BETHLEHEM, West Bank (PNN) — 

A new episode of PNN’s “Al-Makshouf” examined conditions in Khillet al-Farra and communities across Masafer Yatta, where a lack of basic services, escalating settler attacks and mounting pressure on residents threaten their livelihoods and ability to remain on their land.

The programme, produced by Palestine News Network (PNN) and presented by PNN journalist Sarah Rizq, featured a field report from Khillet al-Farra documenting residents’ daily struggles amid the absence of water and electricity networks, paved roads, health care and educational services. It also highlighted the difficulties facing water-tanker drivers trying to reach the community, as well as the obstacles and attacks encountered by residents and service providers.

Khillet al-Farra: Lack of Services Deepens Residents’ Hardship

The report showed how residents of Khillet al-Farra face difficult living conditions because of the lack of essential infrastructure and services. Families depend on water tankers despite the high cost and difficulty of delivering supplies to the community.

Residents have been calling for basic services for years, but their continued absence has compounded the hardship faced by families and livestock farmers.

Brijieh: Lack of Services Puts Additional Pressure on Residents

Dr. Hassan Brijieh, director of the International Law Department at the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission and an expert on settlement affairs, said Masafer Yatta faces multiple, overlapping threats, including military orders and land classifications linked to state land and settlement policies.

He said Palestinians in the area have been struggling for decades to maintain their presence on their land.

Addressing responsibility for helping residents remain in their communities, Brijieh described staying on the land as a national responsibility but stressed that government institutions also have a duty to support residents and strengthen their resilience.

“It is a disgrace for me, as an official, to know that people from my own community need resources and support to remain on their land, and that I have those resources but do not provide them,” he said.

Brijieh noted that available financial resources are currently limited, with paying public-sector salaries taking priority amid the financial crisis.

He said the absence of basic services, including water, electricity and paved roads, alongside home demolitions and attacks, places significant pressure on residents to leave their land. Making life in targeted areas virtually impossible, he said, serves the aim of uprooting Palestinians from their land.

Water: A Daily Struggle in Masafer Yatta

The programme also followed a water tanker on its journey to communities in Masafer Yatta, where drivers face rough roads, obstacles and risks while delivering water. One driver described dangerous incidents and being detained during a delivery trip.

Mleihat: Water Is Essential to Life, and Denying Access Threatens Residents’ Survival

During a telephone interview, Hassan Mleihat, general supervisor of the Bedouin Rights Defence Organisation, said water is essential to life for residents of Masafer Yatta.

People rely on it for drinking, daily household needs and watering livestock, particularly because a large proportion of residents depend on animal husbandry and agriculture for their livelihoods.

Mleihat said restrictions on extending water and electricity networks and building roads have left communities dependent on water tankers. He argued that denying residents basic services, alongside attacks on land and crops, creates harsh living conditions that push people to leave their communities.

He also called for greater protection for residents, saying they lack even the minimum level of security. He cited attacks on families, the burning of homes and crops, and the seizure of livestock.

Mleihat called for urgent measures to support water deliveries, provide energy through solar panels, and strengthen agriculture and livestock farming. He stressed that providing basic services is not merely a matter of infrastructure, but also a means of protecting residents’ presence and strengthening their ability to remain on their land.

The programme concluded that residents of Khillet al-Farra and Masafer Yatta are not asking for luxury, but for the most basic necessities of life: water, electricity, roads, health care, education and security.

After years of appeals, the question remains when these demands will translate into concrete action on the ground to support residents’ resilience and protect the foundations of their daily lives.

Watch the full episode of “Al-Makshouf” for more details.