[News] 'Systemic abuse' by Israeli settlers displaces yet another Palestinian nomad community

[Anti-Imperialist News]

middleeasteye.net
<https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-systemic-abuse-settlers-displaces-nomad-community>
'Systemic abuse' by Israeli settlers displaces yet another Palestinian
nomad community
By Fayha Shalash in Ramallah, occupied Palestine - August 10, 2023
------------------------------

It was no simple task for Suleiman Nasr, a 44-year-old shepherd, to
disassemble the tent that sheltered his family of seven. But he had no
other choice.

A cluster of Palestinian <https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine>
nomad families, including Nasr's, had resided for 45 years in the Qaboun
hamlets east of Ramallah, within the heart of the occupied West Bank. Some
of these families hailed from the lands of the Naqab, which fell under
Israeli <https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel> control as the
Negev in 1948.

Today, the nomads are once again compelled to abandon their ancestral
lands, forced out due to the incessant onslaught of attacks by both the
Israeli army and settlers.

In an interview with Middle East Eye, Nasr expressed the unbearable nature
of the settler attacks, which have grown increasingly relentless over the
past two months. These assaults originate from the Shilo settlement,
strategically positioned between the cities of Ramallah and Nablus. Nasr
described these attacks as "systematic".

"Practically every day, our encampments and livestock are targeted. Stones
are hurled in our direction, our children subjected to violence, and our
women subjected to verbal abuse. These assailants wield batons and sharp
implements against us, all while attempting to steal our livestock," he
said.[image: image.gif]

At the break of dawn on Monday, the 36 members of the Kaabneh family
were forced to disassemble their tents, pack up their belongings, and
relocate to an uninhabited area nestled between the villages of
Al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah, east of Ramallah. They had no option, if they
were to escape the unwelcome presence of the Shilo settlers.

This coerced displacement is a recurring event. In May, 78 children from
the Ein Samia
<https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel-settlers-second-nakba-launching-how>
community, near the town of Kafr Malik, were forced to depart due to
ongoing Israeli transgressions, including the demolition of several of
their homes and the only school in the community.

"Our departure from the land we've called home for decades was not a matter
of choice, but rather one of necessity," Nasr said. "The Israeli army and
settlers left us with no alternative. Regrettably, we found no support
forthcoming from any official entity or grassroots organisation."

[image: palestine bedouins august 2023]
Palestinian Bedouins take down their tents and move on, after living
for decades in the Qaboun region, east of Ramallah in the occupied West
Bank (supplied)

According to the nomads, soldiers repeatedly intruded into their tents and
makeshift homes, subjecting them to disturbance under the guise of
inspections. The nomads were also subjected to physical assaults on
multiple occasions.

Around 300 Palestinians form the core of this nomad community, living in
tents and rudimentary structures fashioned from tin and mud.

Israel's assertion that these are illegal constructions, and the day-to-day
actions of Israeli forces, have led all nomad families in northeastern
Ramallah to consolidate in a single location.
Settler attacks 'grimly routine'

Across the occupied West Bank, nomad communities share a common struggle
against Israel's discriminatory policies. The majority find themselves
located in the C classified areas, falling under Israeli authority as
stipulated by the Oslo Agreement
<https://www.middleeasteye.net/tags/oslo-accords>.

One such consolidated community resides in the Masafer Yatta region, to the
south of Hebron. Here, 20 interconnected nomad groups are in a persistent
battle against Israeli efforts to displace them, in order to enlarge the
surrounding settlements and annex the nomads' ancestral lands.

'I was born here, and generations before me called this land home, long
before the Israeli occupation emerged'

*- Samir Hamamdeh*

For Samir Hamamdeh, 57, and his family, livestock is the only livelihood.
However, their existence is marred by the relentless imposition of Israeli
measures designed to coerce them into surrendering their lands.

"I was born here, and generations before me called this land home, long
before the Israeli occupation emerged. Post-1967, life became a ceaseless
struggle due to unending Israeli hostilities. We endure our days here, but
it's hardly a life to speak of," he said.

