Saddet al-Tha'la

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For the Syrian village, see Al-Thaalah.
Sadat al-Tha'la
سادة الثعلة
Saddet Tha'la; Saadet Tha'lah; Sadaat ath-Tha'la; Khirbet Sadat al-Tha'la
Hamlet
Sadat al-Tha'la is located in West Bank
Sadat al-Tha'la
Sadat al-Tha'la
Location within the West Bank, Palestine
Coordinates: 31°21′52″N 35°08′20″E / 31.3644°N 35.1390°E / 31.3644; 35.1390
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateHebron Governorate
AreaMasafer Yatta
Elevation
621 m (2,037 ft)
Time zoneUTC+2
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3

Sadat al-Tha'la (Arabic: سادة الثعلة, also spelled Saddet Tha'la or Saadet Tha'lah) 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, and large parts of the surrounding landscape were designated Firing Zone 918 in the 1980s, constraining planning, service connections and access to land.[1]

Geography

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Sadat al-Tha'la lies in the arid hillscape east of Yatta and close to Umm al-Kheir and Al-Tuba within the dispersed cave-dwelling and herding landscape of Masafer Yatta. Open-source elevation datasets place the hamlet at roughly 621 metres above sea level.[2] A community profile notes historic reliance on caves and cisterns alongside seasonal grazing lands.[3]

History

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Local documentation describes the hamlet's development around cave dwellings and dryland plots; families presently use only several of the original caves for housing, others serving as storage or wells.[3]

Legal–administrative context

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Following the June 1967 war, the area came under Israeli occupation and was later included in Area C. In the 1980s, large parts of Masafer Yatta were declared Firing Zone 918.[1] In 2016, a planning notice affecting lands of Khirbet Sadat al-Tha'la was publicized by the Israeli Civil Administration's Supreme Planning Council.[4]

Access and services

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  • Road access: The hamlet is reached by unpaved agricultural tracks connecting nearby Masafer Yatta communities; humanitarian sources note recurrent access constraints typical of firing-zone localities.[1]
  • Water and power: Households rely on rain-fed cisterns, trucked water and small solar arrays, consistent with regional patterns.[1]
  • Local planning and structures: Field profiles list mixed building typologies (tents, tin shacks, stone rooms) and family-based land parcels.[3]

Population and livelihoods

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A 2020 field report described about 100 residents relying on herding and dryland agriculture.[5] Livelihoods centre on small-ruminant herding (goats and sheep), seasonal grazing and limited dryland plots, reflecting broader Masafer Yatta patterns.[1]

Notable incidents

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  • 20 February 2025: Regional media citing the Palestinian news agency reported settlers released livestock onto crops in Khirbet Sadat al-Tha'la to destroy fields.[6]
  • 16 July 2025: WAFA reported armed settlers toured near homes in Khirbet Sadat al-Tha'la and raised flags while threatening residents with displacement.[7]
  • 5 July 2021: Local news noted the arrest of a resident from the Sadat al-Tha'la community.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Fact sheet: Masafer Yatta communities at risk of forcible transfer". UN OCHA. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Saadet Tha'lah, Hebron – elevation on map". ElevationMap.net (SRTM/OSM-derived). Retrieved 24 August 2025. Saadet Tha'lah … Elevation: 621 m
  3. ^ a b c "Saddet Tha'la". Bimkom – Planners for Planning Rights. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  4. ^ "الإعلان عن إيداع خارطة مفصلة جديدة لمستعمرة "ماعون" على مساحة من أراضي خربة سادة الثعلة". ARIJ / POICA. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  5. ^ "إخطار بوقف العمل في بئر قديم بقرية سدة الثعلة شرق يطا / محافظة الخليل". ARIJ / POICA. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2025. تقع إلى الشرق من قرية أم الخير، ويبلغ تعداد سكانها حوالي 100 نسمة
  6. ^ "Settlers plow citizens' lands and release livestock in Masafer Yatta". SABA (Yemen) citing WAFA. 20 February 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Colonists begin expanding outpost near Hebron". WAFA (English). 16 July 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  8. ^ "إعتقال الشاب عودة جميل عوض من تجمع سادة الثعلة". Nabd. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2025.