Visit to a Bedouin Village Susya in Hebron: 30 families accounting for around 450 people, living in a make-shift settlement, 30 years in the making. On a lovely sunny day, we go and meet the villagers of who are trying to live or perhaps survive in their homeland.
The people of Susya are what is referred to as herding communities, living off their sheep and various other animals They have been trying to live some kind of life away from their original villages but surrounded by the omnipresent settlers. Often scaring the villagers, their children or their herds randomly. Past incidents include: vandalism, burning of tents, houses, scaring of children on their way to school, threatening shepherds, stone throwing and the list goes on…
Ever since the presence of various international NGO´s, volunteers and the media, the villagers have seen incidents reduce, tells us Sawsan, one of the part-time residents. She is currently studying English at Yatta University and is doing her best to come and show support to the family. She has a very good command of English and explains to us that her mother-in-law (in the photo) has not wanted to move because of fears for her land, she says: “No doubt the settlers would invade and steal their land. You see empty land = Risking losing our land here in Palestine, such is our ever-lasting battle”
They bake their own bread in a clay oven, they share some with us! They also make their own goat cheese and honey. They also have a small shop when one can purchase some of their embroidery or traditional bags. There is even a DVD of a documentary made of the story of the village. The DVD cover shows a photo of the veteran of the village “Every little help” but they do it proudly, it shows!”.
We are told their story and some of the children are playing in the background, they have small puppies which they are proud to show us. They are respectful of us whilst appreciating the time we play together and the exchanges we have about such thing as football or the countries we have been to. How we hope, they will have the opportunity to go to some of them!
The Excellence Center organizes visit for volunteers to see for themselves the reality of the occupation. Sawsan tells me that whilst the village school is good, it never seems to have foreign volunteers, food for thoughts?
