Support Malik’s Studies Amid Occupation

Hi all! My name is Sonya Epstein, I’m an American activist who has spent time in Masafer Yatta, and I am helping Malik raise funds to complete his master’s degree! Please read his message below:

My name is Malik Huraini and I’m a 26-year-old human rights activist from the village of At-Tuwani in Masafer Yatta, Occupied West Bank. My village lies southeast of the cities of Hebron and Yatta and borders a large area the Israeli military declared Firing Zone 918, rendering many communities vulnerable to ethnic cleansing. My village is also surrounded by Israeli settlements, from which settlers frequently come to attack our people.

I hold a bachelor's degree in English language and literature and I am currently studying in Turkey to obtain my master's degree in political science. With this degree, I hope to find work that will provide me with the opportunity to spread knowledge about the Palestinian cause. I am in the home stretch of my degree with just the current and following semester remaining to complete my thesis. My thesis is about the legal disparities between Israeli citizens and Palestinians since the Oslo Accords. Each semester costs about $1500.

Prior to October 7, 2023, my father and brothers worked in the construction industry inside of Israel, which made it possible for them to support our family and my education in Turkey for the past two years. After October 7th, Israel revoked their entry permits (as collective punishment) and my family—like nearly all families in the West Bank—has faced significant financial hardship since. Given that I reside in Turkey on a student visa, I am forbidden from obtaining a job or income here.

In 2017, during my first semester of my undergraduate studies, I gathered with young people across Masafer Yatta to form the grassroots group Youth of Sumud. Sumud means steadfastness in Arabic. As human rights activists, we believe in non-violent resistance to protect our community from forcible displacement and ethnic cleansing. Over the years, we have worked across the region supporting our Palestinian neighbors living under the persistent threats of dispossession, displacement, and violence. We document violations of international law and try to intervene in military and settler violence. For instance, we started living in a small village called Sarura about two kilometers from my home. The people of Sarura were expelled in the late 1990s due to the various occupation policies against Palestinians such as declaring their land a “firing zone,” expanding Israeli settlements, and the ongoing settler violence. My friends and I spent more than three years working on rehabilitating the land—this included digging, cleaning out caves, and planting the fields with trees in order to try and reclaim the land for the Palestinian owners to return to. In all, our work is centered around the goal of maintaining Palestinian life and dignity in our homeland despite the forces of violence working to displace us.

I am not accustomed to asking for financial support by any means. I am starting this GoFundMe because I have exhausted all other options and am at risk of having to abandon my studies. I know that there are many causes to which you can donate these days and I am grateful for any support you can offer to help me continue pursuing my future amid these times of desperation. The funds will support the completion of my studies, so that I can return to Palestine capable of furthering the work of Youth of Sumud and protecting the communities of Masafer Yatta. Thank you in advance.

[Please note: These funds will be received by Sonya Epstein, an American activist who has spent time in Masafer Yatta. They will distribute the full amount to Malik so he can use them to pay for university.]