ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY: LET ZANUTA RESIDENTS RETURN TO THEIR VILLAGE

Lieutenant General Zamir,

I am writing to demand the immediate return of the forcibly displaced residents of Zanuta to their village in the South Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank, as per your obligations under both international law and the orders of Israel’s Supreme Court.

Between October 27, and November 1, 2023, the community of Zanuta, home to 250 Palestinians, including 100 children, were forced to pack up their belongings and flee the village where their ancestors had lived since the 19th century, as a result of recurrent violent raids and attacks by Israeli settlers from a nearby illegal outpost. Nearly three years on, the community remains displaced and fragmented and unable to return, despite numerous attempts. On July 29, 2024, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the Israeli police and the military to facilitate the safe return of Zanuta’s residents and protect them from settler violence. On February 3, 2025, the Court reaffirmed this obligation.

As an occupying power, Israel has the obligations to protect Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including those of Zanuta.

I urge you to immediately ensure the safe return of the Palestinians of Zanuta to their lands, protect them from any form of violence by settlers, provide effective remedy and reparations for the harm caused by settlers and for the failure of Israeli authorities to prevent attacks by settlers, and to secure residents’ return to their homes, as ordered by the Supreme Court. I call on you to ensure that Palestinians from Zanuta are allowed to rebuild their homes, livelihoods, and community infrastructure, and that the illegal outposts established in its proximity are urgently dismantled.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]