Umm al-Kheir

Chicken inside a chicken barn at the Givat Olam organic farm, near the Jewish settlement of Itamar, West Bank, April 9, 2012. (Nati Shohat/Flas90)

When an Israeli chicken farm has more rights than a Palestinian village

From expropriating our land to poisoning our agriculture, settlement farms serve Israel's goal of forcing us out of our homes in the South Hebron Hills.

By Ali Awad and Awdah Hathaleen March 10, 2022

Haj Suleiman Hathaleen protesting in Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills, West Bank. (Emily Glick)

Israeli police shattered this Palestinian elder’s bones — and drove away

An elderly Palestinian activist is clinging to life after an Israeli police tow truck ran him over. Such violence could befall any of us in Masafer Yatta.

By Ali Awad and Awdah Hathaleen January 11, 2022

Palestinian farmers search the remains of concrete shelters demolished by the Israeli military, A-Tuwani, West Bank, April 2, 2014. (Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills)

We don’t just live through one home demolition — we live through them all

When you're witnessing a demolition, it feels as if the destruction is carrying on for hours. In reality, it takes only a few minutes to dismantle our lives.

By Awdah Hathaleen November 18, 2021

Latest

The Israeli army violently detained Palestinian, Israeli and international activists who were repairing an access road in the South Hebron Hills on May 3, 2019. (Ahmad al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

Israeli army arrests 17 activists, two journalists in South Hebron Hills

Hundreds of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists partnered together to repair a central access road in the South Hebron Hills. Israeli soldiers then declared the area a closed military zone, forcibly dispersing volunteers. By Arianna Skibell The Israeli army assaulted and forcibly arrested 17 people Friday after a group of more than 125 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists…

By +972 Magazine May 3, 2019

A Palestinian boy looks at the Israeli settlement of Carmel from the Bedouin village of Umm Al Khair, in South Hebron Hills, West bank, February 23, 2016. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

My village is under threat. I’m not giving up hope

The residents of Umm al-Khair have been robbed of humanity and justice. We have the right to live without the constant threat of demolition, to have enough clean water, and to live without fear. By Awdah al-Hathalean My name is Awdah Mohammed al-Hathalean. I’m 23 years old and I live in Umm al-Khair, a village in…

By +972 Magazine July 16, 2017

A Palestinian family sits in the remains of their demolished home in the West Bank village of Umm al-Kheir, April 6, 2016. (Wissam Hashlamon/Flash90)

Pushing Palestinians off their land — by pumping sewage onto it

Not content with ongoing demolitions in Umm al-Kheir and the destruction of its taboun, settlers in nearby Carmel have resorted to piping their waste onto the land belonging to the village. By Yossi Gurvitz, for Yesh Din The usual problem with reporting on what happens in the West Bank is lens width, an essential physical problem: you…

By +972 Magazine March 31, 2017

A Palestinian family sits in the remains of their demolished home in the West Bank village of Umm el-Kheir, South Hebron Hills, April 6, 2016. (Wissam Hashlamon/Flash90)

WATCH: Struggling for human rights under the threat of demolitions

The people of Umm el-Kheir, a Palestinian village in the southern West Bank, live under the constant threat of demolitions carried out by Israeli forces, as well as harassment from the army and settlers. On International Human Rights Day, residents and activists spoke about the struggle to access basic rights under occupation. Read more: Home demolitions are organized…

By Social TV January 5, 2017

Jewish activists work with the Palestinian residents of Umm el-Kheir to rebuild structures demolished by Israeli military authorities, South Hebron Hills, West Bank, September 10, 2016. (Sarah Stern)

Finding Sisyphus in the South Hebron Hills

‘I have the distinct feeling that the next time we come back, none of what we are building will be here.’ By Sarah Stern I run my hands over small jagged stones, turning over rubble and finding bits of fuzz, broken marble, plastics cups…remains of day-to-day life. I realize there’s something a bit Sisyphean to…

By +972 Magazine September 18, 2016

Residents of al-Araqib rebuild a structure demolished by Israeli authorities, January 16, 2011.
(Keren Manor/Activestills.org)

There is no Green Line when it comes to home demolitions

With demolitions pending in four Palestinian villages, solidarity activists must recognize the overarching agenda that unifies the seemingly different struggles. By Penina Eilberg-Schwartz Four Palestinian villages reached out to Israeli and international activists last week, requesting urgent support. All four villages — Umm el-Kheir and Susya in Area C in the West Bank, and al-Araqib and Umm el-Hiran…

By +972 Magazine August 7, 2016

Demolition in Umm el Kheir Jan 2012 (photo: Operation Dove)

MK on settler outposts: No civilized country demolishes homes

As illegal settler outposts in the West Bank continue to circumvent law and only expand, Palestinian homes that have been around for decades longer are demolished over and over again. This week, national-religious MK Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi) was interviewed on an Israeli news show called London & Kirschenbaum about his proposal for a bill…

By Mairav Zonszein January 27, 2012

Demolitions in W. Bank villages reflect settlement upsurge

On Monday, January 9, Israeli authorities shut down “the only road leading to Khan al Ahmar elementary school,” the Palestinian news agency WAFA reports. The move came a day after Israel issued a number of stop-work orders in Umm al Kheir. Both Khan al Ahmar and Umm al Kheir are Bedouin villages located in the southern…

By Mya Guarnieri Jaradat January 14, 2012