Israeli colonists from the colony of Suseya attacked the Palestinian residents of the area of Wadi Juheish leading to the injury of a Palestinian with an ax hit on the shoulder. According to the 45-year-old Mr. Ibrahim Al Nawaja, he was surprised on the early morning hours of January 20 to see 7 colonists surrounding him while working on his tent. A verbal exchange took place as he told the colonists to move away from his land. However, the colonists told him to leave saying “this is our country and you are the one who should leave.”
Pic. (1+2): A general view of Wadi Juheish.
Mr. Al Nawaja indicated that the colonists were holding an ax with them which they used in hitting him on his shoulder. He bled due to the hit and lost conscious before an ambulance came to the location to offer him medical attention. He indicated that the colonists threw stones at the residents and their tents hitting a number of the women of the community while using prophanities against them.
Mrs. Umm Nidal Al Nawaja indicated in an interview with the Land Research Center’s field researcher that an additional attack took place on Thursday February 3rd, 2011 as 3 masked colonists have attached the community and hit the 20-year old Diya’a Al Nawaja with a stone on the head. Mrs. Al Nawaja said that they had called the Israeli Police in an effort to stop the attack by the colonists.
Yet, they came after the attacked has finished and arrested the elder of the community, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Al Najawa under the pretext of “taking him to the Police Station to file a complaint.” Moreover, the Police came back on Tuesday February 8th, 2011 and arrested Fuad Ibraheem Al Nawaja (23 years old) and Mohammad Khalil Al Nawaja (20 years old). They were taken to the colony of Kfar Etzion before being transferred to the Ofer detention center.
It has to be mentioned that the Israeli occupation forces has attempted in the past to choke the community through restricting access to it via placing a number of earthmounds on the road leading to it. However, the residents have managed to remove parts of the earthmounds and were able to access the community by using agricultural tractors.
Pic.3: The earthmound on the road leading to Wadi Juheish.
The closure came at a time when Suseya colonists chase off Palestinian herders from their lands and prevent them from reaching their lands located south of the colony. As such, hundreds of dunums were not cultivated this year due to lack of access while colonists use that land for herding purposes.
Pic.4: Part of the lands to which Palestinian herders cannot access
Pic.5: Israeli colonists herd their sheep in the said lands.
The residents of Wadi Juheish pointed out that the colonists aim at evicting the Palestinians from their lands through a series of attacks and violence. Specifically, the colonists want to control the top of the hill where the Palestinians are currently residing due to its strategic location that overlooks the entire region including the settlements of Suseya and Beit Yattir. It is worth pointing out that there is currently basic infrastructure work being done in the settlement of Suseya in the direction of Wadi Juheish.
Pic.6: The on-going expansion of the colony of Suseya
Pic.7: Part of the colony of Beit Yattir
On another front, Israeli occupation forces has been carrying out a series of construction activities in khirbet Susiya archeological site in an effort to transform it into an archeological park for the colonists. In the meantime, Israeli occupation forces still prevent the residents of Susiya from Al Nawaja family from accessing their lands especially those located in the western and northern parts of the colony of Suseya.
Pic.8: Construction work in Khirbet Susiya archeological site
Pic.9: Al Nawaja lands near the colony of Suseya.
For additional information regarding Israeli violations against the residents of Wadi Juheish, please click on the following link.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
