and fodder inside them.

On Monday the 16th, the situation escalated with more harassment and provocations by settlers in Maghayir Al-‘Abeed and As-Safi villages. Olive tree destruction and land damage were carried out as settlers came again and herded their livestock into Fatih Sidro village, terrorizing locals for another time. That same day, nighttime raids and property searches took place in the village of Munayzil by occupation military, resulting in the arrest of some people.

Tuesday the 17th witnessed further distress as settlers continued to terrorize people with their guns and their provocative actions in Jinba village. 

Wednesday the 18th was a tough day, especially for the people passing through that checkpoint at Khalet Al Maiah, where the actions of that group of infantry soldiers who were at the checkpoint, which is the last resort for the residents of Masafer Yatta to obtain their basic necessities. This group opened fire on a vehicle belonging to one of the area’s residents, resulting in direct hits but miraculously, no injuries were reported.

Thursday the 19th was marred by a series of violent attacks, escalating into crimes against the local population. In the early hours of the morning, a group of settlers launched an assault on Sadit Ath-Tha’la village, spreading terror among its residents under the shroud of darkness. This distressing incident included acts of aggression toward children, women, and the elderly, and even extended to firing upon dogs. Following this horrifying event, the same group of settlers proceeded to target the villages of As-Sfai and Tuba, repeating their disturbing actions. In Tuba, they deliberately vandalized the water tanks, causing water to spill onto the ground. No one could intervene, as they were armed and prepared to resort to violence if anyone attempted to stop them. After depleting the water tanks, they left. In Fatih Sidro village, settlers menacingly approached family homes once again, brandishing firearms and releasing their livestock to graze on cultivated fields again and again, leading to the destruction of trees and other property.

During this time, military personnel stationed at that checkpoint by the entrance of Khalet Al Maiaih town again displayed aggressive behavior toward those passing through. In an alarming incident, they opened fire at a vehicle that was merely attempting to turn around and leave the traffic jam caused by the checkpoint. Fortunately, no one was injured, even though the shots were directed at the vehicle, as my cousin personally was next to that vehicle and told me. He reported to me that additionally, the military arbitrarily detained several individuals without valid cause, subjecting them to unjustifiably prolonged arrest.

The day concluded on a distressing story with an incident involving the assault on an elderly and ailing man named Abu Safi Abu Kbash from his place next to the village of Al-Radeem, a village had already suffered a brutal attack in the previous week. In Mnayzil town again, settlers forcibly entered a mosque and destroyed its speaker system, as well as causing damage to various other items within the mosque.

On Friday the 20th and after one week, I’m relieved to see that Zakariah Adarah is showing signs of improvement after the harrowing incident when he was shot at point-blank range by a settler from Khavat Ma’on on the Friday before. Zakariah still needs more medical attention, which is expected to take a long time. Let us not forget to wish and pray for his speedy and complete recovery.

Friday was a day that seemed quieter than any before or after since the beginning of the situation, but it was still not completely peaceful, as we observed a very tight closure on Mnayzil. A military bulldozer destroyed and blocked all the entrances to the town.

Israeli Terror in Stages – South Mt. Hebron October 24-25th

Some months ago we already wrote to you about the escalation taking place of the plan to “quietly transfer” the Palestinian communities in Area C of the West Bank in general, and those in the Palestinian Jordan Valley and south Mt. Hebron Hills in particular.

(See https://villagesgroup.wordpress.com/2023/07/22/situation-in-c-area-of-the-west-bank). 

The war declared following the massacres in the Israeli communities of the western Negev October 7^th created the optimal conditions to realize this plan. The settlers put on their military uniforms and received added weapons. They and their security officials control Area C and lead army forces on terror, destructive and looting rampages they initiate themselves. They know that as long as the war continues and public and media attention in Israel and abroad are directed at the main arenas of the Gaza Strip and Israel’s northern borders, they can finish off and expel the small Palestinian shepherd  communities in the Palestinian Jordan Valley and in the south Mt. Hebron, undisturbed.

With things as they stand now, we Israeli activists who have been visiting the Palestinian shepherd communities in south Mt. Hebron for over 20 years find ourselves in a region that is quickly turning into a disaster area. Those who call themselves “our brothers” and “our army” are wreaking one disaster after another on people whom we’ve known for years as simple, hard-working, good-hearted and generous friends. Beyond the aid and solidarity that we still manage to extend, we find ourselves documenting for ourselves and for others what now seems to be the last days of those frontier communities, where their families had lived for generations under harsh terrain and climate conditions.

Yesterday, Tuesday, October 24^th, we visited three communities at the heart of Masafer Yatta – Fakhit, Taban and Maghayir al-Abeed, and met old and new friends there. ‘I. lives in nearby Fakhit and grows a 30-camel herd, a huge number for the area in which villagers concentrate on their sheep and goat flocks and only a few own several camels. When we were about to leave, our hosts from Taban pointed to a nearby hill where ‘I. and his camels live. Looking at this sight, I had bitter thoughts about the anticipated fate of the camel owner and his flock, who are now becoming a burden in face of the immediate danger hovering over his village and the entire area.

