Tag Archives: south hebron hills

Arrest in green pastures

Featured

Posted on by
1

by the South Hebron Hills Team, 

The South Hebron Hills, located in the south of the West Bank in Palestine, is a beautiful area, especially in spring. The soft rolling hills are covered with fresh green grass, carpets of yellow flowers and sprinkled with limestone. At this time of year after a long winter, the shepherds bring their flocks of sheep and goats out from their farms to graze on their lands. This seemingly idyllic setting is stunning but does not paint the whole picture because it is also scattered with illegal Israeli settlements, outposts and military bases. Continue reading →

Demolishing homes, destroying hopes…

Posted on by
1

by EAs Veronika and Gordon, South Hebron Hills team, 

1 - P1090444

13.01.16 South Hebron Hills, Khirbet Ar Rahwa destroyed Samamri home Photo EAPPI

It is Wednesday, 13 January 2016, 12 o’clock, lunchtime in Khirbet Ar Rahwa, about 15 km southeast Yatta (South of Hebron), only 1 km distant from Checkpoint Meitar in the south of the Green Line. The living tent and sheep shelter of the family of Raje Barhan Samamri have just been destroyed, following a “Demolition Order” from the Israeli DCO (District Coordination Office) which administers Area C on the Palestinian West Bank on behalf of the Israeli army.

Continue reading →

Home sweet home in firing zone 918

Posted on by
1

by the South Hebron Hills team.

It is six o’clock in the morning, and day is about to break over the valley below. In the distance, the foothills of the Negev emerge above the mist. All is quiet and peaceful in Ziad’s tiny homestead, where we have just spent the night.  Only the hollering of the jackals and the barking of a lone dog interrupted the silence of last night. Ziad arose well before daybreak to say his two morning prayers, as is his religious custom. He has worked tirelessly all morning feeding fodder and maize to his one hundred and twenty sheep.

He lives by himself in a very small simple cave and he seems satisfied with its rudimentary comfort it offers. Electricity comes from solar panels and water is collected in cisterns. A local NGO has built a toilet cubicle adjacent to the house. A few olive trees and a fig tree are planted next to the small platform where Ziad sits when he rests for a moment. A small paradise on earth, one may think and yet a closer look at life in this area reveals that it is far from ideal…

13-10-15 South Hebron Hills Bir al Idd Breakfast after overnight protective presence Abu Tariq EAPPI BG. Saltnes

13.10.15 South Hebron Hills, Bir al Idd, Abu Tariq and EA share breakfast after overnight protective presence Photo EAPPI BG. Saltnes

Continue reading →