Martha and Beth traveled for the second time to the village of Susiya in the South Hebron Hills, however this time they were joined by IWPS (International Women’s Peace Service). This was a “day of solidarity” called for by Combatants for Peace (Palestinians and Israelis who were previously using violence against each other, but are now working together and using nonviolence) and Ta’ayush (Israeli peace group of Arabs and Jews), and was very well attended.

Very shortly after we arrived on Saturday morning, the police pulled onto the drive which leads to the villagers housing. These men demanded to talk with the leader of the Palestinian villagers. One young man stepped forward. When we internationals stood around to listen and take pictures, the policeman said he needed to talk with the boy alone, and took him aside. The Palestinian man later relayed to us that the policeman told him they would be present all day long for security reasons.
 

When the Israeli Ta’ayush activists arrived, warm hugs were exchanged between them and the Palestinians. This instance, and the entire day served as evidence that despite the circumstances, Palestinians and Israelis are capable of cultivating friendships. It is important to note that prior to 1947 the Jews and Palestinians of this land lived together for thousands of years, side-by-side.

Israelis and a number of internationals continued to arrive for the next few hours. There were two large buses filled with people coming from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beer-Sheva. In all, there were about 200 people that attended the event.

Groups met together to discuss plans for the day and to explain the current situation of land confiscation and home demolitions in Susiya. The people of this village have had their homes (caves and tents) demolished four times since 1990. Although they are the legal owners of this land, they have not been able to obtain permits to rebuild their homes. The settler-run Civil Administration bureau has the authority to grant or deny these permits to the Susiya residents. Because the settlers want this land for themselves, the people of Susiya have been unable to obtain these permits. On June 6, 2007 the Israeli Supreme Court unfortunately accepted the state’s argument that the people of Susiya are squatters on their own land. Therefore, they are currently under threat of a fifth demolition. The Red Crescent [Cross] has been asked to prepare tents for when the villagers are left homeless again.

Although there were a large number of people that attended the demonstration, the people of Susiya fed the entire group lunch prior to the protest.

We were then shown around the land once more, including sites of home demolitions, filled-in cave dwellings, and Palestinian land that is now tilled by the settlers. All of us were asked to use our cameras and video cameras to document what we saw and then pressure our governments to bring real justice and peace to Palestine and Israel. On route, we noticed that the military was surrounding us. Three army jeeps were driving down a nearby road, and more vehicles were atop an adjacent hill. However, we proceeded on our tour.

At the end, we stopped together in one large group and chanted. The hill facing us was covered with police, border police, soldiers and settlers. The women of Susiya had come out to join the gathering and were standing in a line, chanting. The men then joined in with them, and the internationals clapped. Some Israeli activists held a banner that said “This is not security, it is stealing land” in Hebrew and Arabic. We all stayed for a while making our presence known and chanting. Then we headed back up the hill towards the tent. A few Israeli activists tried to talk with the Israeli border police.

So for a few hours together, Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals walked lightly in peace over the land. It was a good kick-off to the resistance that will be happening in Susiya.

This family’s cave dwelling has been filled in a number of times, however they continue to use it.  The remaining structure is the bathroom, which is under threat of demolition.

Their animal shelter has also been demolished and rebuilt.