Al-Tuba (Masafer Yatta)
Khirbet a-Tuba
ٱلطُّوبَا Al-Tuba; Tuba | |
|---|---|
Hamlet | |
Khirbet a-Tuba Location within the West Bank, Palestine | |
| Coordinates: 31°24′25″N 35°10′38″E / 31.406821°N 35.177354°E | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Hebron Governorate |
| Area | Masafer Yatta |
| Elevation | 646 m (2,119 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 |
Khirbet a-Tuba (Arabic: ٱلطُّوبَا, also: Al-Tuba or Tuba) 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 surrounding area were designated Firing Zone 918 in the 1980s, with residents facing demolition orders, planning restrictions and recurrent settler-related incidents.[1][2]
Geography
Khirbet a-Tuba stands at about 646 metres above sea level, at approximate coordinates 31.406821°N, 35.177354°E.[3] The hamlet is situated east of Yatta, among the scattered cave-dwelling and herding communities that make up Masafer Yatta.[1]
History and archaeology
The wider Masafer Yatta landscape (Arabic masāfer, “travelling”) has long supported semi-sedentary pastoralism with cave-adapted dwelling. Families in a-Tuba, like neighbouring hamlets, use caves, cisterns, terraces and small dryland plots typical of the South Hebron Hills.[1]
Tuba is one of the Masafer Yatta villages documented as a settled community of cave-dwellers and herders. Like its neighboring hamlets, Tuba shows evidence of agricultural terraces, cisterns, and stone enclosures in mid-20th-century aerial photography. Generations of families testify to continuous habitation, although the Israeli state has sought to redefine the area as temporary in order to enforce evictions.[4]
Legal–administrative context
Following the June 1967 war, a-Tuba came under Israeli occupation and was included in Area C. In the 1980s, much of the area was declared Firing Zone 918, limiting civilian construction and service connections.[1] Litigation regarding expulsions has continued for decades; in May 2022 the Supreme Court of Israel rejected petitions against eviction for multiple Masafer Yatta hamlets within the firing zone.[1]
Access and services
- Road access: A-Tuba is reached via rough dirt tracks from the At-Tuwani area; humanitarian/NGO mapping notes recurrent access restrictions typical of firing-zone localities.[1][5]
- Water and power: Households rely on rain-fed cisterns and trucked water; electricity is provided mainly by small solar arrays that have faced confiscation or demolition in the area.[1][6]
- School access (At-Tuwani escort): Children from a-Tuba and nearby Maghayir al-Abeed walk to school in At-Tuwani, historically requiring an IDF escort due to repeated settler harassment from the illegal Ma'on settlement and its subsidiary outpost (Havat Ma'on).[7][8]
Population and livelihoods
A-Tuba is one of the smaller Masafer Yatta communities. Families rely on mixed herding (goats and sheep), small-plot dryland farming and seasonal grazing. NGO reporting has documented assistance with solar power and water infrastructure alongside periodic confiscations.[9][10]
Notable incidents
- 6 August 2024: Masked settlers armed with clubs attempted to steal a flock and attacked residents in a-Tuba; the incident was documented by B’Tselem.[11]
- 25 January 2025: Six masked settlers, one carrying a rifle, attacked the community; B’Tselem reported injuries and property damage.[12]
See also
External links
- UN OCHA – materials on Masafer Yatta
- B’Tselem – South Hebron Hills
- At-Tuwani (school access context)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Fact sheet: Masafer Yatta communities at risk of forcible transfer". UN OCHA. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Explainer: The threat of mass expulsion in Masafer Yatta". +972 Magazine. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Tuba, Hebron – elevation & coordinates". ElevationMap.net (SRTM/OSM-derived). Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ Amira Hass, "Israel Blew Up Their Houses in 1966. Now It Claims Their Village Never Existed," Haaretz, 27 April 2021
- ^ "The South Hebron Hills (map & report)" (PDF). Breaking the Silence. 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "South Hebron Hills: Communities Facing Expulsion". B’Tselem. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "School children threatened by Israeli settlers in South Hebron Hills". Right to Education (Birzeit University). 30 March 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "AT-TUWANI: Military escort misconduct exposes Palestinian children to risk on their way to and from school". Christian Peacemaker Teams. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Khirbet Tuba, Masafer Yatta – life in the shadow of state-backed settler violence". B’Tselem. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Demolitions and displacement – data dashboard". UN OCHA. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Khirbet a-Tuba, South Hebron Hills: Settlers masked and armed with clubs try to steal a flock of sheep and attack its owners". B’Tselem. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Khirbet a-Tuba, Masafer Yatta: Israeli settlers attacked residents and tried to steal a flock". B’Tselem. 25 January 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.