On the third week of Semptember settlers from Ma’on and the illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on injuried and harassed Palestinians.
In the afternoon of Semptember 16, in the Palestinian village of At-Tuwani, an Israeli settler from the near settlement of Ma’on harassed a twelve years old palestinian sheperd while he was grazing his flock in a palestinian owned land not far from the settlement.
The settler was walking by the street behind the fence dividing Ma’on from the Palestinian owned land. Noticing the palestinian sheperd, the settler started injuring him in hebrew. In addition he showed up a  palestinian flag, using it in an offensive way and throwed it on the ground several times before leaving the place.
Three days later, on the September 19 afternoon, eleven settlers, all minors from the illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on harassed a Palestinian man who was returning home in Maghaiyr Al Abeed, a small village near At-Tuwani. The settlers blocked the road standing in the middle of it. For this reason, the Palestinian had to take a long road to return home and avoid the risk of being attacked.  Once the interational volounteers reached the place the settlers slowly returned to Havat Ma’on.

Settlers blocking the road

Due aggressioni da parte di coloni in una settimana

Nel corso della terza settimana di Settembre i coloni di Ma’on e dell’avamposto illegale di Havat Ma’on hanno offeso e intimidito alcuni palestinesi.
Nel pomeriggio del 16 settembre, nel villaggio di At-Tuwani, un colono israeliano proveniente dalla vicina colonia di Ma’on ha intimidito un pastore palestinese di dodici anni, che stava pascolando il proprio gregge in un’area di proprietà palestinese adiacente alla colonia.
Il colono stava passeggiando su una strada interna alla colonia, separata dalle proprietà palestinesi da una rete, quando, dopo essersi accorto della presenza del pastore comincia ad insultarlo in ebraico. Inoltre, il colono, espone una piccola bandiera palestinese e usandola in maniera offensiva la calpesta ripetutamente prima di andarsene.
Tre giorni più tardi, nel pomeriggio del 19 Settembre, undici coloni, tutti minori provenienti dall’avamposto illegale di Havat Ma’on hanno bloccato la strada ad un Palestinese che stava tornando verso la propria abitazione  nel piccolo villaggio di Maghaiyr Al Abeed, vicino al villaggio di At-Tuwani. Per questa ragione il Palestinese ha dovuto percorrere una strada più lunga per tornare a casa ed evitare il rischio di essere attaccato. In seguito all’arrivo di volontari internazionali i coloni sono lentamente rientrati nell’avamposto illegale di Havat Ma’on.

Young settlers from the illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on

A Palestinian taking a long road to return home

In the afternoon of August 21, in the Palestinian village of At Tuwani, Israeli settlers from Ma’on threw stones to two Palestinian kids who were shepherding their flocks. Palestinian inhabitants of the village immediately reached the kids, while two Army jeeps arrived and stood near the grazing land.

In the early morning of August 22, four Palestinian shepherds were grazing their flocks on Palestinian owned lands substanding the Israeli illegal outpost of Mitzpe Yair, when two settlers came from the outpost and chased away the flocks. A few minutes later an army jeep arrived on the place and pushed the shepherds in the direction of Palestinian villages, away from the Israeli outpost. At the same time  Israeli army, Border Police and DCO arrived on the place and declared the area as military closed and prevented the Palestinian owner of the land Umm Al Arayes, who arrived with his family to claim their right to access the land, from entering it as it happens every saturday since 2012. Israeli settlers stood watching the scene for most of the time, without any consequence.

Palestinian kid shepherding in Khelly valley, At Tuwani village, after the settlers’ attack.

Palestinians and Internationals arrive in Khelly valley, At Tuwani village, after the settlers’ attack.

Coloni ed esercito israeliani aggrediscono pastori palestinesi, nelle colline a sud di Hebron

Il pomeriggio del 21 agosto, nel villaggio palestinese di At Tuwani due coloni israeliani di Ma’on hanno lanciato pietre contro due ragazzini palestinesi che stavano pascolando le loro greggi. Gli abitanti palestinesi del villaggio hanno immediatamente raggiunto i ragazzini, mentre due jeep dell’esercito sono arrivate e sono rimaste vicino al pascolo.

