Al-Mirkaz
Al-Mirkaz
المركز(Arabic) | |
|---|---|
Village / hamlet | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Hebron Governorate |
| Area | Masafer Yatta |
| Population | |
• Total | ~150–300 (2,022–2,025 est.) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (UTC+3 DST) |
Al-Mirkaz (Arabic: المركز) is a small Palestinian hamlet located in the Masafer Yatta region of the Hebron Governorate, in the southern West Bank. It is administered under Palestinian local frameworks but lies within Area C of the West Bank, under direct Israeli civil and military occupation. The hamlet faces chronic challenges related to displacement, loss of infrastructure, and settler-related violence.[1]
History and archaeology
The Masafer region is called after the Arabic words for 'traveling.'[2] The 2024 documentary film No Other Land, winner of the Best Documentary Oscar, focuses on Jinba in Masafer Yatta.
Al-Mirkaz was first settled by families from Yatta in the 19th century, according to local testimonies. The area encompasses caves and terraced fields that local scholars and residents identify as part of longstanding seasonal and permanent habitation. In the British Mandate Period,Al-Mirkaz's residents relied on a mixed agrarian economy of animal husbandry, orchard cultivation and field crops.
Legal-administrative context
Since 1967, Masafer Yatta—including Al-Mirkaz—has fallen within Israel’s declared Firing Zone 918, allowing routine demolitions and displacement under the Israeli military framework.[3] A 2022 Israeli Supreme Court ruling upheld eviction orders affecting eight penalized hamlets in Masafer Yatta, potentially impacting over 2,000 residents.[4]
Al-Mirkaz’s residents frequently face demolition orders for homes, cisterns, and solar units due to the difficulty of obtaining Israeli-issued building permits. Many inhabitants rely on temporary structures and community cisterns.[5]
The increasing persecution, harassment and violence have compelled many families to leave al-Mirkaz—a process NGOs described as ethnic cleansing.[6][7][8]
Population and livelihoods
Local inhabitants are sedentary farmers, numbering approximately 150–300 in recent years. They speak Arabic and maintain livelihoods based on goat herding, olive cultivation, and grazing. Dependence on water tankers, solar panels, and community cisterns is common due to limited infrastructure access.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "Jinba Background – Living Archive". living-archive.org. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ At Tuwani &Mosfaret Yatta Profile. Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ). 2009.
- ^ https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2013-07-05/ty-article/.premium/tiny-wb-village-to-be-huge-army-training-zone/0000017f-db6c-d856-a37f-ffecdb870000
- ^ Reiff, Ben (2022-05-12). "Armed with High Court expulsion order, Israel's bulldozers arrive in Masafer Yatta". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
- ^ abukhdeir, thawra (2022-10-01). "Evacuation of Villagers in the Masafer Yatta Area of the South Hebron Hills | Association for Civil Rights in Israel". ACRI - english. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
- ^ ""Israel is Implementing Practices of Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians" | Faces of the Occupation | Looking the Occupation in the Eye". www.mistaclim.org. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "Ethnic cleansing in Masafer Yatta: a focus on Susiya". Home. 2025-04-03. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "Breaking the Silence › Testimony › The village was turned upside down". Breaking the Silence. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ McKernan, Bethan (2022-05-12). "Israel approves 2,700 housing units in illegal West Bank settlements". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-07-06.