A militiaman and two Israeli soldiers patrol private Palestinian land in the early morning. Since October last year, the Israeli military has established a permanent presence on the Palestinian farm, detaining the landowners whilst settlers trespass across the land.
Tuwani, Masafer Yatta - the modest farming village of Tuwani lies 40 km south of Jerusalem, on the edge of the Negev desert. Falling within ‘Area C’ of the West Bank, Tuwani is under total Israeli military control. But despite the heavy military presence, the villagers suffer daily harassment by settlers who live just across the valley in the illegal settlement of Ma’on and outpost, Havat Ma’on.
Hafez Hureini, 54, (centre) and his sons Mohammad, 21, (right) and Aboud, 14, (left) are detained in their olive grove by a militiaman whilst an armed settler shepherd brings his sheep onto the land. Hafez, both a farmer and a veteran of the civil resistance, has lived on the farm his entire life.
Each morning shepherds from the neighouring illegal outpost, Havat Ma’on, arrive with their flock of sheep, driving them across the land, damaging crops and intimidating Palestinian farmers.
An Israeli soldier threatens to arrest Mohammad if he does not move away from the two settler shepherds. When the shepherds arrive, armed men in uniform are never too far behind them. The Israeli military has set up a permanent presence on the farm, but are often replaced by local militiamen and vigilantes.
A surveillance drone harasses Mohammad whilst he tries to make a phone call from his garden. It is impossible to know who the drone is controlled by the military or the local settlers.
Hafez has his photo taken by the Israeli military whilst on the phone to the Israeli police. Everyday, Palestinians are photographed and have the ID documents checked, often by Israeli settlers and police who already know them by name.
At the end of the week an armed shepherd trespasses across the land with his flock of goats.
Mohammad attempts to shoo the settler’s goats away from his olive grove.
The settler squares up to up Mohammad recording him on his phone.
Within minutes, vigilante settlers from the local outpost, Havat Ma’on, arrive. They detain the Hureinis, allowing the armed shepherd to continue to graze is sheep in the olive grove. The masked vigilante is Jonathan Gabai, an American citizen born and raised in Texas.
A paramilitary settler, who emigrated from the US, prays whilst he detains the family in their own garden.
Another films the scene on his mobile phone, his assault rifle balanced across his lap, chatting and smoking cigarettes with his colleague.
With guns and mobile phones trained on them, and with nowhere to go, the Hureini cousins practice handstands in a gesture half defiant, half bored. An hour after they were detained, and once the settlers had finally left the land, the Hureinis are released. The militia disappear over the hill, just like the shepherds before them.