Tag: Masafer Yatta

Waiting for the sunrise in Susiya: messages from Masafer Yatta

This is a story based on texts exchanged over recent days with an international activist part of a group staying in Masafer Yatta, in occupied Palestine.

They arrived recently in Susiya and they are staying in a homestead which is some distance away from other families living in the area.

About 40 families with 100 people in total live in Susiya spread out over an area of 3km2 (3000 dunum).

I asked her what was going on and she wrote: ‘In Susiya nobody is now able to go out and get food because the roads are closed and if people leave, the settlers will attack. So the Israeli activists have started bringing food parcels.’

As in other villages, inhabitants cannot take animals to pasture and extra food has to be brought in to feed the flock. She sent me a picture of a woman form the host family doing exactly that, as we spoke.

‘Can’t take the sheep out because army and settlers restrict the people to a small area and the settlements are too near. It is not a ‘formal rule’ but the settlers have taken law into their own hands and if people take their sheep outside the narrow area around their homes, settlers will attack. They have done it here. They have beaten our host and his brother who came to visit from Yatta. Army comes while the setters are attacking but they just stand around and do nothing.’

‘We are very close to a dangerous settler road, it is 200 -300 meters away’, she said. I asked her to send me a picture of the road and she responded with the smiley and ‘Do you want me to get killed?’. She sent me a picture and explained ‘We were asked not to go on the road. There are two soldiers watching, so I better not go any closer. Palestinians are now not allowed on this road at all and again, that is the rule the settlers have created and they are enforcing it by beating up people. ’

I asked if settlers were coming to their hosts’ homestead and she responded that both settlers and the soldiers go nearby constantly.

They don’t seem to come on the property when foreign or Israeli activists are around, but one can never be sure.

This morning my friend wrote at 5am and I asked what she was doing up that early. ‘Watching sun rising above Susiya’, she said with a smiley. ‘A woman we are staying with looks at me with haggard face and swollen eyes and says “I haven’t slept since the war started”, so we decided to stay awake overnight in shifts so that the family could get some sleep.’

The family sent their two little girls to stay with relatives in Yatta to keep them safe.

This morning my friend was just finishing her ‘night guard shift’ and was looking forward to a hot taboon bread the hostess was to make and the food brought by the Israeli activists. She sent me the picture of the woman carrying a tray with dough to the taboon oven.

‘The night was OK, I think… a guy checked the place out from a distance at 3am and there were no problems. Haven’t heard bad news from other international teams. From across the valley, they kept an eye on us, to ensure we didn’t stray out of the patch of ground they have decreed is all the pasture this family is entitled to’, and she added ‘I think there are more watchers than sheep’.

One day in Masafer Yatta

2 November 2023 | Masafer Yatta| International Solidarity Movement

The testimony from a volunteer in Masafer Yatta, October 28.

 

One day in the life of …

… three villages in the South Hebron Hills ; Tuwani, Shi’b Al Batin and Khalet Al Dabaa.

Villages that I’ve come to know over the past fortnight and where events on just one day last week (Wednesday) showed the brutality and lawlessness of the occupation.

Next to Tuwani village, where I’m based, is the illegal settlement of Maon and its “outpost” of Havat Maon. Built on stolen village land, it has some of the most extreme “ideological” and violent settlers in the area.

On the Wednesday morning, a bulldozer accompanied by a heavily armed settler and three Israeli soldiers, trashed land belonging to the Huraini’s family. The family’s vegetable plot and fruit trees destroyed on a vindictive settler’s whim.

When we tried to get close to film and document what was happening, the settler and soldiers fired warning shots of live ammo at us. And made it clear we would be shot for real if we did not back off.

Around 10km away, the small village of Shi’ib Al Batin is threatened by the same settlement. During the day, an isolated homestead was attacked by settlers who ransacked the house, trashed the domestic and irrigation water systems (and poisoned the well), destroyed crops and stole anything of value.

