The residents of Susiya, a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank of Palestine, never thought their already difficult living conditions could get worse. The Israeli settlers in the area had been repeatedly attacking the residents of Susiya and regularly damaging their olive groves. However, the situation for Susiya’s residents deteriorated further when Israeli settlers, armed with knives and other weapons, set out to block the villagers’ access to water.
Palestinians living in the West Bank report that attacks by Israeli settlers have increased since Israel began its genocidal offensive against Gaza’s population on October 7, 2023. Palestinian organizations operating in the West Bank say that Israeli settlers are harassing the residents to drive them out of their homes and lands and seize them. Musa Maghnam, a 67-year-old resident of Susiya, says the Israelis want to cut off the Palestinians’ access to water. He also stated that the settlers are cutting the village’s electricity lines.
Such actions by the settlers are encouraged by the support they receive from extremist Israeli ministers. Emboldened by government backing, Israeli settlers have been attacking Palestinian farmers, cutting down their trees, and setting fire to olive groves. Jihad al-Nawaja, the head of the Susiya village council, said that access to water in the village has become extremely difficult. He stated that if the village doesn’t get water, its residents won’t be able to survive. He added that the Israeli settlers are restricting water access to force the villagers to abandon their homes.
Palestinians have traditionally been olive farmers. The olive tree is a special symbol that represents Palestinian national identity. Some Susiya residents, like Najah Maghnam, say that no matter how much harassment the Israelis inflict on Susiya’s residents, they will not leave their lands and olive groves. He says that even if they burn the fields and cut down the trees, the residents will not abandon the village. A human rights organization has reported that Israeli settlers have carried out 54 attacks on Susiya since October 7, 2023. Fawziya al-Nawaja, a resident of Susiya, says that the villagers are living in fear and cannot sleep due to their concerns.
The residents of Susiya have been threatened with the destruction of their village by Israelis for many years. When such threats were made, instead of leaving the village, the residents of Susiya lived in caves for a period. In 1986, when Israelis discovered what they considered an ancient site near the village, they evicted the cave-dwelling residents of Susiya from the area. After destroying the caves and expelling them from the village, Susiya’s residents have been living in makeshift tents in the area, enduring many hardships and difficulties in their daily lives.