La mattina del 22 agosto, quattro pastori palestinesi stavano pascolando le loro greggi su terre di proprietà palestinese sottostanti l’avamposto israeliano illegale di Mitzpe Yair, quando sono arrivati due coloni e hanno cacciato le greggi. Pochi minuti dopo è arrivata sul posto una camionetta dell’esercito israeliano che ha spinto i pastori in direzione dei villaggi palestinesi, allontanandoli dall’avamposto. Allo stesso tempo sono arrivati sul posto esercito israeliano, polizia di frontiera e DCO (District Coordination Office) che hanno dichiarato l’area militare chiusa impedendone l’accesso al proprietario, arrivato con la famiglia a reclamare il suo diritto ad accedere alla terra di Umm Al Arayes, come fanno ogni sabato dal 2012. I coloni israeliani sono rimasti a guardare la scena per tutto il tempo, senza alcuna conseguenza.

Israeli settlers chase away a Palestinian flock from the Palestinan owned land of Umm Al Arayes.

Israeli army, Border Police and DCO prevent Palestinian owners of the land in Umm Al Arayes from entering it.

On August 10, in the morning, two israeli settlers coming from Avigayil illegal outpost, accompanied with a dog, entered the Palestinian village of At Tuwani with the excuse of doing jogging. Palestinian inhabitants and International volunteers tried to prevent them on their way in, but the settlers claimed their right to do jogging and passed through the village. Since Israeli settlers living in the area of the South Hebron Hills represent a serious threat for the people and their assets, Palestinians got immediately scared and nervous.

Palestinian communities in the South Hebron Hills are under continuos threat of eviction by the Israeli Administration of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In these days the policy of demolitions is targeting the Beduin village of Umm al Kheir, where Palestinians are frightened of remaining once again without a shelter as it happened last autumn. In the meanwhile the adjacent Israeli settlement of Karmel keeps expanding, reducing the living space of Palestininas who rebuilt  new structures in the same place of the demolished ones. This is what gives the DCO the excuse for demolish them once again.

According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Court of Justice, and several United Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements and outposts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal. Most settlement outposts, are considered illegal also under Israeli law.

Continue minacce da parte dei coloni e delle autorità israeliane alle comunità palestinesi nelle colline a Sud di Hebron

La mattina del 10 agosto, due coloni israeliani accompagnati da un cane, provenienti dall’avamposto illegale di Avigayil, sono entrati nel villaggio palestinese di At Tuwani con il pretesto di fare jogging. Gli abitanti palestinesi e i volontari internazionali hanno tentato di impedire loro l’ingresso ma i coloni hanno reclamato il loro diritto a fare jogging liberamente e hanno attraversato il villaggio. Poiché i coloni israeliani che vivono nell’area delle colline a sud di Hebron rappresentano una forte minaccia per le persone e i loro beni, i palestinesi si sono subito spaventati ed innervositi.

Nelle colline a sud di Hebron le comunità palestinesi vivono sotto continua minaccia di espulsione da parte dell’amministrazione civile dei Territori Palestinesi Occupati. Negli ultimi giorni la politica israeliana di demolizioni sta colpendo il villaggio beduino di Umm al Kheir, dove i palestinesi rischiano di trovarsi nuovamente senza un riparo, come è già successo lo scorso autunno. Nel frattempo l’adiacente colonia israeliana di Karmel continua ad espandersi, riducendo lo spazio vitale dei palestinesi che hanno ricostruito nuove strutture sulle macerie di quelle demolite. Questo dà alla DCO (Disctrict Coordination Office) il pretesto per demolirle di nuovo.

Secondo la IV Convenzione di Ginevra, la II Convenzione dell’Aja, la Corte Internazionale di Giustizia e numerose risoluzioni ONU, tutti gli insediamenti israeliani nei Territori Palestinesi Occupati sono illegali. Gli avamposti sono considerati illegali anche secondo la legge israeliana.

Umm al Kheir : One of the plated structeres, used as homes, built after the demolitions of last autumn.

Ongoing expansion works in Karmel Israeli settlement.

One of the new houses under construction in Karmel Isareli settlement.

