High Court Hearing on the Expulsion of Residents from South Mt. Hebron

Tomorrow, Wednesday March 29th, at 9:00 am, Israel's High Court of Justice will hear petitions against the expulsion of approximately 700 Palestinians from their homes in South Mt. Hebron. The state of Israel expelled these residents in the months of October-November `99 after decades of living in caves in the region. Since their expulsion they, together with their herds, have been living in harsh conditions, waiting to return to their homes.

B'Tselem recently published a case study on the expulsion, which contradicts the following contentions by the Civil Administration to justify the expulsion: "The area is a firing zone"; "Those expelled own homes in Yata"; "Those expelled are not permanent residents of the area", and further unfounded explanations.

The report contends that the actual reason for the expulsion is Israel's desire to annex the area between the Green Line (in the Arad valley area) and the settlements of Carmel and Maon. In doing so, Israel seeks to create territorial continuity in the region, without Palestinian residents.

B'Tselem, as a human rights organization, demands that, in the framework of any territorial concessions, these Palestinians be able to remain in their homes and subsist on their lands without fear of harassment by settlers or the Civil Administration.