2024

On 11 March 2024, a new settlement outpost was set up about a kilometer away from the homes of a-Sukhun, a seasonal community where eight families, numbering a total of 54 people, including 30 minors, have spent the winter for decades. When the outpost was established, five families were at the community, after three families left earlier than usual in order to spend Ramadan elsewhere.Settlers living in the new outpost have been harassing shepherds from the community from the very first day, throwing stones at them and uttering threats, as well as cutting the water pipes connected to the community spring. The settlers have also blocked community members’ access to Route 515, which leads to the main traffic artery, Route 60. On top of this, since the outpost was established, soldiers have started coming to the community, walking around and even searching homes for firearms. During some of these searches, the soldiers kept members of the household out of their homes for hours and took their phones. On 21 March 2023, the five families that were in the community, numbering a total of 37 people, including 19 minors, were forced to take down their tents and sheepfolds and leave and move to other villages in the area, following harassment.