Ongoing War and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank…..

A Settler Militia Takes Over the Depth of Masafer Yatta (Firing Zone 918) 

23rd October 2024 (1)

Friends and supporters, greeting,

 For the twenty-two years during which the Israeli Supreme Court discussed the matter of Firing Zone 918, known to its inhabitants as Masafer Yatta, the respondents in the name of the Israeli army claimed that this area is vital for military practice. Reality, as shown in the two-and-a-half years that passed since the Supreme Court judges ruled in favor of the army and against the Masafer residents, proves that the army deceived the judges as well as the other parties involved. Indeed, during the first months after the court ruling in May 2022 the army was present in the Masafer, placed several checkpoints and introduced several tanks into the area. But after a short while it retreated nearly all of its forces and vehicles. From this point on, it was clear which unit, by whom commanded and manned to control the area. As elsewhere in the West Bank Area C, the mission of taking over Masafer Yatta, dispossessing and expelling its inhabitants was actually placed on an armed, unofficial militia, commanded by Ze’ev (Zambish) Hever, CEO of ‘Amana’ – the main settling body, its officials are the owners of sheep ranches and its soldiers are the  shepherds, marginal youth sent for ‘reformation’ at these ranches with state encouragement and financing (as exposed in detail by Hagar Sheizaf and Hilo Glazer in their exposé, publicized in the Haaretz Supplement of October 10, 2024).

 The army presented the court with the division of Firing Zone 918 into two parts: the north-western part which it called ‘inactive’, designed to hold maneuvers without live fire. This is where the Palestinians localities Tuba, Maghayir al-‘Abid, Mufaqara, Rakeez and Umm Darit are located. The south-eastern part, which constitutes most of the Masafer area (see the ‘B’Tselem’ map) was named ‘active’, where army maneuvers involved with firing live ammunition is permitted. This part contains the localities of Khalat al Daba’, Safai al Tahta, Safai al Foqa, Majaz, Taban, Fakhit, Halawa, Markez and Jinba. The Settler militia first chose to focus on taking over the land of localities in the ‘inactive’ part. It did so by violent presence and flock invasions that came both from the existing outposts on the border of the firing zine such as the Manne and Talya shepherding ranches, and by erecting new ranches inside the ‘inactive’ part of firing zone 918 (Amira Hass reported this following her tour with us last year, and we reported this to you, keeping these reports on our blog).  

The second phase, beginning from the outbreak of the war in October 2023, was noted as the settler militia exacerbated its activity inside the ‘active’ part as well. It abused the inhabitants and stole considerable parts of their grazing grounds. Still, it did not demonstrate permanent presence in this part of the Masafer by creating a permanent outpost. This situation was altered about ten days ago. On October 14^th, trucks moved members of the settler militia from the area into this part in order to establish a sheep ranch inside the depth of the ‘inactive’ part. They came to the area where the main Masafer road branches off in two directions – one toward Markez and Jinba, and the other toward Halawa. That is where the trucks placed the installations of this new ranch.  

As difficult as the Palestinian localities had it even earlier in the area, since this settler ranch was created near them, this situation has become even more impossible. The settler militia has in fact taken over the depth of Masafer Yatta, the ‘active’ part. These settler militiamen do as they please, patrolling the main road as well as its sideways in vehicles and ATVs day and night, stopping cars and tractors of local Palestinians, searching them and sometimes beating up the drivers. They enter residential compounds in the villages and invade the villagers’ fields with their flocks. Another serious phenomenon we  witnessed on our latest visit to the Masafer on Wednesday, October 23^rd, is the disruption of the study routine of Masafer children at school. There are four schools active in the depth of the Masafer right now, and one of them – in Fakhit – is the only high school as well. The Masafer children depend on vehicles that transport them to and from school, and especially to and from the central school in Fakhit. Now, as the settler militia has taken over the Masafer and its members aim to intimidate and disrupt this transport system, the transports are facing grave obstacles. At certain times, when they deliver school children and bring them to their homes, the militiamen block the narrow tracks, stop the transports and ‘search’ them in various strange ways. A video taken the day we visited the Masafer shows such a ‘search’ which this time ended by stealing the driver’s tea and coffee sets.  

