Donations campaign for stregthening the standing (Sumud)
of the cave dwellers in the South Hebron mountains

Image: Regev Nathansohn
Background
The South  Hebron mountain region is a rural  area with many caves, south east of the town Yata, and extends westward until Beit Jubrin. Apart from Yata and a few other villages, a few thousand people live in small hamlets of four to five families each. The residents started to settle in the area outside the villages since the 1830s, and lived in caves, tents and huts. To this day they lead traditional life, and their livelihood is based on agriculture and tending sheep and goats. Cave dwelling is registered in this area since the first few centuries CE.

Until the war of 1948 the farmers cultivated an area that extended all the way to wher is now the Israeli city 'Arad. Following the war a large part of their land, beyond the border, was lost. After the 1967 war and the Israeli occupation military camps were put up, firing ranges and nature reserves were declared, and the available land diminished further.

In the beginning of the 1980s, the government of Israel started building settlements in the area, and most of them were created in order to create a continuum across the border. The settlements were established on Palestinian land, and meanwhile all the land was declared "state land". In the occupied territories land that belongs to the state is used only for settlements, and never for the indigenous population.

Over the years a few  haphazard expulsions took place. Ususally the inhabitants returned back and allowed to stay. However, many hardships and limitations were imposed on them, e.g. the prohibition to construct permanent residence,  prohibition of cultivation and grazing in various periods of the year. For the development of Khirbet Susya (ancient sinagogue) in the late 1980s a few tens of families were expelled by the authorities.

In the second half of the 1990s a new form of settlement was created - shepherds' farms of few settlers. This increased the tension between the settlers and the original residents, the Palestinians, and many attacks have been issued by the settlers on the Palestinians. Meanwhile the army continued to demolish buildings, residences and crops.

In the years 1999 and 2001 the army and the civil administration demolished many caves and filled with earth many cisterns. In both cases, only after public campaigns, in which political organisations, writers and publicfigures took part, and supreme court petitions, did the supreme court issue warrents that enable the residents to return to the status quo ante.

Cave used for residence, destroyed by the government of Israel. Image: Regev Nathansohn.

The petition filed by the cave dwellers against their expulsion, still awaits the final decision. Lately, in September 2004, the supreme court extended the conditional order that prohibits the military and the civil administration from demolishing the property of the cave dwellers. The court further instructed the residents to ask for building permits to "legalise" existing buildings.

These are evidence that the area is meant for annexation in a future settlement with the Palestinians, and an effort is made to expell the indigenous population of its land and create an area ethnically cleansed of Arab population.
More details and backround in www.southebron.tk
Read about Ezra Nawi - A one-man protection force, Nir Hasson, Ha'aretz, 5 June 2005
Ta'ayush activity in the South Hebron area
Left wing organisations  were in contact with the population since the 1980s. 
Ta'ayush activity in the area started after the massive expulsion that took place in July 2001, and continues intensively ever since. It is a close daily contact between the activists and the inhabitants of the area. The goals are enhancing the living conditions and standing -sumud- of the residents, who are the original indigenous population of the area and prevent their expultion and the annexation of the area to Israel.


The following activities take place:

[1] Supporting the educational system

There are two schools attended by pupils of several khurab (hamlets). These were builts by the residents and are under equipped. Many of the students have to walk far to get to school, and suffer from settlers' violence on their way. Some pupils dropped as a result. Ta'ayush, and lately international volunteers, accompanied the pupils of the school in Twane on their way to and from Tuba. The activists were attacked violently by the Ma'on farm settlers. In spite of this the activists still visit frequently and support the schoolchildren. Effort is done so that the army and police enable their safe passage.


* Donation of money so the pupils can register to school.

* Enhancing the infrastructure of the school, building and enlarging the school yard, other equipment.

* This is the 2nd year that a summer camp for the Twane schoolchildren took place, organised by the activists and the Palestinian residents. Artists volunteered, the campers had a trip to Jericho. The camp was so successful that even children from Yata- the district capital arrived!
[2] Agriculture
With the army limitations and the settlers harassments, the residents cannot cultivate a large part of their land, their main source of livlihood. They are forbidden from entering the plots near the settlments, and may loose propietorship of their land if not cultivated for three years. Activists of Ta'ayush and other organisations help them co-ordinate their activity with the civil administration, work in the field, and document the settlers' violence.
Ploughing together, Saturday, 5 December 2004

16 February 2005 - Settlers attack five overseas volunteers - PRESS RELEASE - Ta'ayush support

 [3] Infrastructure enhancement
* Building a home for the international volunteers that accompany the residents and document the settlers violence.

* Enhancing the access to the hamlets and construction alternative roads to those blocked by the settlers.

* The hamlets are not connected to running water, instead they use the water gathered in cisterns. The quantity is insufficient and there's always a lack of water. During the expulsions the army demolished some of the cisterns and does not enable the residents to dig new ones. Moreover, some cannot get to their cisterns if the settlers occupied them. In the summer the activists accompanied the residents to their water sources. We intend to enhance the water infrastructure and dig new cisterns that will serve a few hamlets.

[4] Public campaigns before the court hearings about the expulsion
So far a few hearings took place. A campaign took place against each expulsion, so that the public is aware. Petitions of authors and prominent people were published in the newspapers, and public meetings took place to explain the residents' plight. Several solidarity convoys were organised, most of them blocked by the army.

[5] Helping the residents of Khirbet Jawawis whose land was invaded by settlers
The residents of Khirbet Jawawis had to flee after successive harassments of settlers that later took their homes and caves. They also could not cultivate their land. Ta'ayush is in continuous contact with the residents and they are given legal aid and help in cultivation.

The Jawawis refugees returned!
Read Ha'aretz article
Israeli military authorities ignore the measures of the High Israeli Court and of the Knesset, Operazione Columba press release, 5 March 2005

These activities (especially the infrastructure) cost a lot of money. The people do not have the means, and bearely make a living of the agriculture. Their situation becomes worse as the settlers' violence increases, and as the settlers squat on more of their land.

By a donation you can make a difference - so that these people will stay in their homes with elementary conditions - a basic right which is denied by the various occupation aparatuses of the state of Israel.
more details on the South Hebron page
Donations, in Palestine/Israel, send to POBox 4441, Jerusalem,
cheques made to Ta'ayush.


From overseas, Swift code POALILITA (Ramat Aviv Branch) 12-606-396608
Or cheques made to Ta'ayush, to POBox 16047, Tel Aviv 61160, Israel,
send an email to Anat - anat566@gmail.com  and let us know that the money is for the South Hebron campaign.

Thank you very much. Rest assured that your donation will make a difference!