They also fired a live bullet. This came with the message move out or this is for you.  Not an idle threat, the family has been forced to leave. Their land will soon be taken over by the settlers.

On the Wednesday evening, just after dark, the village itself was raided by the army. I was there with a solidarity comrade and, along with the senior men in the village, we were forced by aggressive soldiers to kneel at gunpoint, hands on head for an hour or so.

The sole purpose of this – which happens on a regular basis – is to intimidate and harass. All part of the coordinated effort to forcibly displace the Palestinian population.

In a remote but beautiful hilltop location looking to the Jordan Valley and the 1949 Green Line is the village of Khalet Al Dabaa. It also has some of the best political murals I’ve ever seen.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, attacks on the village by settlers have become more frequent and violent with Israeli soldiers taking a leading role in the violence.

The attack which took place on Wednesday resulted in two village men being hospitalized, children traumatized, essential infrastructure trashed and valuable equipment stolen.

This is just a snapshot from one day, in three villages. It is happening every day and all thirty villages in the South Hebron Hills are being terrorized.

Call to Action – Embassies of Ireland, UK, Belgium and Mexico: act now to stop the violence in Masafer Yatta

URGENT CALL TO ACTION!!

We ask people around the world to pressure the governments of UK, Ireland, Belgium and Mexico to take immediate action to stop the attacks happening in Masafer Yatta, Palestine.

As the world’s eyes are rightly upon the Israeli genocide taking place in Gaza, many horrific episodes of ethnic cleansing of Palestinian communities are taking place in the dark in the West Bank.

A group of human rights defenders from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), citizens of the UK, Ireland, Belgium and Mexico, are currently in the villages of Masafer Yatta, South Hebron Hills, in solidarity with Palestinian communities who are facing immediate threats to their lives and of displacement. 

Israeli settlers and soldiers have taken advantage of the state of emergency during the current Israeli onslaught in Gaza to escalate their violence and displacement of Palestinians in the southern region of the West Bank. Armed settlers and soldiers have attacked villages of Masafer Yatta daily in recent weeks, physically assaulting inhabitants, including women, children and the elderly, destroying Palestinian property, burning houses and taking over land. 

Most recently, Israeli settlers and soldiers have been threatening to kill the people of the village of Susya unless they accept to leave their ancestral land. Two days ago, a similar threat to the residents of the village of Khirbet Zanuta resulted in the Palestinians from the village abandoning their land, knowing they had no protection against the armed settlers and the army. On October 31st at night, a house belonging to an elderly woman was torched by armed settlers in the village of Sfay.

There is no doubt that the raids will intensify in future days, and settlers will likely place another outpost in the area. ISMers are standing in solidarity with Palestinian communities and will continue to do so no matter the threats they are facing. 

We ask you to get in touch with the embassies of the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Mexico, And the U.S.  especially if you are a citizen of those countries, to demand that they put pressure on Israeli authorities to stop the violence against Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta and ISM activists.

Template emails for each embassy are provided below.

Contact the embassies at the following numbers and email addresses:

 

Irish embassy 

Sonya McGuinness – ambassador

+972-3-6964166

link to send an email https://www.ireland.ie/en/israel/telaviv/contact/#emergency

Duty Officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland at +353 1 408 2000

telavivembassy@dfa.ie

 

Belgian embassy

Jean-Luc Bodson – ambassador

+972 544 679 536

consulate.telaviv@diplobel.fed.be

 

British embassy

Simon Walters – British Ambassador to Israel

+972 (0)3 725 1222 or +972 (0)2 541 4100

+44 1767 667 600

If you are in the UK and concerned about a friend or family member who is in Israel or the OPTs call FCDO on 0176 766 7600.

 webmaster.telaviv@fco.gov.uk

 

 Mexican embassy 

 Mauricio Escanero – ambassador

 infoisr@sre.gob.mx

(+972) 03-516-3938

Embassies and Representative Offices in Tel Aviv,Jerusalem, Ramallah – Partial List

