From the lowest point on Earth in the Dead Sea up to the south of Bisan a 120-kilometer of the Palestinian valley extends which makes up more than a quarter of the West Bank. The Jordan Valley area has been marginalized for a long time. Israelis began stealing the Valley’s lands and resources confiscating thousands of dunums of land taking these lands from the heart of Palestine.
Palestinian citizen Ilayan Daraghmeh said he was surprised when the Israeli occupation forces confiscated the lands of Um al-Jamal and Ein al-Hilweh areas in the northern Jordan Valley and asked their residents to leave for several days. “I have lived here for thirty years” he said adding “I have 120 cows and the occupation demolished my house three times earlier at the pretext that the area is used for military purposes but all of this will not deter us from staying in our land the land refuses to change its skin.”
The Israeli occupation forces have notified the Palestinians living in the area of its closure taking control over 550 dunums in the northern Jordan Valley including the areas of Ein el-Hilweh and Um al-Jamal to begin building settlements in them after claiming they were military areas.
Denouncing the Israeli allegations Daraghmeh confirmed to the PIC that “this area is a residential area inhabited by dozens of families that live on raising sheep.” He added that the occupation comes to areas where Palestinians gather and places signs declaring the area a military zone.
Daraghmeh noted that (he has seven children): “The occupation seeks to empty the Palestinian valley of its original citizens by the repeated demolition of houses.”
The northern Jordan Valley is Palestine food basket with fertile land plenty of water and rich mineral deposits. The Jordan Valley makes 75% of the total area of Tubas. It covers an area of 300 km and extends to the Jordan River.
Theft of land and property
Moataz Bisharat a spokesperson of the Jordan Valley profile in the Tubas governorate told the PIC “This decision will lead to the displacement of 320 citizens including 40 families living in the area in addition to the loss of their livestock estimated at 2500 sheep 700 cows and 120 camels.”
Bisharat noted “The most dangerous aspect of this decision is taking over Bedouin communities in the region who maintained their Palestinian identity despite the intensity of the harassment during the past decades” noting that “the Ein al-Hilweh hamlet includes 65 facilities including sleeping tents and tin houses to shelter cattle.”
The Israeli military order threatened the confiscation of all the residents’ property if they do not leave the area within eight days starting from Friday evening (17/11/2017).
Building more settlements
Aref Daraghmeh an expert in settlement affairs in the Jordan Valley region told the PIC that the decision was aimed at expanding the Israeli army camps and settlements. The confiscated area is located in the vicinity of Rotim to the north and Maskiot to the south. They are also adjacent to the settlements of Mehola Shethmut Mehola Broch Rotim Maskiot Hammadat and Ra’iyah.
He added “The occupation seeks to double the number of settlers in the Jordan Valley (from 6000 to 12000) according to a plan announced by the Minister of Construction and Housing Yoav Galant which aims at strengthening the settlement project in the Jordan Valley doubling the number of settlers and attracting more of them to the area.”
According to the plan of the Israeli minister the Israeli government will provide budgets privileges and facilities to the settlements which are willing to accommodate the families of new settlers in addition to financing a marketing campaign to push the settlers to live and build in the Jordan Valley through a joint cooperation with a number of ministries to control the rest of the Palestinian valley.
Galant added “There is an Israeli consensus that the Jordan Valley will remain an integral part of Israel in any future settlement.”
