DZ
DefZone.Net

Kien thuc cong nghe & giai tri

Wiki Article

Al-Majaz

Nguồn dữ liệu từ Wikipedia, hiển thị bởi DefZone.Net

Xem trên WikipediaBài ngẫu nhiên khác
Khirbet al-Majaz
خربة المجاز
al-Majaz
Hamlet
Khirbet al-Majaz is located in West Bank
Khirbet al-Majaz
Khirbet al-Majaz
Location within the West Bank, Palestine
Coordinates: 31°22′45″N 35°11′17″E / 31.37906°N 35.188°E / 31.37906; 35.188
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateHebron Governorate
AreaMasafer Yatta
Elevation
662 m (2,172 ft)
Time zoneUTC+2
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3

Khirbet al-Majaz (Arabic: خربة المجاز) is a small Palestinian herding hamlet in the South Hebron Hills, within the Masafer Yatta cluster of communities in the Hebron Governorate of the southern West Bank. Like other Masafer Yatta localities, it lies in Area C under Israeli civil and military control; large parts of the area were designated Firing Zone 918 for military training in the 1980s, with residents facing demolition orders, planning restrictions, and recurrent settler-related incidents.[1][2]

Geography

[edit]
General view of Al-Majaz village, Masafer Yatta

Khirbet al-Majaz stands at about 662 metres above sea level, at approximate coordinates 31.37906°N, 35.188°E. It is one of several hamlets scattered across the limestone uplands east of Yatta that comprise Masafer Yatta.[1]

History and archaeology

[edit]
1880s PEF Survey of Palestine map of Masafer Yatta

The broader Masafer Yatta landscape (Arabic masāfer, “travelling”) historically supported seasonal pastoralism and cave-adapted dwelling. Families in al-Majaz share the region's pattern of caves, cisterns, terraces and small dryland plots that characterize the South Hebron Hills.[1] Testimony gathered by humanitarian organizations documents long-term residence, displacement cycles and reliance on traditional herding livelihoods in and around al-Majaz.[3][4]

Al-Majaz is characterized by traditional cave houses supplemented by simple stone structures. It appears in multiple geographic and demographic surveys from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, corroborating its continuous habitation. The presence of cisterns, cultivated terraces, and animal pens seen in historic aerial photos supports the oral testimony of residents that the community long predates the establishment of Israel.[5]

Legal–administrative context

[edit]
Massafer Yatta in the Hebron Hills, West Bank

Following the June 1967 war, Masafer Yatta came under Israeli occupation and was included in Area C. In the 1980s, the army designated much of the area as Firing Zone 918, constraining civilian construction, service connections, and access to land.[1] In May 2022, the Supreme Court of Israel rejected petitions against eviction, paving the way for expulsions across multiple hamlets inside the firing zone.[2] Planning documents also note al-Majaz's location within the Yatta municipal boundary and predominance of Area C jurisdiction.[6]

Education

[edit]
Kids playing in Al-Majaz village, Masafer Yatta

Al-Majaz hosts a basic school that serves local children through 9th grade; older students typically continue in the school at nearby Khirbet al-Fakhit.[7] International delegations have visited the site amid concerns over demolition threats to education facilities in Masafer Yatta.[8]

Access and services

[edit]
  • Road access: Al-Majaz is reached by unpaved tracks branching from the Yatta–At-Tuwani area; press coverage describes the site as “at the end of a long, dusty trail.”[9]
  • Water and power: As with neighboring hamlets, households rely on rain-fed cisterns and trucked water; electricity is typically provided by small solar arrays, with periodic demolitions/confiscations reported.[1][10]
  • Health and protection: Humanitarian reporting notes the health impacts of the coercive environment (delays reaching care, mental health stressors) and recurrent demolitions/disruptions.[11]

Population and livelihoods

[edit]

Al-Majaz is one of the smaller Masafer Yatta communities. Households practice mixed herding (goats and sheep), small-plot dryland farming and seasonal grazing.[1]

Notable incidents

[edit]
  • On 12 February 2024, Israeli soldiers entered al-Majaz; livestock were mixed and five lambs were trampled, and damage was reported including to a mosque, according to B’Tselem documentation.[12]
  • On 26 August 2024, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man near al-Majaz in the “Firing Zone 918 area”; nearby houses were also struck by live ammunition, according to OCHA's situation update.[13]
  • Detention operations and settler-related incidents have been reported in al-Majaz and adjacent hamlets, including arrests of shepherds (January 2024) and mass detentions following a settler attack (June 2025).[14][15]

See also

[edit]
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f "FACT SHEET: Masafer Yatta communities at risk of forcible transfer" (PDF). UN OCHA. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Explainer: The threat of mass expulsion in Masafer Yatta". +972 Magazine. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Firing zones and risk of forcible transfer". UN OCHA. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Israel's coercive measures undermine people's health in Masafer Yatta". Médecins Sans Frontières. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  5. ^ Amira Hass, "Israel Blew Up Their Houses in 1966. Now It Claims Their Village Never Existed," Haaretz, 27 April 2021
  6. ^ "Spatial Plans for Palestinian Communities in Area C, West Bank" (PDF). Palestinian Ministry of Local Government. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Khirbet al-Majaz – MPs' Communities". Bimkom / MPs’ Communities. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  8. ^ "EU calls on Israel not to demolish Palestinian herding villages". The Jerusalem Post. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Two-decade court battle over West Bank area nears end". The New Arab. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  10. ^ "The Twelve Villages of Masafer Yatta (Firing Zone 918)" (PDF). Breaking the Silence. 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Occupied lives – The risk of forcible transfer of Palestinians in Hebron (incl. Masafer Yatta)" (PDF). Médecins Sans Frontières. 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Khirbet al-Majaz, Masafer Yatta, South Hebron Hills: Israeli soldiers enter livestock enclosure; five lambs killed". B’Tselem – Settler/Forces violence updates. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Humanitarian Situation Update #210 – West Bank". UN OCHA. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  14. ^ "Israeli forces detain seven Palestinian shepherds near Hebron". WAFA. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  15. ^ "Israeli forces detain 15 Palestinians in Masafer Yatta after colonist assault – Khirbet al-Majaz". WAFA. 30 June 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.