 

Mexico

 

Representative office in Ramallah:

Head: Dr Pedro Blanco Perez

Deputy:Barbara Magana Martinez

Phone: (02) 241 3192

Email: informacionpal@sre.gob.mx

 

United States of America

 

Embassy in Jerusalem:

Ambassador: Thomas R Nides

Phone: (02) 630 400

Email: Americancenterjerusalem@state.gov

Website: https://il.USEmbassy.gov

 

Tel Aviv Branch Office:

Phone: (03) 519 7575

 

US Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem:

Phone: (02) 6227230

Email: USPalestinianAffairs@state.gov

 

Belgium

 

Belgian Consulate General:

Consul General: Wilfried Pfeffer

Deputy Consul General: Jeroen Dubois

Phone: (02) 582 8263

Email: jerusalem@diplobel.fed.be

Website:https://jerusalem.diplomatie.belgium.be/en

 

Ireland

 

Irish Representative Office Ramallah:

Head: Don Sexton

Deputy Head: Joseph Kennedy

Phone: (02) 294 9800

Email:ramallahro@dfa.ie

 

United Kingdom

 

British Consulate Jerusalem

Consul General: Diane Corner

Deputy Consul General: Alison MsEwen

Phone: (02) 541 4100

Email: britain.jerusalem@fcdo.gov.uk

 

Email for UK Embassy (webmaster.telaviv@fco.gov.uk)

Object: Urgent: Escalating Violence in Masafer Yatta, Request for Immediate Intervention to protect UK citizens and Palestinians.

Dear Ambassador Simon Walters,

I am writing to bring to your attention a matter of utmost urgency regarding a deeply concerning situation in the region of Masafer Yatta, in the South Hebron Hills. In recent days, the situation in this area has deteriorated significantly, with a growing number of attacks by armed Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities in the area. Just yesterday, settlers and Israeli army soldiers invaded the town of Susiya, in Masafer Yatta, and threatened the Palestinian residents that if they did not leave the area within 24 hours, they would come back and kill them.

In a similar incident, armed settlers threatened the Palestinian residents of Khirbet Zanuta, telling them that if they did not abandon their village “ we will do to you what we are doing in Gaza”. Israeli settlers have also torched a house of an elderly woman in the village of Sfay, destroyed property and robbed livestock in the villages of Tuba, Tuwani, Susyia, Umm al-Khair and many others.

In the past three weeks, Israeli settlers have shot a Palestinian man at point blank range, physically assaulted countless others, including at least one 16-year-old girl and two elderly men.

It has come to our attention that UK, Mexican, Belgian and Irish  nationals are currently in Masafer Yatta working as solidarity activists to document and raise awareness of human rights violations in the area. These activists have already received death threats, and have been verbally and physically assaulted by Israeli settlers and soldiers, who have fired live ammunition towards them on various occasions during the past few days. The individuals involved in this important work are at immediate risk, and it is your institutional and moral duty to ensure their safety, as well as that of the local Palestinian population.

I want to be clear: the violence in Masafer Yatta has escalated to a point where it poses an immediate threat to the lives and well-being of those in the region, including foreigners. We urgently request that the UK Embassy in Israel puts immediate pressure on Israeli authorities to take necessary measures to de-escalate the violence by Israeli settlers and the army, prevent further harm to Palestinians and our nationals, and ensure that human rights are upheld in accordance with international law.

We demand that you act immediately in this direction. The lives and well-being of our connationals and countless Palestinian civilians are quite literally in your hands. A failure to act on your side could possibly mean that significant harm will be inflicted on innocent lives. 

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

 

Email for Irish Embassy (https://www.ireland.ie/en/israel/telaviv/contact/#emergency)

Object: Urgent: Escalating Violence in Masafer Yatta, Request for Immediate Intervention to protect Irish citizens and Palestinians.

