B’Tselem: Since Oct. 7, Israel has ramped up efforts to drive Palestinian shepherding communities out of the Jordan Valley

A new report by B’Tselem – the Israeli Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories details how Israel is increasing its efforts to drive dozens of Palestinian shepherding communities in the northern Jordan Valley out of their homes and lands. Through cooperation and collaboration among the military, police, settlers and the Jordan Valley Regional Council, Israel has reduced the pastureland available to Palestinians, blocked regular water supply and taken measures to isolate the Jordan Valley from the rest of the West Bank.

Israel has been systematically undermining these communities’ subsistence for decades, including denying Palestinians access to nearly 80% of the Jordan Valley by declaring these areas firing zones, nature reserves or the municipal area of settlements. Israel uses these zoning declarations to justify its refusal to approve building plans that would allow these pastoral communities to build homes legally and connect to water and electricity infrastructure. On top of this, with full backing and protection from the military and the police, settlers subject these communities to severe violence on a daily basis. This policy imposes impossible living conditions on Palestinian residents of the Jordan Valley.

Israel’s pressure is designed to destabilize the economic foundation of these pastoral communities and push the Palestinian population out of the Jordan Valley, with the ultimate goal of perpetuating the apartheid regime in this geographical area and freeing Israel to use the land for its own interests.

Click here to read the full report.