UPDATE: New demolitions in South Hebron Hills

(Italian follows)

While the entire international attention is focused on Susiya, allowing its Palestinian inhabitants to resist the forced eviction, the Israeli policy of destruction of Palestinian villages is still going on, far from the gaze of the main medias.

On August 4, three villages in the South Hebron Hills area have been subjected to demolitions. In Umm ad Daraj two sheep shelters have been flattened, right before in Umm Dirit a 900 square meters wide fence has been destroyed with the flock inside while only women and children were present in the village. The fence was standing on Palestinian land, a few meters from the Israeli illegal outpost of Avigayil. Finally, in Jawwaya the Israeli water company Mekorot destroyed the pipes that supplied water to the village, essential for the men’s and animal’s survival.

According to the UN, in West Bank and East Jerusalem, in the last three months 92 structures have been demolished, among houses, agricultural equipment and wash items, affecting a total of 674 people, most of them children.

UPDATE: Nuove demolizioni nelle colline a Sud di Hebron

Mentre tutta l’attenzione internazionale è concentrata su Susiya, permettendo ai suoi abitanti di resistere all’evacuazione forzata, la politica israeliana di distruzione dei villaggi palestinesi non si ferma, lontano dallo sguardo dei media.

Il 4 agosto tre villaggi nelle colline a sud di Hebron sono stati soggetti a demolizioni. Ad Umm ad Daraj sono stati rasi al suolo due ricoveri per pecore, mentre nel villaggio di Umm Dirit è stata distrutta una recinzione ampia 900 metri quadri mentre vi erano delle pecore all’interno e nel villaggio erano presenti solo donne e bambini. La recinzione si trovava su terra di proprietà palestinese, a pochi metri dall’avamposto israeliano illegale di Avigayil. Infine, a Jawwaya la compagnia idrica israeliana Mekorot ha distrutto le tubature che fornivano acqua al villaggio, essenziale per la sopravvivenza di uomini e animali.

Secondo l’ONU, in Cisgiordania e a Gerusalemme est, negli ultimi tre mesi 92 strutture sono state demolite, tra abitazioni, attrezzi agricoli e vasche per raccolta d’acqua, colpendo un totale di 674 persone, molte delle quali bambini.

UPDATE: Popular resistance: after settler attack, Palestinian shepherds go back grazing in the same place

(Italian follow)

On July 19, two Palestinian shepherds from the Palestinian village of Qawawis were attacked by Israeli settlers from Mitzpe Yair Israeli outpost, in the South Hebron Hills.

The two shepherds were on their owned land in the valley between the Palestinian village of Qawawis and the Mitzpe Yair outpost, when two settlers got closer and repeatedly attacked them, throwing stones and beating them with sticks.

The two shepherds tried to call the Israeli Police, but it never arrived.

One of the shepherds was hospitalized because of the injuries.

Today, despite the harassment they suffered yesterday, the two Palestinian shepherds decided to graze their flocks on the same place of the attack.

UPDATE: Resistenza popolare: dopo aver subito un attacco dai coloni, pastore palestinese torna a pascolare nello stesso posto

Il 19 Luglio due pastori palestinesi provenienti dal villaggio palestinese di Qawawis, sono stati attaccati da coloni israeliani dell’avamposto di Mitzpe Yair, nelle colline  a Sud di Hebron.

I due pastori si trovavano sulle loro terre, nelle valli tra il villaggio palestinese di Qawawis e l’avamposto di Mitzpe Yair, quando due coloni si sono avvicinati e li hanno ripetutamente attaccati, tirandogli pietre e colpendoli con dei bastoni.

I due pastori hanno cercato di chiamare la polizia, che non si è presentata.

Uno dei due pastori è stato portato all’ospedale a causa delle ferite riportate.

Oggi, nonostante l’aggressione subita ieri, i due pastori hanno deciso di portare al pascolo le loro greggi nello stesso posto dell’attacco.

UPDATE: Palestinian man injured by Israeli settlers in South Hebron hills

(Italian follows)

On June 27, at about 7 p.m., three Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian man from the village of Bir Al Idd while he was walking on the road near the illegal outpost of Mitzpe Yair. The settlers chased the man throwing stones, injuring him in the head and hand. The Palestinian was taken to the local hospital where he was treated for his wounds.

