Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman is set to make a final decision in knocking down multiple makeshift structures erected by Arabs on the ancient Jewish village of Susiya.
These Arabs claim to be the real land owners and have caused multiple problems with local Jews and the State of Israel. The problem for their case is even a usually sympathetic Supreme Court has ruled that the State must knock the structures down as no clear proof can be shown for there ever being an Arab village there.
“Surveys of villages and populations conducted by the British Mandatory powers in 1945, which mention all of the villages in the area and even some of the inhabitants, prove there is no hint of the existence of an Arab village named Susiya,” says Josh Hasten, spokesman for Regavim an Israeli NGO dedicated to ensuring Israeli land laws are followed especially in the Arab sector. “More recently aerial photos obtained by Regavim from 1999 show nothing resembling a village in that area. An identical photo from 2013 shows how squatters have infiltrated the locale.”
So will Lieberman knock the buildings and tents down? Not if Obama has anything to do it. The State Department has already issued a warning that “there will be severe consequences” if he goes through with it.
Why Does Obama Care About Susiya?
If there was ever an archeological site that destroys the myth making of the Palestinian Arab population it is Susiya. The village was inhabited continuously by Jews up until the early 8th Century. It was clearly a large commercial hub for the Southern Hebron Hills, showing that it was in fact the Jews that remained the majority population up until the Muslim conquest.
This narrative supports Israel’s solid claim to being the sole indigenous culture in Israel, only being superseded by the conquest of Islam over the Holy land.