Masafer Yatta’s struggle: five takeaways from The FloodGate’s interview with Alaa Hathleen
Masafer Yatta
Romana Rubeo reports in The Palestine Chronicle on 4 March 2015:
On March 2, the documentary film No Other Land won an Oscar, shedding light on the ongoing struggle of Palestinians in Masafer Yatta under Israeli occupation.
In this episode of The FloodGate, Palestine Chronicle’s Robert Inlakesh spoke with Alaa Hathleen, an activist and resident of Masafer Yatta, about life under military rule, the daily realities of displacement, and the community’s unwavering resistance against Israeli forces and settler attacks.
Masafer Yatta is one of the longest-standing cases of ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank, yet its people refuse to be erased.
Here are five key takeaways from Alaa Hathleen’s testimony:
1. Under Attack
For decades, Israel has used a combination of military rule, economic pressure, and legal manipulation to push Palestinians out of their land. Alaa Hathleen sees no future in a two-state solution because the occupation has left no room for Palestinian self-determination. “They have been attacking us in every sector—health, education, and the economy. Through these attacks, they are trying to displace us in many ways,” Alaa said.
“For example, my village has a legal decision from Israel’s court stating that it is our land, yet we are not allowed to use it. This is the reality under Israeli law. We have been suffering in every aspect of life.”
“Even in education, we face attacks from settlers. We suffer from home demolitions and military operations. They do not want us to live here; they want to displace us through different means, including settler violence and demolitions,” Alaa continued, adding: “For them, this is Area C, but for us, it is our home. That is why there is no two-state solution for Palestine.”
2. Why We Become Activists
For many Palestinians, activism is not a choice but a necessity. Alaa’s activism is deeply personal, shaped by both the occupation and his family’s struggles.
“I am both a physiotherapist and an activist, but neither was a choice—I became an activist after seeing how the occupation denied us all our rights, how they declared my land and my area as military zones, forbidding us from using them,” he said.
“I became a physiotherapist after my father suffered a stroke in 2013. It was extremely difficult to access physical therapy, so I decided at that moment to pursue this field and work hard to help my community.”