Dear Ambassador Sonya McGuinness,

I am writing to bring to your attention a matter of utmost urgency regarding a deeply concerning situation in the region of Masafer Yatta, in the South Hebron Hills. In recent days, the situation in this area has deteriorated significantly, with a growing number of attacks by armed Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities in the area. Just yesterday, settlers and Israeli army soldiers invaded the town of Susiya, in Masafer Yatta, and threatened the Palestinian residents that if they did not leave the area within 24 hours, they would come back and kill them.

In a similar incident, armed settlers threatened the Palestinian residents of Khirbet Zanuta, telling them that if they did not abandon their village “ we will do to you what we are doing in Gaza”.

In the past three weeks, Israeli settlers have shot a Palestinian man at point blank range, physically assaulted countless others, including at least one 16-year-old girl and two elderly men. Israeli settlers have also torched a house of an elderly woman in the village of Sfay, destroyed property and robbed livestock in the villages of Tuba, Tuwani, Susyia, Umm al-Khair and many others.

It has come to our attention that UK, Mexican, Belgian and Irish  nationals are currently in Masafer Yatta working as solidarity activists to document and raise awareness of human rights violations in the area. These activists have already received death threats, and have been verbally and physically assaulted by Israeli settlers and soldiers, who have fired live ammunition towards them on various occasions during the past few days. The individuals involved in this important work are at immediate risk, and it is your institutional and moral duty to ensure their safety, as well as that of the local Palestinian population.

I want to be clear: the violence in Masafer Yatta has escalated to a point where it poses an immediate threat to the lives and well-being of those in the region, including foreigners. We urgently request that the Irish Embassy in Israel puts immediate pressure on Israeli authorities to take necessary measures to de-escalate the violence by Israeli settlers and the army, prevent further harm to Palestinians and our nationals, and ensure that human rights are upheld in accordance with international law.

We demand that you act immediately in this direction. The lives and well-being of our connationals and countless Palestinian civilians are quite literally in your hands. A failure to act on your side could possibly mean that significant harm will be inflicted on innocent lives. 

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

 

Email for Mexican Embassy (infoisr@sre.gob.mx)

Object: Urgente: Aumento de la violencia en Masafer Yatta, solicitud de intervención inmediata para proteger a los ciudadanos mexicanos y palestinos.

Estimado Embajador Mauricio Escanero,

Le escribo para llamar su atención sobre un asunto de máxima urgencia relativo a una situación profundamente preocupante que afecta a ciudadanos mexicanos en la región de Masafer Yatta, en el sur de las colinas de Hebrón. En los últimos días, la situación en esta zona se ha deteriorado significativamente, con un número creciente de ataques de colonos israelíes armados contra las comunidades palestinas de la zona. Ayer mismo, colonos y soldados del ejército israelí invadieron la localidad de Susiya, en Masafer Yatta, y amenazaron a los residentes palestinos con que, si no abandonaban la zona en 24 horas, volverían y los matarían.

En un incidente similar, colonos armados amenazaron a los residentes palestinos de Khirbet Zanuta, diciéndoles que si no abandonaban su pueblo “os haremos lo que estamos haciendo en Gaza”.

En las últimas tres semanas, los colonos israelíes han disparado a quemarropa a un palestino y han agredido físicamente a innumerables personas, entre ellas al menos una joven de 16 años y dos ancianos. Los colonos israelíes también incendiaron la casa de una anciana en el pueblo de Sfay, destruyeron propiedades y robaron ganado en los pueblos de Tuba, Tuwani, Susyia, Umm al-Khair y muchos otros.

Nos hemos enterado de que ciudadanos británicos, mexicanos, belgas e irlandeses se encuentran actualmente en Masafer Yatta trabajando como activistas solidarios para documentar y concienciar sobre las violaciones de derechos humanos en la zona. Estos activistas ya han recibido amenazas de muerte y han sido agredidos verbal y físicamente por colonos y soldados israelíes, que han disparado munición viva contra ellos en varias ocasiones durante los últimos días. Las personas que participan en este importante trabajo se solidarizan con las comunidades palestinas y seguirán haciéndolo a pesar de las amenazas a las que se enfrentan. Por tanto, es su deber institucional y moral garantizar su seguridad y la protección de la población palestina local.

