Residents of Palestinian village facing partial demolition say it’s built on private land

Residents of the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair in the South Hebron Hills rail against Israeli plans to demolish buildings in the community, asserting that they are built on private land.

At a press conference held in the village, residents say that the Civil Administration told them that 14 structures in the village, most of them homes, are slated for demolition since they were built illegally.

Khalil Hathaleen, the brother of Awdah Hathaleen — who was shot dead during a confrontation with a settler in the village in July — says that the residents belong to the Bedouin Jahalin tribe and have lived in the area since 1948, while “only in 1981 the first [Israeli] settlement was established near Umm al-Khair.”

He emphasizes: “We have an Israeli court ruling from 1993 stating that this is private land belonging to the residents who live here.”

Hathaleen adds that if the demolition orders are carried out, about 100 people will be left homeless.

Another villager, Eid Hathaleen, says that the demolition would affect half of the village’s population. Eid notes that, legally, residents have very few options left, and that international pressure on Israel is therefore needed to prevent the demolition.

Khalil Hathaleen stresses: “This is not a demolition — it is an act of expulsion.”

About three months ago, the village made headlines after Awdah Hathaleen was shot dead during a confrontation with a settler, Yinon Levy, amid construction work for a new neighborhood in the Carmel settlement adjacent to the village. Levy was released after a brief detention following a court ruling that he had acted in self-defense.

Avigail, an Israeli activist who assists the residents of Umm al-Khair, adds: “Awdah fought all his life in a nonviolent struggle and was murdered here in cold blood. This demolition will be another crime that will lead to the cleansing of more families.”