Susiya: Standing up to the Bulldozers

Photo Blog by Lazar Simeonov

More than 400 Palestinian, foreign and Israeli activists gathered on Friday 22 June 2012 in Susiya, a small village in the south of the West Bank, to protest against Israel's plan to demolish 50 of the village's structures, including 20 residential tents which house over 100 people.

The protesters were met by a swarm of Israeli soldiers, policemen and special-forces using tear gas and sound grenades to stop the march.

The Israeli authorities declared that the 50 structures, effectively the entire village, had to be demolished as they were built without a permit. If the demolition orders are carried out, it will the fifth attempt by the Israeli government to expel the residents of Susiya from their lands.

Lazar Simeonov is a freelance photographer based in Ramallah, West Bank. You can visit his website here: http://www.lazarsimeonov.com