Quiero que quede claro: la violencia en Masafer Yatta se ha intensificado hasta tal punto que supone una amenaza inmediata para la vida y el bienestar de quienes se encuentran en la región, incluidos los extranjeros. Solicitamos urgentemente que la embajada de México en Israel presione de inmediato a las autoridades israelíes para que tomen las medidas necesarias para desescalar la violencia de los colonos israelíes y el ejército, evitar más daños a los palestinos y a los activistas internacionales, y garantizar que se respetan los derechos humanos de acuerdo con el derecho internacional.

Le exigimos que actúe inmediatamente en este sentido. La vida y el bienestar de sus ciudadanos y de innumerables civiles palestinos están literalmente en sus manos. Una falta de actuación por su parte podría significar que se infligieran daños significativos a vidas inocentes, incluidas vidas mexicanas. 

Atentamente,

[Su nombre]

 

 

Email to Belgian Embassy (consulate.telaviv@diplobel.fed.be)

Object: Urgent: Augmentation de la violence à Masafer Yatta, demande d’intervention immédiate pour protéger les citoyens belges et palestiniens.

Cher M. Jean-Luc Bodson,

je vous écris dans l’espoir d’attirer votre attention sur l’urgence absolue de la situation, gravement inquiétante, dans laquelle se trouvent des ressortissants de votre État dans la région de Masafer Yatta, en Cisjordanie. Ces derniers jours, la situation dans cette zone s’est détériorée de manière significative avec une augmentation des attaques de colons israéliens armés à l’encontre de communautés palestiniennes locales. Dimanche 29 octobre, des colons et des soldats de l’armée israélienne ont envahi le village de Susya à Masafer Yatta et imposé à ses habitants palestiniens de quitter la zone d’ici 24h sous peine d’être exécutés sommairement.

Un incident similaire s’est déroulé au village de Khirbet Zanuta, où des colons armés ont menacé les résidents Palestiniens, leur disant que s’ils n’abandonnaient pas leur village, « nous vous ferons ce que nous sommes en train de faire à Gaza ».

Au cours des trois dernières semaines, des colons israéliens ont tiré à bout portant sur un homme palestinien, physiquement agressé nombre d’autres, y compris au moins une jeune fille de 16 ans et deux vieillards. Les colons israéliens ont également incendié la maison d’une femme âgée dans le village de Sfay, détruit des biens et volé du bétail dans les villages de Tuba, Tuwani, Susyia, Umm al-Khair et bien d’autres.

Nous avons appris que des ressortissants britanniques, mexicains, belges et irlandais se trouvent actuellement à Masafer Yatta dans le cadre d’une mission de solidarité afin de documenter et sensibiliser aux violations des droits humains se déroulant dans la zone. Ces activistes ont déjà reçu des menaces de mort, et ont été verbalement et physiquement agressés par des colons et soldats israéliens, qui ont tiré des salves à balles réelles en leur direction à plusieurs reprises ces derniers jours. Les individus effectuant ce travail important sont en solidarité directe avec les communautés palestiniennes et continueront à l’être quelles que soient les menaces auxquelles ils doivent faire face. Il est donc votre responsabilité morale et institutionelle d’assurer leur sécurité via la protection des populations palestiniennes locales.

Soyons clairs : la violence à Masafer Yatta a dégénéré au point où elle pose un danger direct et immédiat à la vie et à la sécurité de quiconque se trouve dans la région, y compris des internationaux. Nous demandons urgemment que l’Ambassade de Belgique en Israël fasse immédiatement pression sur les autorités israéliennes afin qu’elles prennent les mesures nécessaires pour désamorcer la violence des colons israéliens et de l’armée, empêcher que des préjudices supplémentaires soient faits aux Palestiniens et aux activistes internationaux, et s’assurer que les droits de l’Homme soient respectés ainsi que requis par le droit international.

