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Al-Halawa
Village in Hebron, State of Palestine From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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al-Halawi or Khirbet al-Halawa (Arabic: خربة الحلاوة) is a small Palestinian hamlet located in the Masafer Yatta area of the Hebron Governorate, in the southern West Bank. Like other hamlets in Masafer Yatta, it is administered under Palestinian local frameworks but lies within Area C of the West Bank, under direct Israeli civil and military occupation. Residents face ongoing threats of demolition, restricted access to infrastructure, and settler-related attacks.[1]
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History and archaeology
The name Khirbat al-Halawa (lit. "ruin of sweet candy") is remembered locally as referring to a prominent local landmark. The Masafer Yatta region takes its name from the Arabic words for “travelling,” reflecting its history as a seasonal grazing and migration area for semi-nomadic herders.[2]
Oral traditions trace the permanent settlement of Kh. al-Halawa to families from Yatta in the early 20th century, who adapted existing caves and stone structures for habitation. In the British Mandate period, residents relied on a combination of animal husbandry, dryland farming, and seasonal grazing.
Halawa appears in early 20th-century surveys as one of the settled extensions of Yatta in the South Hebron Hills. Residents lived in caves and gradually expanded into stone houses near their fields and pastures. Archaeological surveys note water cisterns and agricultural installations in the area, supporting claims of long-term habitation. Today, Halawa is among the villages threatened with demolition due to its location inside a firing zone.[3]
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Legal-administrative context
Residents of Khirbet al-Halawa continue to inhabit caves, a legacy of displacement and military restrictions, despite possessing family land titles dating back generations. They describe being prevented from constructing homes or accessing basic services such as water, electricity, schools or roads, despite long-standing agricultural use, under the pretext of residing in a “military zone.””[4] Indeed, since the 1970s, Khirbet al-Halawa has been included in Israel's declared Firing Zone 918, a closed military zone covering much of Masafer Yatta.[5] In May 2022, the Israeli Supreme Court upheld eviction orders for eight hamlets within the zone, placing over 2,000 residents, including those of Khirbet al-Halawa, at risk of forcible transfer.[6]
The village's stone houses, tents, and cisterns have been repeatedly subjected to demolition orders. Residents depend heavily on rainwater collection and solar power due to restrictions on infrastructure connection.[7] Independent human rights groups have described the policy as ethnic cleansing.[8][9][10]
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Settler attacks on the civilian population
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Perspective
On 2 May 2018, the Israeli troops demolished several residential and agricultural structures in Khirbet al-Halawa within Masafer Yatta, further contributing to the dispossession and displacement of its inhabitants.[11] On 17 June 2019, Israeli forces demolished two additional residential structures in Khirbet al-Halawa, further exacerbating the precarious living conditions of its inhabitants, already threatened by demolition orders and eviction procedures.[12]
On 30 April 2025, Israeli colonizers released their livestock to graze on Palestinian agricultural land in the Halawa area of Masafer Yatta—specifically targeting olive and almond groves owned by Palestinian farmer Ahmad Ismail Abu Arram—causing damage to planted crops and undermining local livelihoods.[13]
On 26 September 2025, armed Israeli settlers from the outpost of Metzokei Yair raided al-Halawa. The settlers hurled stones at homes, physically assaulted residents—particularly members of the Abu ʿAram family—and vandalized property. They also stole two donkeys from the village. When locals tried to protect their life and property, Israeli soldiers intervened on behalf of the settlers, detaining a young man, Muḥammad Aḥmad Abu ʿAram, instead of the attackers.[14]
This incident followed a series of state-sponsored settler assaults in Masafer Yatta reported earlier in September 2025, during which homes and agricultural lands were repeatedly targeted, livestock was stolen, and residents faced intimidation. Local activists and human rights monitors described these attacks as part of a wider campaign to displace Palestinians from the South Hebron Hills.[15][16]
Population and livelihoods
Khirbet al-Halawa's population is estimated between 120 and 250 residents in recent years. Inhabitants are Arabic-speaking and primarily engaged in goat herding, cultivation of olives, and seasonal field crops. As in other parts of Masafer Yatta, water is supplied mostly by tanker, while electricity is provided through solar panels maintained by local and NGO initiatives.[17]
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See also
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Khirbat al-Halawa.
References
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