#SaveMasaferYatta

Demand an end to the ethnic cleansing of Masafer Yatta

Israel’s Supreme Court has approved the forced eviction of over 1000 Palestinians, including 500 children, from their homes in Masafer Yatta. This is a war crime under international law.

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Ask your MP to call on the Foreign Secretary to apply sanctions on Israel until it stops breaking international law.


 

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I am writing to express my deep concern over the proposed forced removal of over 1000 Palestinians, including 500 children, from Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank.

After more than 20 years of legal battles, on 4th May 2022 Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that 12 Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta be forcibly removed from their homes. This is because Israel wishes to make this land a ‘military zone’ for training.

Forcible transfer like this is a war crime under international law. The Fourth Geneva Convention prevents the forcible transfer of a population under occupation. Israeli NGO B’Tselem has described the Supreme Court’s ruling as a mixture of ‘baseless legal interpretation’ and ‘decontextualized facts’.

This is one of the largest forced expulsions of Palestinians from their land since the Naksa of 1967. It is part of the apartheid state of Israel’s broader strategy to steal Palestinian land to make way for more illegal Israeli settlements. There are already over 250 illegal Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank, home to over 600,000 illegal Israeli settlers. Since 1948 over 131,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished to make way for illegal settlements.

As your constituent, I request that you ask the Foreign Secretary to apply sanctions on Israel until it stops violating international law.

I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

 

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Story

Demand an end to the ethnic cleansing of Masafer Yatta

Masafer Yatta is a rural area in the south of the occupied West Bank. It is home to  12 Palestinian communities, consisting of over 1000 Palestinians including 500 children. Palestinians have lived here since long before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967.

Israel has been trying to steal this land since the 1980s. On 4th May 2022, after more than 20 years of legal battles, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the Palestinian communities of Masafer Yatta be forcibly removed from this land.

This is a war crime under international law. The Fourth Geneva Convention states that a population under occupation (such as the Palestinians) cannot be forcibly transferred by the occupying power (Israel).

This is also one of the largest forced expulsions of Palestinians since the Naksa of 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza.

This latest move is part of apartheid Israel’s broader strategy to steal more Palestinian land to make way for further illegal Israeli settlements. Over 600,000 illegal Israeli settlers now live on land that has been stolen from Palestinians across the occupied West Bank.

We can help the Palestinian families of Masafer Yatta stand up against this ethnic cleansing. Write to your MP today to ask the Foreign Secretary to apply sanctions on Israel until it stops violating international law.

Campaign coverage in the news:

Days of Palestine  and Quds News Network

Downloads & Resources

FAQ

Where is Masafer Yatta?

Masafer Yatta is a rural area in the south of the occupied West Bank. It is home to 12 Palestinian communities, consisting of over 1000 Palestinians including 500 children. Palestinians have lived here since long before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967.

What is happening in Masafer Yatta?

Israel has been trying to take Masafer Yatta from Palestinians since the 1980s. On 4th May 2022, after more than 20 years of legal battles, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the Palestinian communities of Masafer Yatta can be forcibly removed from their land.

This is illegal under international law, and we must do all that we can to protect the Palestinian families of Masafer Yatta from this ethnic cleansing.

You can write to your MP today to ask the Foreign Secretary to apply sanctions on Israel until it stops violating international law.

What can I do?

You can write to your MP today to ask the Foreign Secretary to apply sanctions on Israel until it stops violating international law.

Further reading:

‘The international community must prevent the forcible transfer of Masafer Yatta communities’ B’Tselem https://www.btselem.org/press_release/20220505_international_community_must_prevent_the_forcible_transfer_of_masafer_yatta_communities_approved_by_hcj

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/5/rights-groups-slam-israeli-ruling-that-allows-razing-of-villages

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