Nous attendons une action immédiate de votre part en cette direction. La vie et la sécurité de vos citoyens et de centaines de Palestiniens sont, bien littéralement, entre vos mains. En ces circonstances, échouer à agir pourrait signifier que des dommages conséquents seront infligés à des vies innocentes.

Bien respectueusement,

[Votre nom]

 

 

 

 

Ethnic cleansing in Masafer Yatta reaches unbearable level: Call to Action

Masafer Yatta | International Solidarity Movement

Colonial violence and ethnic cleansing is quickly escalating in Masafer Yatta, a rural region south of Hebron, in the West Bank.

Settler militias are terrorizing Palestinians by invading their villages during pogroms, armed with assault rifles, often wearing Israeli army uniforms and accompanied by Israeli soldiers. Palestinians and ISM activists have reported and documented cases of settlers beating up Palestinian residents, including women, children and the elderly; settlers and soldiers shooting towards Palestinian houses and houses, destroying water pumps and electric grids, uprooting trees and taking up Palestinian fields, planting Israeli flags on Palestinian land and houses, and even forcing Palestinians to sing pro-Israel chants and to wave an Israeli flag while holding them at gun-point and filming them.

Last night, settlers and soldiers invaded the village of Susyia and threatened residents that if they don’t leave within 24 hours, they will be back and start killing Palestinians in the village. A similar threat to residents of the village of Khirbet Zanuta has already resulted in the community leaving the land in order to save their families.

CALL TO ACTION: Residents call on people around the world to “check in” to Masafer Yatta on FB and Instagram in solidarity with the villagers facing imminent violence. This will throw off Israeli security forces tracking the online activities of both Palestinians and local solidarity activists speaking out against settler violence. It will also show settlers and soldiers that the world is watching and that the residents of Masafer Yatta are not alone.

Check out the hashtag #savemasaferyatta and share content on Masafer Yatta from pages like:

Youth of Sumud

Masafer Yatta (Instagram)

ISM Instagram, ISM Facebook , ISM Twitter

What follows is just a summary of some outstanding cases of settler violence

  • On October 25th Israeli settlers and soldiers invaded the land belonging to a Palestinian family in Tuwani and used a bulldozer to uproot trees and destroy the family’s garden.

 

The soldiers then shot a half a dozen warning shots towards ISM and Israeli activists who were filming the scene.

 

  • On October 13th, an Israeli settler invaded Tuwani and shot a Palestinian man in the stomach at point blank range, while being protected by an Israeli soldier. The day before, Israeli settlers dressed in Israeli army uniforms had invaded Palestinian agricultural land, planted Israeli flags and started shooting towards Palestinians and solidarity activists. Israeli soldiers robbed ISM activists of their phones.

 

  • On October 26th, a resident of the village of Khallet al-Dabaa was arbitrarily arrested by Israeli soldiers. When he was released two days later, he showed clear signs of abuse and turture on his body.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Youth Of Sumud (@youthofsumud)

 

  • On October 26th, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) flew drones over villages in Masafer Yatta transmitting the following message in Arabic: “We can see you everywhere. Wherever you are, we are coming for you”.

  • On October 27th, Settler militias destroyed over 200 trees, along with irrigation pipes, water pumps, electrical cables, and a water tank belonging to local Palestinian residents in the Al-Ain Al-Bayda village in Masafer Yatta.
  • They also severed the water supply pipeline for the community in Saddet al-Tha’ala village, while making death threats against local residents.

 

  • The same day, a large group of settlers attacked residents in the village of Susiya, who confronted the colonists and forced them to run away after an outbreak of a fistfight. Several people suffered bruises. The settlers threatened that they would come back at night with Israeli soldiers, and they did.