According to human right group Yesh Din, between 2005-2014, 85.3 percent of investigative files against Israeli settlers suspected of harming Palestinians and their property are closed due the failure of the police investigators to locate suspects or to find sufficient evidence to enable indictment. Only 7.4 percent of investigations yielded indictments against suspects. (link)

UPDATE: Palestinese ferito da coloni israeliani nelle colline a sud di Hebron

Il 27 giugno, verso le ore 19, tre coloni israeliani hanno attaccato un palestinese proveniente dal villaggio di Bir Al Idd mentre camminava sulla strada vicino l’avamposto illegale di Mitzpe Yair. I coloni hanno inseguito l’uomo lanciando delle pietre, ferendolo alla testa e alla mano. Il palestinese è stato poi portato all’ospedale locale dove è stato curato per le ferite.

Secondo l’organizzazione israeliana per la difesa dei diritti umani Yesh Din, tra il 2005 e il 2014, l’85,3 per cento dei file investigativi contro coloni israeliani sospettati di condotte lesive contro i palestinesi e le loro proprietà sono stati chiusi a causa del fallimento degli investigatori della polizia nell’individuare i sospetti o nel trovare elementi di prova sufficienti per sostenere l’accusa. Solo il 7,4 per cento delle indagini ha portato ad accuse contro i sospetti. (link)

from donkeysaddle projects

Nasser Nawajha takes his six-year old son Laith back to Nasser’s native village of Susya, in the South Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank. Nasser’s family, along with all the other families of Susya, were expelled from their village in 1986, when Israel turned it into an archaeological park. The villagers are, yet again, facing imminent expulsion from their homes and caves.

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On May 16, Palestinians from South Hebron Hills and from different popular Struggle Committee of all West Bank, Israeli an international activists, gathered in Susiya village (that is suffering for the imminent eviction’s threat) in order to demonstrate their solidarity with the villagers.

The demonstration was also to remember the Nakba of 1948, when an estimated 700,000 Palestinians were expelled  from their own land and hundreds of Palestinians town and villages were destroyed.

(italian follows)

Il 16 maggio i palestinesi delle Colline a Sud di Hebron e di vari Comitati di Resistenza Popolare da tutta la Cisgiordania, assieme ad attivisti israeliani e internazionali, si sono radunati a Susiya (che è sotto minaccia di demolizione) per manifestare la loro solidarietà verso gli abitanti di questo villaggio.

La manifestazione è stata fatta anche in ricorrenza del memoriale della Nakba del 1948, quando circa 700,000 Palestinesi furono espulsi dalla propria terra e molte delle loro città e villaggi distrutti.

PRESS RELEASE | MAY 5 2015

Israeli state pushes court to take unusual step threatening immediate demolition of entire Palestinian village 

The entire Palestinian village of Susya is in danger of demolition and expulsion. By refusing to issue an interim order preventing preemptive demolitions before their case is heard, the Israeli High Court is allowing for the demolition of the entire Palestinian village of Susya and subsequent expulsion of its 340 residents. The refusal of the State to commit to not demolishing before the conclusion of proceedings suggests it has plans to destroy the village in the near future.  

On one hand, the High Court of Justice is willing to hear the village’s petition to legitimize its status, but on the other hand, the court allows the village to be destroyed before even deciding on the case. 

On May 5 2015, High Court Judge Noam Solberg rejected the request for an interim order by the Palestinian village of Susya, represented by Rabbis for Human Rights, in a petition against the Civil Administration’s decision to reject the master plan prepared by the village and subsequent demolition of the entire village. 

The village argued that their plan was rejected for non-professional reasons and that the village should be legalized due to its unique history.  The residents sought an interim order to freeze the implementation of the demolitions until the petition is heard, as is standard practice in these sort of cases.It was against this request for an interim order that Justice Solberg, without even conducting a hearing on the request, made the unusual move of granting the state’s request not to freeze the orders. This decision means that the Civil Administration can now destroy Susya at any time. The demolition of the village will lead to hundreds of residents living in the desert with no roof over their heads and may result in their displacement. The state’s refusal to commit to waiting for a conclusion to the court proceedings raises great alarm that it intends to implement the demolition order in the near future; tragically, it seems the villagers are in real danger.

