Saddet Tha'la

Basic info

district
Community Association
farmer

Resident

Number of Families
13
Names of Families
E'layyan, A'wad
Farmers Origin/Family
Yatta
Refugees
not refugee

Spatial/Building

Land Ownership
private
Land Ownership - details
The community owns the land by inheritance as they are originally from Yatta. Lands are divided between families according to their ownership.
Planning
submitted plan
Planning - details
A detailed plan was submitted around 2011-2012 but was rejected
Structure Type
tent;tin shack;caves

Infrastructure/Services

Access to Community
pedestrian;private vehicle;4X4 vehicle
Access to Community - details
An unpaved dirt road leads to the community
Water Access
authorized connection;water tank
Water Access - details
An authorized connection has been established by the local council and ACP, connecting from the village of Umm Al-Kheir, but the flow is very weak and insufficient. They must supplement with purchased water tanks.
Electric Connection
Electric Connection - details
The system was constructed by Comet-me in 2012, but ever since the number of families has increased. Five new families have no panels and they connect to existing panels of nearby houses. Thereby the system has weakened and sometimes is not even sufficient for lighting.
Health Care
clinic in distant town/village
Health Care - details
The closest clinic and hospital are Umm a-Kheir hospital in Yatta, but transportation is not always available. They have to order cabs at a high cost and most of the drivers refuse to reach their location fearing the dirt road and the settlers.
Location of Services
Yatta

Education

Kindergarten
No
Location of School #1
Umm Al-Kheir
general description [school #1]
Boys;Girls;Primary school;Middle school;High School
Distances to schools [school #1]
1001 - 2000 meters
Time to schools [school #1]
16 - 30 minutes
Schools - details
About 15 children, learn in the school in Umm Al-Kheir, about 3 km walk in the mountains, with no available transportation
Travel to school [school #1]
difficult walk;donkey
Accessibility to school [school #1]
6

History

History
Saddet Tha'la was established during the Ottoman era. Families came from Yatta about 50 years ago. They used to live in seven caves, nowadays only several are used for dwellings. The other caves are not habitable, so they are used for storage and wells.
The village lands are divided according to the ownership of the families living there.

livelihood

Seasonal Movement
no
Seasonal Movement - details
Some members of the community move to Za'atra for three months during the spring.
Community Initiatives
Unknown
Other Occupation
shepherding;herd without shepherding
Main Occupation
shepherding;herd without shepherding
Woman's Occupation
taking care of the herd;taking care of the kids;housekeeping;herd products
General Livelihood - details
The community relies completely on shepherding. They sell wool and dairy products in Yatta and Hebron.
The restrictions on grazing areas imposed by the settlements around, as well the the ongoing drought, forced the community to feed their herds not only through shepherding but also with fodder. Recently, due to settler harassment, they have to limit grazing in open areas and must keep close to the village, feeding them only with fodder. This is highly expensive and sometimes they have to sell part of the herd in order to feed the rest of the herd. In 2023 they have approximately 1500-1700 heads of herd.
Women produce the dairy and wool products.

Threats and obstacles

Threats and Obstacles
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close to settlement;settler violence;the army is supporting the settlers in their harassment towards palestinians.
Threats and Obstacles - details
All their services, including health care, are in Yatta, yet there's no public transportation between Yatta and the community.
The nearby settlements restrict their grazing areas. Settler violence has escalated in the last few years. A settler from the new outpost of Maan Farm causes harm to the community. He wonders between their houses threatening the children with his dog and disturbing the villagers with his ATV . He caused serious trauma to children who required therapy and medication. The same settler(Yesiskhar) has also beaten a man from the village. This settler also herds his sheep ,illegally, on private Palestinian land that villagers rent and plant with barley and wheat for grazing their herd. They filed a complaint to the authorities against him, with no result.
Due to harassment and limitation of movement, herds are loosing their grazing options and thus need to be fed by fodder only. This leads to higher expenses and eventually the farmers have to sell part of the herd to be able to keep what is left.
Number of Demolition Orders
16
Number of Demolitions
5
Demolitions - details
According to residents, in 2016 the ICA destroyed a house and a residential barracks and a water cistern.
Swap Start/End

Saddet Tha'la (2)
Saadet Tha'la
Saddet Tha'la (1)

South Hebron Hills, due south of Um al Kher