Tuweimin

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Khirbet at-Tuwāmin
خِرْبِة ٱلتُّوَيْمِين / خِرْبِة ٱلتَّوَامِين
al-Tuweimin; al-Twamin; at-Tuwamin; at-Tuwaymin
Hamlet
Khirbet at-Tuwāmin is located in West Bank
Khirbet at-Tuwāmin
Khirbet at-Tuwāmin
Location within the West Bank, Palestine
Coordinates: 31°22′33″N 35°07′17″E / 31.37592°N 35.12137°E / 31.37592; 35.12137
StateState of Palestine
GovernorateHebron Governorate
AreaMasafer Yatta
Elevation
865 m (2,838 ft)
Time zoneUTC+2
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3

Khirbet at-Tuwāmin (Arabic: خِرْبِة ٱلتُّوَيْمِين, also: al-Tuweimin, al-Twamin, at-Tuwaymīn) 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, and much of the surrounding area has been designated Firing Zone 918 since the 1980s, with residents facing demolition orders, planning restrictions and recurrent settler-related incidents.[1][2][circular reference]

Geography

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At-Tuwāmin stands at about 865 metres above sea level, at approximately 31.37592°N, 35.12137°E. The hamlet lies east of Yatta, near Khirbet Bir al-'Idd and al-Mufagara, within the dispersed cave-dwelling and herding landscape that comprises Masafer Yatta.[1]

History and archaeology

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1880s PEF Survey of Palestine map of Masafer Yatta

The broader Masafer Yatta landscape (Arabic masāfer, “travelling”) has long supported semi-sedentary pastoralism with cave-adapted dwelling. Families in at-Tuwāmin share the region's pattern of caves, cisterns, terraces and small dryland plots typical of the South Hebron Hills.[1] Humanitarian mapping and older surveys list the locality among long-standing hamlets of the area.[3]

Legal–administrative context

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Massafer Yatta in the Hebron Hills, West Bank

Following the June 1967 war, Masafer Yatta came under Israeli occupation and was included in Area C. In the 1980s, large parts of the area were declared Firing Zone 918, constraining civilian construction, service connections and access to land.[1] UN OCHA and other agencies have continued to document demolition orders, confiscations and displacement risks affecting at-Tuwāmin and neighbouring hamlets.[4]

Access and services

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  • Road access: The hamlet is reached by unpaved agricultural tracks branching from the Yatta–At-Tuwani area; humanitarian sources describe recurrent access constraints typical of firing-zone localities.[1]
  • Water and power: As with neighbouring hamlets, households rely on rain-fed cisterns and trucked water; electricity is typically provided by small solar arrays, with periodic confiscations/demolitions reported across Masafer Yatta.[1]
  • Basic services: Residents access schools and clinics in nearby hamlets and in Yatta; OCHA and NGOs note service gaps tied to planning restrictions.[1]

Population and livelihoods

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At-Tuwāmin is one of the smaller Masafer Yatta communities. Families subsist on mixed herding (goats and sheep), small-plot dryland farming and seasonal grazing, consistent with regional patterns.[1] Local testimonies and mapping list the hamlet among the cave-dwelling pastoral communities east of Yatta.[5]

Notable incidents

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  • 7 June 2020: Settlers broke the door of a family cave in at-Tuwāmin and stole stored equipment, according to B’Tselem documentation.[6]
  • 29 June 2020: Wire fencing and an irrigation network around a cultivated plot in at-Tuwāmin were vandalized.[7]
  • 7 November 2021: Settlers invaded a family's residential cave, vandalized belongings and stole equipment.[8]
  • Subsequent years have seen additional incidents of crop damage, grazing incursions and property destruction reported by B’Tselem's incident tracker for at-Tuwāmin and nearby hamlets.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Fact sheet: Masafer Yatta communities at risk of forcible transfer". UN OCHA. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Masafer Yatta". Wikipedia. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  3. ^ "At Tuwani & Mosfaret Yatta Profile" (PDF). Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ). 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  4. ^ "FACT SHEET: Masafer Yatta communities at risk of forcible transfer" (PDF). UN OCHA. June 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Masafer Yatta – communities case study (Arabic)" (PDF) (in Arabic). UN OCHA. 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Khirbet a-Tawamin, 7 June 2020: cave door broken, equipment stolen". B’Tselem – Settler Violence updates. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  7. ^ "خربة التوامين، مسافر يطا: مستوطنون يُتلفون سياجاً وشبكة ريّ". B’Tselem (Arabic) (in Arabic). 29 June 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Khirbet a-Tawamin, South Hebron Hills: Settlers vandalize family's cave". B’Tselem. 7 November 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Settler Violence – filter: South Hebron Hills / Khirbet a-Tawamin". B’Tselem. Retrieved 24 August 2025.