Samer Jaber recalls the place where he lives in Khirbet al-Aida — previously known as Khellat al-Aida — for its beauty and fertile land, and describes it as an oasis in the middle of Hebron, in the southern West Bank. Thanks to its fertile land, its inhabitants grow all sorts of trees, from almonds to grapes and citrus fruits. 

He said, “Settlement activities around the area not only threaten us, but also the trees and buildings.”

Jaber, 43, was born after the rise of settlements in the area, which began in 1968, when the Kiryat Arba settlement was built. Jaber spent his childhood years watching as the settlement expanded into his land and the land of his ancestors, and witnessed the establishment of other settlement outposts around the area.

Khellat al-Aida, known as Khirbet al-Aida, is part of Hebron city and is located in Jabal Jawhar, which is threatened with expropriation in favor of settlements that are incessantly swallowing its lands. Khellat al-Aida lands cover only 350 dunams (86 acres), but they are among the most fertile agricultural lands in the area, not to mention their elevated strategic location at the foothill.