Israeli authorities Sunday blocked the roads leading to Masafer Yatta, a Bedouin congregation of about 19 small villages south of Hebron, with earth mounds, according to local sources. Rateb Jabour, coordinator of the Anti-Settlement Commission, told WAFA that an Israeli armed force broke into Hebron's village of al-Majaz and raided schools and residential dwellings, in search of "illegal" construction materials. Forces reportedly conducted similar raid and search campaigns in Khirbet al-Taban and the nearby village of al-Fekhet, where they searched a school and summoned the janitor to appear for interrogation. Located in Area C of the West Bank, under full Israeli administrative and military control, the area has been subject to repeated Israeli violations by settlers. Operation Colomba, Nonviolent Peace Crops, has reported on multiple violations by the Israeli authorities in the area, including house demolitions, demolition of animal barns and other health facilities. The congregation is surrounded by four settlements – deemed illegal under international law namely, Ma‘oun, Karmae'l, Yaqoub Dali, and Lifna. It has therefore been a frequent target of almost weekly attacks by Israeli Jewish settlers. Nearby Israeli military checkpoints and bypass roads allocated to Israeli settlers have restricted local Palestinians' access to their land, workplaces and market.
