Palestinians in the occupied West Bank’s Masafer Yatta region are bracing for potential forced expulsion from their lands as the Israeli government pushes for the demolition of at least 12 villages in the area. The Israeli army has argued that it needs to convert the area into a military “firing” or training zone, but human rights groups and Palestinian activists say this is a ploy to seize Palestinian land and expand settlements.
Mohamed Yousef, a Palestinian farmer, knows firsthand the risks of confronting armed Israeli settlers. In late June, Yousef was arrested along with his family by Israeli soldiers after they defended their farm against settlers. Despite being released the next day, Yousef fears for his family’s future, especially with the looming threat of expulsion. “The police, the [Israeli] army and settlers often attack us all at once. What are we supposed to do?” Yousef asked.
The Israeli military’s plan to demolish the villages and expel their inhabitants has sparked widespread concern among human rights groups and Palestinian activists. According to a 2015 study by Kerem Navot, an Israeli civil society organization, such justifications are often used to seize Palestinian land, and military drills are rarely carried out in these zones after Palestinians are dispossessed of their homes.
Nidal Younis, the head of the Masafer Yatta Council, said the Israeli authorities have been trying to expel them for decades. “The [Israelis]…have been trying to expel us for decades,” Younis stated. The villagers have been engaged in a legal battle to resist their dispossession, but the Israeli High Court has largely sided with the military, ordering the expulsion of eight Masafer Yatta villages in May 2022.
Netta Amar-Shiff, one of the lawyers representing the villagers, said the court’s decision ignored evidence of permanent residence, including artefacts, photo analyses, and ancient tools. “But the court dismissed all the evidence we brought as irrelevant,” Amar-Shiff said. The Israeli military’s recent request to evict and demolish all the villages in the desired military zone has further escalated tensions, with the Civil Planning Bureau issuing a decree on June 18 to reject all pending Palestinian building requests in the area.
The decree effectively paves the way for the demolition of Palestinian homes and the expulsion of their inhabitants, facilitating further ethnic cleansing. According to Bimkom, an Israeli human rights group, Palestinians in Area C of the occupied West Bank are practically always denied building permits, while permits for Israeli settlers are almost always approved.
Sami Hourani, a researcher from Masafer Yatta for Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights organization, said the Israeli army has confiscated dozens of cars and arrested solidarity activists trying to visit the area. “We are in an isolation stage now,” Hourani said, adding that the villages in Masafer Yatta are under siege and cut off from the outside world. “We are expecting the army to carry out massive demolitions at any moment.”
The fate of the Palestinians in Masafer Yatta hangs in the balance as the Israeli High Court prepares to make a final ruling on the expulsion of the villagers. With the Israeli military and government pushing for the demolition of the villages, the prospects for the Palestinians look grim.