 

  • On October 28th, armed settlers forcibly removed a Palestinian man from his car, in the village of Umm Al-Khair, and then destroyed his car by throwing large rocks and by shooting at it.

  • On the same day, two armed Israeli settlers dressed in Israeli army uniforms assaulted and detained 6 Palestinians, including a 16 year old girl, who got her hand broken by the settlers during the attack.

 

  • On October 29th, armed settlers and soldiers raided the village of Susiya again and threatened Palestinians there that if they did not leave the village within 24 hours, they would come back and start shooting and killing residents.
  • The same day, armed settlers invaded the village of Khirbet Zanuta and told residents: “If you don’t leave, we’ll do to you what we are doing in Gaza”. The community decided that they had to leave to save their families, knowing that they have nobody to protect them.
  • The same day, armed settlers raided the village of Tuba and stole 6 sheep from a Palestinian family, as well as a gas cilinder, a phone and a sheep feeder. A few days earlier, settlers had entered Tuba during the night and damaged the water tanks with knifes. Palestinians and ISM activists in Tuba have reported that the settlers appear to be building a new illegal outpost just meters away from the houses of Palestinians in Tuba.

 

  • On October 29th, armed settlers invaded the village of Umm Al-Khair and forced some Palestinians to raise the Israeli flag over their houses and to record videos of themselves in which they spoke against Palestinians in Gaza. The settlers then said that they would come back the next day and that if they did not see the Israeli flags on people’s houses, they would displace Palestinian families.

  • On October 29th, Israeli settlers and soldiers assaulted an elderly man and his children in his home, in the village of Sha’ab al-Butm.

The International Solidarity Movement maitains its presence on the ground in Masafer Yatta, with ISM activists standing with Palestinians as they face colonial violence in their villages.

 

Watch: Israeli settlers and soldiers destroy Palestinian property, shoot live ammunition in Masafer Yatta

 

 

Masafer Yatta | International Solidarity Movement

On October 25th, 2023, Israeli settlers and soldiers invaded the land belonging to a Palestinian family in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, and used a bulldozer to uproot trees and destroy the family’s garden.

The colonial attack occured in the Palestinian village of  Tuwani and targeted the Hourani family. The settlers and soldiers came from the illegal Israeli settlement of Havat Ma’on, located a few hundred meters away fom Tuwani.

ISM activists and Israeli activists filmed the scene. After one hour, once the settlers and soldiers had left, the activists approached the scene to assess the damage caused by the bulldozer. One settler, noticing that the activists were walking towards the land that had just been destroyed, ran back, screaming and pointing his assault rifle towards the activists. Israeli soldiers rushed to the scene and shot half a dozen warning shots towards the activists, making it clear that they would shoot them if they didn’t back off.

“They followed us right to the back of the Hourani property, shouting, taking photos of us close up, demanding to see passports but we refused to hand them over” an ISM activist recounted.

Since the start of the war on Gaza, colonial crimes in Masafer Yatta have escalated, with settler militias committing pogroms against Palestinian villages and families, and Israeli soldiers at checkpoints shooting at civilian cars without warnings.

On October 13th, an Israeli settler invaded Tuwani and shot a Palestinian man in the stomach at point blank range, while being protected by an Israeli soldier. The day before, Israeli settlers dressed in Israeli army uniforms had invaded Palestinian agricultural land, planted Israeli flags and started shooting towards Palestinians and solidarity activists. ISM activists have also reported that they have been threatened them and robbed them of their phones by Israeli soldiers.

In the past days, settlers have also stormed the Palestinians villages of Isfay, Tuba, and Maghayr Al-Abeed, physically assaulting people and damaging the water tanks and electric grids.

Palestinians from the group Youth of Sumud, together with internationalist and Israeli activists, have been documenting and non-violently resisting the colonialist attacks.

More than 103 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza, with thousands more wounded or kidnapped by the Israeli army.