#Palestine / Illegal outposts erected in villages in Masafer Yatta in attempt to expel residents
In early May, most homes in the village of Khalat a-Daba in Masafer Yatta were demolished by the Civil Administration, forcing residents into tents and caves. Settlers then established an outpost inside two caves, displacing families and bringing hundreds of sheep and goats that damaged trees.
After the settlers left, residents feared they were promised something in return for dismantling the outpost themselves. According to Jaber Dbabsa, this mirrors the situation in Mughayyir al-Deir (a small Palestinian Bedouin community located about 5 kilometers southeast of the village Yatta, was inhabited by around 25 families from the Ka’abneh tribe). Despite the destruction and confiscation of property, the residents of Khalat a-Daba remain.
Following the demolition of homes, settlers attacked the village, leading to arrests. A resident was arrested for filing a complaint after settlers occupied his cave. Attacks by the army and settlers have increased in recent years, with homes burned and pogroms [note the use of the loaded term #pogrom in the original text in Hebrew] committed.
Since the start of the war, residents of over 60 communities in Area C have been displaced, and more than 80 outposts have been established. According to Souod Dbabsa, settlers want to control the village to disconnect the other villages in Masafer Yatta.
[…] Dababsa claims that the settlers and the army are working together: "They say it is a firing zone, but the law applies only to us and not to the settlers. The goal is to expel us. They do not care about our ownership documents. They brought the herding outposts to take from us everything we need to exist. There is nowhere to go with the sheep. It's all one plan, in Gaza and here. They want to expel everyone. But we have nowhere else, we will not leave."
Apropos Mughayyir al-Deir, which is mentioned as a precedent, in May 2025, settlers, with the support or acquiescence of the Israeli military, set up a new outpost inside the village, leading to the displacement of the community. Over 100 settlers and hilltop youth attacked nearby Palestinian villages, burning homes and vehicles, while the military seized additional land purportedly for security reasons. The evacuation was marked by violence against residents and human rights activists attempting to protect them. Hebrew https://www.mistaclim.org/en/articles/the-community-of-maghair-a-dir-surrendered-weekly-summary-17-5-25-24-5-25
#MasaferYatta #SettlerViolence #PalestinianRights #AreaC #LandGrab #MasaferYatta
