The Israeli military issued a demolition order on the Youth of Sumud Guest House and Community Center on June 16, 2022. This demolition order on the community center is a targeted assault on Palestinian nonviolent resistance during a time in which Palestinian grassroots organizers are uniting in solidarity with the communities of Masafer Yatta which are facing immediate displacement.

“This center which we worked for years to complete is a big step for the people of Masafer Yatta to organize and protect our lands. We use this place to host internationals, hold meetings, and organize community gatherings,” explained Sami Huraini of Youth of Sumud. “This demolition order isn’t just about the Youth of Sumud, it is about crushing organizing efforts in solidarity with the vulnerable communities in the 918 Firing zone who the Israeli military are poised to ethnically cleanse from their lands.”

The Israeli settler movement has long targeted the activists of Youth of Sumud. This center provides a critical spot to organize, hold meetings, work, and edit the video documentation of violent Israeli settler attacks in the area. The demolition of these facilities represents an attack on local organizing in service of human rights.

There needs to be immediate intervention to ensure that human rights workers are able to have a space to work and provide support to the people of Masafer Yatta and the 918 Firing Zone.