Repeated demolition attempts by the army and right-wing groups are threatening to destroy the Palestinian village of Susya. "Thus shall it be done to the people whom the state does not delighteth to honor," (but is delighted to get a hold on their land). This is Susya's story. Israel Social TV is an independent media NGO working to promote social change, human rights, social justice and equality, and to mobilize its viewers towards activism.

The Palestinian village of Susya, which has been through numerous demolitions and forced expulsions, beginning in 1986, is facing yet another threat to its existence. This time, the fate of the entire village lays in the hands of Israel's Supreme Court. By Rabbis for Human Rights On Thursday, Israel's Supreme Court will hold two sessions regarding two petitions affecting the future of the Palestinian village Susya. One will discuss the possibility of expediting the demolition of most of the village, while the other seeks to prevent the villagers’ remaining lands from being rendered off limits to them. The first court session involves a petition by…

Some 80,000 Palestinians families depend on the annual olive harvest for their livelihoods. This year alone, settlers, with the backing of the army, have destroyed or damaged thousands of olive trees, threatening both a major source of income and an age-old agricultural custom. By Alon Aviram Dry shrubs and a mishmash of makeshift tarpaulin shelters cover parts of this parched valley in the South Hebron Hills. The carcass of a car rests in the bottom of a cistern. According to Breaking the Silence, an organization of veteran combatants that works to expose to the Israeli public to the realities of…

"Firing Zone 918" is the Israeli military's term for a portion of land in the West Bank home to hundreds of Palestinians who have been there since the 19th century. Why are they under threat of eviction and how is it being done? A primer. By Eyal Raz "We must maintain “the necessary fitness of the IDF" This is the reason that the State of Israel has given for its recent order by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to destroy eight Palestinian villages and expel 1,500 residents from their land in the southern West Bank. “Firing Zone 918,” which the Israeli military…

Israeli bulldozers entered the Palestinian village of Zenuta in the South Hebron Hills Tuesday morning and demolished water cisterns, residential dwellings and sheep stables, devastating the small community of only seven families.  By Sean O'Neill Zenuta, West Bank - At around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, a group of Palestinians from the village of Zenuta watched from across a valley in the South Hebron Hills as two Israeli army bulldozers suddenly appeared and destroyed their village’s water cisterns, cave dwellings and stables. The village, divided by a valley, is just 3 kilometers from the Green Line, at the southern tip of…

A surprisingly candid op-ed from a high-level Israeli official explains the role the Oslo Accords played in allowing Israel to maintain the occupation. Dov Weisglass, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's righthand man, recently had another very candid moment. After Before the disengagement from Gaza, Weisglass gave a famous interview to Haaretz in which he was honest about the rationale behind the move: the desire to fill the diplomatic vacuum and secure Israeli control of the West Bank forever. Last week he went back to Oslo. Weisglass published an interesting op-ed in Ynet in which he explained the value of the 1993 Accords from a…

The women of the Palestinian village of Susya tell their stories through the lens of a camera. A participatory photography project coordinated by Activestills.  By Activestills Around 400 people from 45 shepherds’ and farmers’ families are living in the Palestinian village of Susya, located in Area C (which is under Israeli military and civil control) in the South Hebron Hills. They have lived in this region on a seasonal basis since at least the 19th century. In 1986, the Israeli Civil Administration expelled the residents of Susya from their original village and declared the zone to be an archeological site on…

I started to think that a formal, unilateral annexation of Israeli-controlled Area C is imminent in May, when I saw this video (Hebrew) advocating the move. A public relations ploy designed to convince Israelis that annexing Area C is good for their future—and that giving the Palestinians who live in the area citizenship or residency won’t disturb Israel’s demographic balance—the video was put on YouTube by settler leader Naftali Bennett. After he made a fortune in high-tech, Bennett served as Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff from 2006 to 2008 (before Netanyahu was Prime Minister). He went on to become the Director…

The Defense Ministry and Civil Administration complained Tuesday that the thousands of faxes calling on the government to cancel the demolition of the Palestinian village are disrupting their work and threatened to get the police to stop the campaign.  Over 300 faxes were sent on Tuesday morning alone to the Defense Ministry offices as part of the "S.O.S. Susya"  campaign launched by several Israeli anti-occupation organizations to raise awareness and actively oppose the planned demolition of the small Palestinian village of Susya, in Area C of the southern West Bank. A simple click on the campaign's website automatically sends 5 faxes…

Israeli activists went to the Palestinian village to replace the vandalism committed by settlers with a message of nonviolence and solidarity - and were subsequently arrested for damaging property.  While tens of thousands of people were demonstrating last night (Saturday) in Tel Aviv for the mandatory military enlistment of all Israeli citizens, four other citizens were sitting in jail after being arrested for painting over hate speech graffitied on a rock by settlers in Susya and proceeding to write "Stop the Violence" and "Free Susya" next to it. The charge: damage to property. The four were brought Sunday morning before a Jerusalem…

Over 500 Israelis and Palestinians from near and far gathered in Susya (southern West Bank) on Friday to protest plans by Israeli authorities to demolish the Palestinian village in its entirety. Despite being a peaceful and nonviolent demonstration, the army fired stun grenades, tear gas, and threatened to use "skunk" water. One protestor was injured in the head by a stun grenade and required stitches. Susya - located in Area C of the West Bank under full Israeli control - is under threat of destruction, following the June 7 interim injunction by the High Court of Justice to stop construction in the…

By Nasser Nawaj'ah I am Nasser Nawaj'ah. I am 30 years old. My mother gave birth to me in a cave in Susya El-Kadis. You know of Susya as a Jewish settlement in the South Hebron Hills, but Susya is first of all a Palestinian village that existed before the establishment of the State of Israel. I was named after my grandfather, who was still alive at the time. In 1948, he was displaced from his village near Arad, now in southern Israel. When they were expelled, my father was just a little boy and my grandfather carried him in…

The right-wing organization "Regavim" wants you to overlook why the Palestinians in Area C are pushed into building "illegally"; Regavim wants you to ignore the fundamental inequality of status between Palestinians and settlers. By Yariv Mohar The first High Court hearing will be held tomorrow (Wednesday) on a petition submitted by the right-wing organization "Regavim" which demands the demolition of the entire Palestinian village of Susya in the South Hebron Hills. Regavim's strategic goal is to expedite the Israeli policy of pushing as many Palestinians living in Area C, which is most of the West Bank, into the crowded and…