Hebron / PNN /
As one of many Palestinian human rights defenders who have faced repeated violations by the Israeli military and settlers, human rights activist Nasr Nawajaa says activists in فلسطين are continuously targeted because of their role in documenting abuses and exposing realities on the ground to the world.
Human rights defenders in the Palestinian territories operate under increasingly difficult conditions amid the Israeli occupation, facing ongoing restrictions and violations targeting their humanitarian and rights-based work, particularly in areas threatened by settlement expansion, demolitions and displacement, including Masafer Yatta, the Jordan Valley, القدس and southern Hebron.
In recent years, rights groups have raised growing concerns over what Palestinian and international organizations describe as Israeli efforts to undermine civil society and human rights defenders through legal and security restrictions, raids on rights organizations, and the confiscation of files and equipment.
Nawajaa, a resident of the village of Susiya in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, said Israeli authorities consider activists a direct target because they “convey the real picture from the field and document attacks carried out by settlers, soldiers and police in order to expose the occupation’s practices.”
“They are constantly trying to suppress us and silence our voices,” he said. He added that violations against human rights defenders include movement restrictions, detention, repeated arrest attempts and harsh treatment during military raids and settler attacks.
Reflecting on nearly 25 years of activism and field documentation in Masafer Yatta, Nawajaa said his work helped bring international attention to threatened Palestinian communities and the daily suffering of residents, while also contributing to solidarity campaigns aimed at helping families remain on their land.
He said the abuses he personally endured over the years included arrests, detentions, physical assaults and vandalism of vehicles, in addition to the demolition of his home and repeated demolition threats against his property. He stressed that such practices affect not only activists but Palestinians across targeted areas.
Despite the pressure, Nawajaa said he remains committed to his work.
“We believe in our right to exist on this land, and in our human right to expose the occupation’s violations and speak the truth in the face of injustice,” he said.
He noted that documentation efforts by activists have played a significant role in highlighting Palestinian suffering internationally, adding that footage collected over the years by human rights defenders has been used in international films and reports about Masafer Yatta.
Nawajaa said Israeli authorities view human rights defenders as “a source of disturbance” because of their role in documenting violations and communicating them to international institutions and media outlets. As a result, activists are frequently subjected to arrests, summonses, restrictions on movement and physical assaults by soldiers and settlers, he said.
He added that many activists are detained while documenting military raids or settler attacks, while cameras, phones and documentation equipment are often confiscated. Others face repeated threats, home demolitions and economic and social pressure. Speaking about his connection to documenting events, Nawajaa said: “The camera has become part of me, and I have become part of it. There is never a moment when I think about leaving documentation behind.”
He said activists’ message would continue “until the occupation ends.”
Nawajaa also called on the international community and human rights organizations to take serious steps to protect human rights defenders and Palestinians living in targeted areas, describing human rights work as “a humanitarian mission and a continuing message in defense of truth and justice.”
Despite the risks, Palestinian human rights defenders, including Nasr Nawajaa, continue documenting violations and accompanying residents in threatened communities, insisting that their mission is to defend Palestinians’ fundamental rights, convey their suffering to the international community and demand international protection for civilians and rights defenders. This report was produced as part of the “Investing in Human Rights” project implemented by Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society in cooperation with Palestine News Network (PNN) and supported by ASTM.