Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills

To be honest, I do not know where to start. So many things happen there every day. We in our meagre abilities can not be there in real time always. We always come a few days later and write what the locals tell us.

Meitar checkpoint: The fence was breached again and "Checkpoint 11" returned to operation. Workers and vehicles are active again there.

Road 317:

From the southeast side. Near the barns of the Maon settlement: tractors are working on the  land purchased from a Palestinian who apparently fled. One tractor was decorated with the Israeli flag. A construction boom together with deportation attempts that will be described later.

At the foot of the facilities and buildings of the Southern Hebron Mountain Regional Council: We visited the Awad family at a place called Maktal Umm Salem. A family lives in the valley. They are now sleeping outdoors. We came to them with a lot of clothes and equipment because a few days ago the IDF and the Civil Administration confiscated 3 large tents donated to them by peace organizations and also bought by themselves. In the winter they sleep there in a cave that we had a hard time getting to and we photographed from a distance. Even though they live in a completely deserted area, attempts are being made by the Civil Administration to get them to move to Samo' where their family  lives. But this is their land and they have a herd of two hundred head of sheep and they are determined to stay.

Umm Tuba: A week earlier, settlers had burned 41 piles of the stock of food for their animals, out of the 82 they had. We sat with Ali Awad who lived there and this is what he said: On the  Tuesday, the 1.6.2021, at 10.30 at night the fire broke out when everyone was sitting in the Sig. They ran out trying to put it out, even though they had no water and no fire extinguisher. In the dark they only heard the voices of the fleeing settlers they could not see. The settlers had weapons and fired at them to intimidate and deter them from following. Within minutes everything was ablaze and the flames were reaching the heavens. The army and the Civil Administration arrived only after 3 hours. The police arrived but told the people: "The settlers are far away now and they are doing nothing. We need to ask our superiors if they are allowed to be here." 

The police did not respond to the threats made by the settlers, says Ali. Only after hours did the Yatta fire brigade arrive. The fire began to die down at 1.30 at night. But at 2 the settlers returned with  more settlers with torches and tried again to light the piles of straw. Ali explains that it has been alleged against them since 1999 and it was decided in the Civil Administration that all the villages of Masafer Yatta should leave the area and return to Yatta.

Ali Awad says: This is our land from time immemorial. "Now we patrol all nights and guard, because we are afraid they will return."

We are happy to hear that the contributions of good people already cover the financial damage done to them and they will be able to repair the damage.

The area according to the authorities should be a military firing range. It is interesting that the State of Israel is willing to endanger its citizens and allows the settlers to build in these "firing ranges", the settlements Mitzpe Asael, Mitzpe Abigail and Mitzpe Yair. They are d provided with infrastructure, electricity, water, roads, security, etc. We saw that they are trying to expand and establish more and more. We saw that 6 caravans were added in Mitzpe Asael and that there are preparations to put more.

This was the situation up to Tuesday

Now we have heard that there have been other bad incidents which have happened as part of the Israeli government's displacement and demolition trend towards the population of the area.