Wednesday, June 19 2013 The Struggle for Being by Amitai Ben-Abba
In the insane, maniacal strive to live life at its fullest I have found the most meaning in the perseverance and generosity of the Palestinian strugglers in the South Hebron Hills. The mechanics of disenfranchisement are so horrendously well-oiled, that the strugglers of the Wild South resist simply by being. And so, the rest of us, that come from safe(r) surroundings and secure(r) socioeconomic backgrounds, resist simply by being with them. That is the meaning of Ta’ayush – living together, living the end of apartheid and separate-ness. Waking up at […]Sunday, August 22 2010 The Settlements’ Winery Approximately two months ago we learned that the largest wine producer and distributor in the country, Carmel Wineries, is putting pressure on wine growers from the South Hebron Hills settlements to sell it grapes exclusively and thus to harm the local wineries. In order to prevent seeming “loose lips,” and to duck under the ban on products from the settlements, Carmel is acting in secrecy and silence. We decided, the activists of Taayush Jerusalem, to investigate the issue intensively, to see if there was any truth in the accusation. Yesterday, […]
Tuesday, August 10 2010 Further Demolitions in El-Arakib
The demolition in El-Arakib this morning, the third in two weeks (accounts of previous actions can be read here, here and here) was entirely petty. What else can be demolished in a village razed to its foundations less than a week previously, the majority of whose residents have in any case fled because of fear? We arrive around two AM. The area is full of destroyed houses, reminiscent of the destruction of the Temple, and in a few lonely shacks, scattered over the area, lights in the doorways. We spread […]Thursday, August 5 2010 The Construction of Another Fence in Umm Al-Kheyr
On Thursday night we received an urgent call to come to Umm Al-Khayr. Once again, the settlers of the Carmel settlement attempted to nibble away at the villagers’ land. This time, they had begun construction of a concertina wire fence which could injure the village’s herds and children. When we arrived, there were already many security forces: tens of soldiers, police, border police and representatives from the civil administration. In addition, several settlers, security personnel from Carmel, a number of Israeli and international activists as well as Palestinian activists from […]Thursday, March 11 2010 Price Tag In Safa In the evening we had a message from Safa In accordance with the “price tag” policy of the people in Bat Ayin, where the army had demolished illegal buildings, the settlers had started fires in the area of Wadi Rish and the army denied access to the Palestinians who wanted to put them out. Local and international activists who tried to reach the area of the fires were met with tear gas and forced to turn back. Activists from “Ta’aush” and “Rabbis for Human Rights” went out and managed to […]
Friday, October 2 2009 Barrier Removal Near village of Qaryut
The residents of Qaryut, a village of some 2,500 tucked in a hilly region between the settlements of Shiloh and Eli midway between Nablus and Ramallah, have destroyed the dirt mound blocking their access to the main road 104 times. Today they did so for the 105th time, with the assistance of 10 Israeli and 10 international activists. A mere two kilometers west of their village, along a dirt road, is an entrance to the central highway, Route 60, the residents’ connection to markets, shops and schools in Ramallah and […]Saturday, June 6 2009 Susya and Khirbet Safa
By David Shulman It never, and I mean never, rains in the south Hebron hills in June. Days are counted on a simple continuum of hot-hotter-hottest. But here I am standing in the steep road at Khirbet Safa at 9:30 in the morning under an almost cloudless sky, and raindrops are splattering against my skin. It’s no storm, but still a kind of miracle. I put it down to Obama’s visit to Cairo this week and to his speech which—probably for the first time in decades from an American president—spoke […]
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