February Updates from Masafer Yatta

On February 3rd, the IOF harrassed and arrested a young Palestinian in his family land in the village of Susya.  On that same day armed and masked settlers attacked the village of Al Auja in the Jordan valley attacking the people in the village and stealing sheep’s from shepherds.

Only two days later, on Feburary 5th violent settlers, with the protection of the IOF raided the village of Susya in Masafer Yatta; terrorising and harrassing the local Palestinians is one of the main strategies used by the settlers and the IOF to force the indigenous people of the area to leave. On Feburary 23rd the Israeli Occupation Forces stormed a house in the village of Tuwani, assaulting some of the activists of Youth of Sumud and threatening to stop documenting the violence in the area of Masafer Yatta. This is part of an attempt to hide and cover up all the crimes committed by the occupation and its settlers against the Palestinians in Masafer Yatta.

On the 26th of February Israeli occupation forces detained Naeem Al Adara from the village of Tuwani in Masafer Yatta while he was grazing his flock in the village. Naeem is the father of Zakariya Al Adara who was shot by an Israeli settler on 13th of October in the village of Tuwani. This is yet another example of the ongoing attempt to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta.

One day later the IOF chased Palestinian shepherds in the village of Imnazel by shooting tear gas at them and their flocks. On the same day, two young shepherd from the village of Khalat al Dabea were arrested by Israeli occupation soldiers.

Despite all of the Israeli occupation attempts to make the lives of the Palestinians in Masafer Yatta impossible, we will never leave.