Escalation in the South Hebron Hills: Awdah Hathaleen

Awdah Hathaleen lives in the village of Umm al-Khair, in the South Hebron Hills: a region of the West Bank where Israel has full civil and military control. At the start of 2023, the Israeli military announced plans to forcibly evacuate more than a thousand people from eight villages in the South Hebron Hills. Even though Umm al-Khair is not one of those eight villages, Awdah says life has still become much more difficult for his family and community in the past year.

You can hear more from Awdah Hathaleen and his cousin Tariq about their life in Umm al-Khair in “The Birthday Party”: a special four-part series Unsettled published last year, reported on the ground in the South Hebron Hills. Follow Awdah on Instagram @awdah.hathaleen.

Unsettled is made by Emily Bell, Max Freedman, and Ilana Levinson, with support from Asaf Calderon. Original Music from Blue Dot Sessions.