Explainer: The threat of mass expulsion in Masafer Yatta

Masafer Yatta is a rural area in the occupied West Bank, in the region of the South Hebron Hills. Situated in “Area C,” it is under full Israeli military and civil control. There are 20 small Palestinian villages in this area, with ancient cave structures built into the rock alongside newer homes built in recent decades as the communities have grown. On March 15, Israel’s Supreme Court will hold a decisive hearing that could determine the future of eight of those 20 Palestinian communities residing in Masafer Yatta. Over 1,000 Palestinians living in what Israel calls “Firing Zone 918” face the threat of expulsion, in what would constitute one of the largest single displacements of Palestinians in decades. Should the court approve the expulsion of these eight communities, it would serve as a major legal precedent for ruling on other cases where Palestinian communities live in firing zones across the West Bank. Since the 1970s, Israel has designated some 18 percent of the occupied West B

Masafer Yatta is a rural area in the occupied West Bank, in the region of the South Hebron Hills. Situated in “Area C,” it is under full Israeli military and civil control. There are 20 small Palestinian villages in this area, with ancient cave structures built into the rock alongside newer homes built in recent decades as the communities have grown. On March 15, Israel’s Supreme Court will hold a decisive hearing that could determine the future of eight of those 20 Palestinian communities residing in Masafer Yatta. Over 1,000 Palestinians living in what Israel calls “Firing Zone 918” face the