In the petition, Susya’s residents claimed that the army is obliged to legalize their village as it was the one to confiscate their land and their caves in 1986, leaving them without a housing solution and forcing them to move to their adjacent agricultural lands. As evidence to the life in the village prior to the expropriation, various testimonials and photographs of life in caves were presented to the judge. Among other things, there were documented photos of a visit by the US Consulate to the village at the beginning of 1986. The photos and testimony clearly shows that the Palestinian village of Susya is an old village formed prior to the Israeli occupation and the declaration of the area as an archaeological site.

Among the evidence was the opinion of the late governmental legal adviser Plia Albeck (considered to be very pro-settlement and who wrote in her memoirs that she tried to find legal ways to declare Palestinian land as State land), indicating the existence of a Palestinian village in 1982 where today the archaeological site stands.

Despite the evidence presented before him, revealing the many injustices done to the villagers – from the expropriation and dispossession of their lands, to the refusal by the state to recognize the status of the village in its new location –  Judge Sohlberg did not  agree to  hear the case before allowing the demolishment the village and setting the fate of its inhabitants.

Attached to the petition, inter alia, was an expert opinion by Prof. Eyal Benvenisti, a renowned expert in international law, stipulating that the demolition of the village of Susya constitutes a war crime.

This week, a report by radical right-wing NGO “Regavim” (which has close ties to the settlement enterprise) was exposed indicating that in the nearby Jewish settlement, also called Susia, there are 23 illegal homes built on private Palestinian land. We have no indication of any attempt by the state to demolish these illegal structures in the settlement Sussia or in its nearby outposts. We see in this current situation that this Jewish settlement, whose very existence is prohibited by international law, and where some of its homes are sitting on private Palestinian land, is prosperous, while the Palestinian village of Susya, whose inhabitants are on their own private land, is at risk of displacement and  loss of their entire village.

Background:

In 1986 the village of Susya was declared an archaeological site, its land expropriated, and its inhabitants, who lived in caves, were deported. While the Palestinians were told that they could not reside in an archeological site, Israeli settlers live in an illegal outpost located inside the archeological site.

After the expulsion, villagers were forced to move to their neighboring agricultural plots. Because there was no willingness to grant a zoning plan, they involuntarily became illegal builders. Dozens of villagers followed procedures in attempts to obtain building permits, but those attempts were rejected. In 2012 the villagers raised funds and submitted a proposed master plan, drawn up by Professor Rassem Khamaiseh, for the Civil Administration for review.  The plan would authorize construction in the village according to accepted standards of professional planning.

The plan was rejected in 2013 on very questionable grounds, indicating a double standard in planning, and blatant discrimination against the Palestinian population. For example, it was argued that the number of residents in the village, which is a few hundred people, is not substantial enough to grant it independent planning as its own entity.  On the other hand, dozens of unauthorized outposts which are built housing only a handful of residents are approved by the Civil Administration’s planning body. In addition, it was argued that the plan will prevent the population from properly developing and moving out of poverty, and therefore, they should be moved to an adjacent city. It should be noted that the city is, of course, in Area A, and what actually prevents the progress of Susya is the lack of infrastructure which they are prevented from building. Also important to note is that Israelis are permitted to choose their preferred way of life – be it urban or rural, and are not forced by the state into one or the other.

In 2014, Rabbis for Human Rights petitioned the High Court on behalf of the Susya village council and its residents against the decision to reject the village master plan (HCJ 1420/14). As mentioned, on May 5th the court rejected the request for an interim injunction, leaving the whole village vulnerable to imminent demolition.

The big picture:

The danger of demolishing and expropriating the village of Susya reflects the systemic problem of planning for Palestinian villages located in Area C; in these villages, planning is done by military planning committees, without representation of Palestinians, with the intent of preventing residents from building on their own land based on reasonable and professional planning standards. A recent High Court petition, submitted by the village council Dirat, Rabbis for Human Rights, Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Society, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, and St. Yves – Catholic Human Rights Center, demands  planning authority be returned to Palestinian villages for their own communities in order to prevent the tragic demolitions of hundreds of homes every year due to the impossibility of obtaining building permits.

Link to the article : Rabbis for Human Rights