During the 1970s, the seeds of Israel's settlement enterprise took root in
the southern Hebron region, as it voraciously consumed vast stretches of
Palestinian land. The expansion then extended its tendrils toward the
pristine landscapes of Masafer Yatta, transforming these idyllic areas into
Israeli settlements.

<https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-ben-gvir-defends-settlers-suspected-killing>

Israel's Ben Gvir defends settlers suspected of killing Palestinian as
'heroes'

In defiance of multiple verdicts issued by Israeli courts, mandating the
eviction of these communities, the Palestinian residents say they will
stand firm, unwavering in their commitment to remain. In response, Israel
has unshackled its settlers and soldiers, unleashing a campaign of
oppression to force their departure.

"Settler incursions onto our lands and sporadic assaults have become grimly
routine. Our livestock are pilfered, and on occasion, brutally
slain," Hamamdeh told MEE.

"They obstruct our movements and restrict our access, while soldiers storm
our dwellings under the guise of hunting smugglers and those lacking
permits. Destruction of property and physical abuse, marked by beatings and
derogatory language, have become our daily ordeal," he recounted.
'Sterilisation' policy

The Israeli assault on nomad territories isn't a recent phenomenon, but a
battle that has persisted over many years.

Suhail Khalilieh, director of the Settlement Monitoring Unit at the Applied
Research Institute in Jerusalem <https://www.arij.org/> (ARIJ), shed light
on the plan for the expulsion of nomad populations in East Jerusalem,
paving the way for the realisation of the E-1 project, part of the Greater
Jerusalem expansion scheme.

"For over two decades, Israel has articulated its intention to 'sterilise'
the regions east of Jerusalem, the southern Hebron zone, and the vicinity
of the Jordan Valley,” Khalilieh told MEE, using a term frequently used by
Israeli authorities in reference to the expulsion of nomads.

'The systemic abuse faced by the Bedouins in the West Bank mirrors the
atrocities committed against the Bedouins in Naqab and Beer Alsabaa during
1948'

– *Suhail Khalilieh, ARIJ*

“This strategic manoeuvre is designed to displace the Bedouin communities,
confining them to prescribed enclaves. The reality far surpasses what the
media portrays. The ongoing battle against them is fierce, characterised by
Israel's utilisation of every conceivable tactic to forcibly expel them,"
he added.

As per the 2017 statistics unveiled by the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories (OCHA), a stark reality emerges regarding the potential forced
displacement of 46 nomad communities in the central West Bank.

Of these communities, 26 find themselves within the jurisdiction of the
Jerusalem governorate - a total of 4,856 nomads. These people grapple with
dire living conditions, marked by severe deficits in fundamental services
like water and electricity. Their challenges are further compounded by
limited access to essential educational and healthcare facilities.

The data furnished by the UN underscores that over 70 percent of the
residents within these communities are refugees who were expelled by Israel
in 1948 from their original homes in southern occupied Palestine. A
staggering 90 percent of them rely on livestock grazing as their primary
source of livelihood. Most of their homes have been marked for demolition,
with a staggering 85 percent lacking access to both water and electricity.

Khalilieh pointed out that Israel's approach includes an array of
distressing tactics, including the demolition of homes and schools, the
senseless killing of livestock, the relentless harassment of shepherds and
farmers, the deliberate burning of crops, violent physical assaults that
can be deadly, the sabotage of wells, and obstructing the building of
crucial infrastructure. These calculated methods, the ARIJ claims,
unequivocally amount to the crime of ethnic cleansing.

"The Palestinian Bedouin communities stand as an impediment to the
expansion of settlements. Consequently, they endure these brutal assaults
with impunity,” Khalilieh said.

“The systemic abuse faced by the Bedouins in the West Bank mirrors the
atrocities committed against the Bedouins in Naqab and Beer Alsabaa in
occupied Palestine during 1948."
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