Today, Wednesday, October 25^th, we did not go to the South Hebron Hills. Erella and her partner Dani went to meet friends from Be’eeri (one of the massacred Israeli communities) for a condolence visit (a mother and son whom Erella and Dani hosted at their kibbutz home during the night after Kibbutz Be’eri was evacuated on October 8^th). Since noon, we began receiving messages from our friends in Masafer Yatta about combined attacks by settlers and the army on  numerous villages including Fakhit, Taban, Tuba and Khalat a-Dhab’a. The first came from Fakhit and was about settlers assaulting ‘I.’s residential compound, the camel owner. In a phone conversation I had with him, ‘I. described the following: About 20 settlers including Joseph, a known vandal from Mitzpe Yair, shot the compound from a distance, then entered the residence. There they beat ‘I. up, broke cupboards, a TV set, threw down food, robbed a laptop that served the children in their studies, as well as several phones and boots. They also confiscated the ID of one of his sons. Leaving, they told I. that it’s war now, pointed their weapons at him and threatened that they would return at night.  

This description gives you an idea about Jewish colonist-military terror in its moderate form. If the attacked do not get the “hint”, the Israeli terror initiators go on to the next phase which consists of beating up body parts and fracturing arms and legs with metal rods. This stage was felt among others by our friend Sh. from Maghayir al-Abeed last week, our friend M. from Umm Barid yesterday, and our friend J. from Khalat a-Dhab’a today. Knowing how strongly the villagers of Masafer Yatta and its surrounding villages are tied to their land, we are horrified at the thought of the next stages of Israeli terror that awaits them in the near future.

Ehud, on behalf of the Villages Group

For more items about the goings-on in the South Hebron Hills, today, see (in Hebrew):

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092029721262

Susiya, October 23

Ever since the Hamas offensive on October 7^th, the settlers’ and soldiers’ attacks against Palestinians have escalated, and all inhabitants of the south Mt. Hebron who used to work in Israel are now sitting at home, having lost their livelihood. What is more, several days ago the Israeli army laid siege on some of these communities. At some, such as Susya, all access tracks have been blocked by soil dykes and boulders. In others, such as Tha’ala the army simply prevents the people from exiting the village.

Our friends of the Abu Qbeita family living near the Beit Yatir settlement are caged in their small compound. When we told them we meant to visit, they asked us to bring potatoes and tomatoes. We dropped in on the supermarket at Hura and loaded three sacks of potatoes and three crates of tomatoes and got on our way.

In order to get to the blocked Susya, where we heard the army was carrying searches in the homes, we had to split up. Ehud dropped us close to the village and we entered on foot.

We first visited our friend A., who speaks fluent Hebrew and has worked in Israel for years.

Here is what he told us:

“Yesterday at 11 a.m. I was with the sheep when suddenly a civilian vehicle with a yellow light on top (perhaps the security official?) showed up and three soldiers disembarked. I hurried home and told my wife to stay there. Another jeep came with another 5-6 soldiers. I saw J. start his car to get his children, who had also gone to feed their sheep.

The soldiers stopped him, threatening him with their guns. I saw him standing there, his hands up in the air and lifting his shirt. The soldiers went into his house and the house of his brother N., looked in all the rooms and threw all the cupboard and kitchen contents on the floor. In the meantime, I called all the youngsters to my side and calmed them down so they wouldn’t say or do anything that would end up badly.

Then the soldiers came to me. They turned over all the mattresses, threw everything from the cupboards to the floor, and when I asked them “Why do you do this?” They answered; “Because of the war in Gaza”.  “Is it the civilians’ fault?” I asked. “How are we connected to it? Did you find anything in all your searches? We are simple people who hardly live on these rocks.”

“Why did you celebrate and give out sweets?” the officer asked. “No one here celebrated”, I answered. The officer found some lumps of salty white cheese drying in the sun. “What is this?” he asked. “Food. Tasty. Have a bite.” I ate a piece before he did so he wouldn’t think I was poisoning him. He looked at me suspiciously and took a piece from the same place… He didn’t like it.”

When the soldiers approached, A. hid his cell phone under the mattresses that the soldiers turned upside down later on. After they left he found the phone on top of the mattresses, whole. Perhaps the fact that he had spoken with the soldiers eye to eye prevented the phone’s being broken or confiscated as is usually the case.

A. added that at night settlers came to a neighbor’s house, stole the water pump after cutting the pipes that lead from it to the cistern, and threatened its owner that if he moves a meter from his own yard, it will cost him his life.

One cannot leave this couple’s house without eating something, so we ate and continued to the home of J. He said it is very difficult to bring food, one can only drive to the edge of the village and then carry everything on foot. In the past they had donkeys, but for some years they got rid of the animals thinking that these days cars do the job…

The soldiers entered his home too, messing it up, and the feeling was that they are not really searching for weapons (or anything else) but there to intimidate the inhabitants. In the council offices adjacent to his home, they scattered all the documents and paperwork on the floor.

We finished our visit with our friend Y. and his two wives, R. and D. Y. works in Israel, so we hardly ever see him in our weekly visits, except on holidays. We were glad to see him. I. knows what is going on in Israel, for example that Israel wishes to get to work immediately thousands of workers from the West Bank who have worked there for years with all the required permits and no trouble. But Ben Gvir, Minister of Homeland Security, has been preventing this. Just before we got there, a pickup truck of the Civil Administration stopped at their access road which had been totally blocked. The Druze Civil Administration official said something about this blockage. Perhaps about planning to open it. This remained unclear. From this house too we could not come out hungry… We walked to the exit and I. showed us how the bulldozers that created the blockage destroyed two water holes in the process. “Say they block access,” said I., “But why destroy water holes in this arid region? What shall we drink? Another few days and all our water will be gone.”

We got to the access track beyond the blockage. Ehud came back and picked us up. We drove home, thinking about the fact that the village has food and water for another two weeks. If until then the village will not be opened and the town of Yatta will be blocked as well, Susya might undergo a humanitarian crisis.

Yair, on behalf of the Villages Group