TEL AVIV: According to a Facebook update posted by Breaking the Silence, an Israeli nongovernmental organization (NGO) that gives tours to Israelis and internationals, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) entered the Palestinian village of Susiya this morning and destroyed three homes. Susiya is located in the South Hebron Hills of the West Bank, situated next to an Israeli settlement that goes by the same name. Claiming that the homes—which are in fact tents made of cinderblock and rain tarps as well as a few cave dwellings with minimal electricity and resources—were erected without legal permits that are required for any construction by Palestinians living in Area C (under complete Israeli jurisdiction after the 1994 Oslo Accords) of the West Bank. Susiya's residents have already been displaced at least five times by IDF demolitions. The villagers were first displaced after a demolition that took place in 1985, when Israeli archeologists found remnants of an ancient synagogue in Susiya. The village was also demolished in 1991, 1997, and twice in 2001. Susiya's villagers have been regularly attacked by the nearest Israeli settlement, which is also called Susiya. They say the settlers have slaughtered their sheep, on which many depend for the bulk of their income, and poisoned their water wells. The IDF also destroys the village's water wells on a frequent basis. Palestinians in Area C are not allowed to dig deeper than three feet without permits. Military spokesmen claim that terrorists could use the wells as tunnels to launch attacks. In June, the IDF delivered new demolition orders to Susiya's residents, accusing them of building over 50 homes without permits. Later that month, over 300 Israeli, Palestinian, and international activists demonstrated in solidarity and marched peacefully to oppose the impending demolition. The destruction of Susiya, according to the United Nations humanitarian office, will displace some 350 people, 120 of which are children. Furthermore, a clinic, a kindergarten, and several solar panels that provide the villagers with electricity will be demolished. According to Breaking the Silence's Facebook update, the army bulldozer that destroyed three homes this morning in Susiya was on its way to another nearby Palestinian village in Area C.
