We arrived in Farsiya in the Jordan Valley at 07:30 AM.   At 10:00 we changed placed with the escorts who had been at Ein Hilweh.

The day in Farsiya passed without incident.   At 3:30 PM a police car stopped on the hill near the flag, waited for five minutes, and left.  A. herded his flocks without being disturbed  and without escort until 3:00 PM>

We went to Ein Hilweh at 10:00.  The shepherds did not go out to the pasture because of the heat, but we remained with them in their homes as protection  as we do 24/7.  K.’s sons said that they had gone down to a natural pool at Um Jamal at near the junction.   07:00 AM.    The residents has previously left Um Jamal because the settlers had harassed them.    They came to the pool without escorts, but Bentzi from the nearby illegal outpost that was established two months ago came and made them leave.   The shepherds also told us that they owned two plots of land  of 40 acres and 11 acres.   At the end of December they had plowed the land and planted  barley with permission from the District Coordination and Liaison Office .  They planned to let their cows graze there after the barley sprouted, but a settler from the new illegal outpost near  Hamam El Malikh  came and threatened them with his youths, and since then they have not dared to go back.

At 12:30 one of the brothers  from K.’s family called from the village of  El Meitah located behind  Kfar Hamam El Maliakh on the road leading from the Alon Route to the Tayasir Checkpoint.  He reported that a herd of cows belonging to the settlers had entered their private field.   We immediately drove there to help, but by the time we arrived the settler had already left.   He crossed the road with his herd to let them grace in an unplowed field that did not belong to anyone.   According to the farmers, the fields near the village belong to the Christian church  in Tubas  and they rent the fields from them.    We left after 20 minutes and gave them our phone numbers so that they could call if there were any problems.    Two other volunteers  replaced us until the night shift arrived.

The day supposedly went by without harassment by the settlers, but the shepherds never have a moment’s rest and are constantly fearful and anxious.   .  They have nowhere to graze their flocks – and are always afraid of confrontations – even on their own private land and military areas that are supposed to be closed to everyone.    The settlements are closing in on them.  Their cows are emaciated and they have already sold half their herds and are about to sell the rest because they cannot afford to maintain them.

This is how “voluntary” ethnic cleansing is going on in the valley.   The people don’t even know where they will go.