The settler militia’s takeover of the depth of Masafer Yatta (its ‘active’ part) is a serious and fateful development for the local residents. It greatly impacts their ability to go on living in their villages, not only long-term but short-term as well. Public attention here and internationally has now focused for a while on the three war fronts: the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Iran. Thus, the settler militia, backed up by the Israeli authorities, has its golden opportunity to promote the transfer of Palestinians out of Area C of the West Bank, including those of Masafer Yatta. This takeover creates accessibility problems even for us and the very few others who are still entering Firing Zone 918, documenting the goings-on there, maintain direct contact with the residents and help them as much as our meager ability allows. It is not inevitable that in a short while we shall no longer be able to continue doing so.

Ehud, On behalf of the Villages Group

October 23, 2024

Dear friends all,

Yochai Avrahami, a good-looking young man with long side-curls and tassels by his legs, a settler volunteering in Havat Issachar Manne, leads the large flock of its owner  towards H., a Palestinian grazing his own modest flock next to his modest home in the ancient cave village of Tuba, in the South Hebron Hills, near the north-west end of the Masafer, firing zone 918 in Israeli occupation lingo. Yochai Avrahami goads his large flock and pushes his sheep in between the sheep belonging to H. “Don’t come near”, H. yells. But Yochai is sealed. His look is blank, his heart locked. With the phone he holds he summons the Israeli army and police, and at the same time continues to lead his own sheep purposefully into the local flock. H.’s repeated warnings fall on deaf ears. Yochai comes close to H. and hits him in the face. This is one of the settlers’ favorite methods. Protected by their employers, owners of the ranches, and their rabbis, and their God – the God who counts the sins and crimes on Yom Kippur – they abuse the Palestinian farmers and shepherds, steal their flocks, prevent them from accessing their own grazing grounds, steal their water wells, vandalize the hay bundles which the Palestinians buy as their grazing grounds are stolen, and then the settlers even hit them, their faces sealed, dripping cruel righteousness, and with God’s blessing they invite the army and complain that they were assaulted. This is ethnic cleansing current style.

Nothing new happened on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. H. and his brother S. who was with him on the grazing ground were pushed by the soldiers and dragged into the police van, and the six men who were in that hamlet that morning and ran to help the attacked men were laid on the ground by the soldiers, threatened with gunfire. A. who tried to explain what really happened was threatened by soldiers twice, with a loaded rifle pointed at his head, threatening that if he utters another word, they would shoot him. Nothing new happened in Tuba that day. These are everyday sights, routine. Two and a half hours later a police car arrived, and the men held on the ground by armed threats were released. H. and S., on the other hand, were taken to Kiryat Arba for police interrogation. A., still panting, called the lawyer immediately.

We sat with the Tuba villagers on the same rocks that until a few minutes earlier the men had lain on them, totally humiliated. Each told us how he experienced that morning. We listened. The women brought sweet tea and laughter, and a soft autumn breeze caressed us. Then there was silence for a moment. Into that silence, I said: “We belong to those who sit in the highest echelons, very close to God. You are very brave. You are my teachers.” Their looks wondered at what I had said. R. asked me to explain. So I did: “You were humiliated, they did everything to make you react aggressively, they threatened you, debased you, trampled your dignity, lied, and you managed not to take it personally. You get up, shake the dust off your clothes, breathe deeply, get back into yourselves, remember who you are. No Yochai Avrahami or Issachar Manne or any other name these cruel messengers bear can take your inner freedom away. How you manage to breathe into the pain and control the automatic need to act from such pain. And even add some humor. You are great teachers without knowing it. Thank you.” This is what I said, and then we continued to teachers from another village with their own problems. As A. once said: “Each village and its own settlers…”

Two hours later, A. wrote to me that S. and H. were released.

Erella, On behalf of the Villages Group

https://villagesgroup.wordpress.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/villagesgroup/