Defend the defenders in Masafer Yatta

Human rights defenders are under threat across Palestine, including in Masafer Yatta. They need our solidarity and support for them to continue their brave work, and they’ve asked us to push the British government to speak up on their behalf in the face of systematic oppression by the Israeli state.

Write to the Foreign Office and raise the demands of Palestinian land defenders in Masafer Yatta!

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Dear Foreign Secretary, I'm writing to express my concern about the situation in Masafer Yatta in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, and in particular, the threats against Palestinian human rights defenders there. In Masafer Yatta, where over 1,000 Palestinians are under threat of forcible expulsion, land defenders from the area have been at the forefront of strengthening the community’s capacity and resolve. Community-based groups like Youth of Sumud organise peaceful protests against land grabs and home and school demolitions; they monitor violations committed by Israeli soldiers or settlers; and they support local farmers, especially during the olive harvest season when they come under intense attack.
Palestinian human rights defenders play such a significant role in upholding their community’s survival, including through raising their case with foreign governments like the UK; but that also makes them targets for Israeli armed forces who know that human rights defenders, like activists in Youth of Sumud, are sometimes the last line of defence that communities like Masafer Yatta have.
I am aware of a recent uptick in harassment in August 2023 against Mohammed and Sami Huraini, both of whom have hosted guests from our organisation in the past year and provided key information to us about human rights violations for us to pass along to the British government. We are concerned that these individuals are being targeted by the Israeli government because of their human rights work.
Human rights defenders across Palestine face horrible repression—lawyers, journalists, medical workers and human rights activists face near constant harassment by the Israeli state and settlers. They are targeted with threats, arbitrary arrest and detention, and violence which sometimes is fatal, as was the case with Israel’s brutal murder of the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
The UK government has policy in place explicitly committing to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-support-for-human-rights-defenders">support human rights defenders internationally</a>, recognising the role that these frontline defenders play in upholding human rights. The government has also repeatedly issued statements condemning Israel’s actions in Masafer Yatta. Despite this, the situation for Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, including for human rights defenders, has worsened significantly over the past year.
It's long past time for the UK government to put actions behind its words and take the following steps:
<ol>
<li>Condemn publicly and through appropriate diplomatic channels Israel’s systematic targeting of Mohammed and Sami Huraini and other human rights defenders in Masafer Yatta;</li>
<li>Visit the human rights defenders who engage in the activist work of Youth of Sumud in Masafer Yatta and to commit to concrete actions to support them;</li>
<li>Implement sanctions on Israel over its systematic violations of international law in occupied Palestine, including the forcible transfer of Palestinians from their homes, which is a war crime.</li>
<li>Sanction British companies involved in the forcible transfer of civilians, including JCB, whose bulldozers are used in home and school demolitions in Masafer Yatta and across occupied Palestine.</li>
</ol>
I look forward to hearing your response.

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Defend the defenders in Masafer Yatta