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The inner light shines on Susya, Hanukka 2007
The Inner Light Shines on Susya, Hanukka 2007

Friday. Fourth candle of Hanukka. Ehud and I drive out from (our home kibbutz) Shoval on a routine visit to our Palestinian friends of Tuwane and Susya, 40 minutes to our east. A grayish day sealing the first week of December the likes of which the Bible describes as `clouds and gusts and yet no rain`, and we wonder at a year that once more threatens drought and withheld livelihood, especially theirs, in our Negev and their South Hebron Hills.

Arriving at Susya we detect a chopped-down olive grove along the tiny ravine not far from the dwelling tents of Susya`s few villagers. 32 fruit-bearing trees, faithfully tended by their owner – Yassar Radi Nawaj`a – living in nearby Yatta, cut down close to the ground. This must have taken place during the night between Wednesday and Thursday ( 5-6.12.07). That same night some of the Jewish Susya colonists (situated adjacent to Palestinian Susya and bearing the same name) celebrated in a small outpost they built about two years ago west of their colony.

They lit a bonfire, played music and sang until past midnight, says Mahmood of Palestinian Susya.

On the morrow, Thursday, at 3 p.m., Mahmood discovered the ravaged olive grove, while searching for a few of his goats who had ventured out into the ravine. He immediately alerted the owner, who filed a complained with the police, who came.
We don`t know which of the colonists did it, and whether the military outpost (situated on the hill right above the olive groves in the ravine) was manned that night.

Just 32 chopped trees and several broken hearts and hungry mouths tell the deed.
We came there today, Ehud and myself, and indigenous Nassar and 12-year old Hamza and his 8-year old brother Bilal. We faced the devastated trees, stunned.
The shriek that wanted out, the tears that wanted to be shed all became that helpless feeling, once again avoiding expressing itself in anyway similar to the colonists revenge pogrom last week in Funduk. The police will probably return the complaint for lack of something or other (never mind what, they`ll think of something), the colonists and their regional council will probably claim this is a provocation, handiwork of peace activists. Then it will turn into yet another event slipping unknown into silence.

I recall how a year and a half ago colonists of Elon Moreh ravaged olive trees of neighboring Salem village and the old man who relentlessly tended to his grove. Then it was to honor (Israeli) Independence Day 2006. So why not have Hanukka 2007 shine its inner light, too…
How deep the pain.

Starting out on our way back to Shoval, At the junction of road 60 near Susya Colony, a military vehicle stopped us. The officer asked us where we had been. Visiting friends at Palestinian Susya, we answered. And you`ll be back there tomorrow? he asked. Yes, tomorrow too, we answered. And wished him Shabbat Shalom (a peaceful Sabbath)…

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