after Gaza and Lebanon, Israel’s other war

Last June, the Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party, far right), affirmed that his life’s mission was “to thwart the creation of a Palestinian state”. In Masafer Yatta, an area fragmented by the advance of settlements and the installation of military posts, the Israeli project accelerated. Destruction of homes, closure of roads, land grabbing, the region is regularly targeted by attacks by settlers, with the complicity of soldiers. In this territory, the policies of the Jewish State “threaten the existence of some 4,000 inhabitants”, according to the Israeli organization for the defense of human rights in the occupied areas, B’Tselem.

After October 7, 2023, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (far-right Otzma Yehudit) launched a campaign to arm Israeli civilians, including settlers in the West Bank. Violence skyrocketed in Masafer Yatta.

On October 13, 2023, a resident of the Palestinian village of At-Tuwani, Zakaria Al-Adra, was shot and injured by a supporter of the pro-settlement movement. In this region where the population lives mainly from agriculture, attacks by settlers against plantations and livestock are increasing. Palestinians are organizing to document human rights violations alongside Israeli and foreign activists, but they feel left behind. Since the Oslo II agreement (1995), Masafer Yatta has been completely controlled by Israel. The army and police, responsible for local security, are accused of facilitating the expansion of the settlements.