Settlers cannot enjoy their Sabbath without harassing/pogroming Palestinians Shepherds
Saturday, May 10, 2025
We reached Farisiya at 6:30 a.m. and separated into accompanier teams. Accompaniment went unhampered. Sabbath pleasure for colonists…
Two of us went out with M., a farmer from Bardala and the owner of 300 dunams of farm produce (from potatoes to watermelons). The colonists harass him and his workers, attack and chase them away, not enabling them to harvest. This time our mission was to turn on irrigation preparing the watermelon harvest to be performed a week later. M. led a tour of the ground and they watched the colony from afar, and the damages caused by the colonists from close-up – like cutting water pipes and vandalizing pumps.
Three other teams went grazing elsewhere. At Farisiya, shepherd A. was accompanied to graze at Ein Shaq. At Ein Al Hilwa F. was accompanied, grazing his cattle right next to home. Practically speaking there is hardly any grass there, but he dare not go far even with accompaniers because the army has threatened him with a closed military zone order. Makhoul shepherd dared approach areas with a bit more grass because of the accompaniers. In all three places, grazing went well.
At the ‘protective presence’ action (presence in the residential area in order to protect the inhabitants from colonist attacks) in Farisiya time went by slowly. We drank coffee, talked, while men from the other families grazed their flocks in the area and the women made cheese out of the milk that was milked at 6 a.m. from the sheep and goats.
However, Saturday routine does not include full quiet Sabbath ‘pleasure’ all day. Afternoon, the colonists emerge from their holes – Bentzi and his gang including 14-18 year olds who live in a new colonist outpost 2-months-old, receiving its electricity and water from the nearby army base, and situated opposite Ein Al Hilwa.
The colonists entered shepherd S.’s home ground, even tried to enter houses and on their way, made the elderly mother fall on the ground when she stood in their way. This was not enough for them – they stepped on her and kicked her.
Her daughter, grazing a flock near home, did not stand aside and summoned the accompaniers who were out with another shepherd. In the meantime, the daughter gathered stones and sticks in order to fight back.
The accompaniers tried to stop her because justice is not a star these days and she could be heavily punished. They went straight to the house to buffer the colonists and the inhabitants. Bentzi and his colonists summoned the army claiming the daughter had stoned them. The army interrogated and photographed, and naturally demanded only the Palestinians’ IDs. An Israeli ambulance came as ordered, but the paramedic refused to treat the Palestinian woman. He only agreed to do so after being photographed refusing.
A Red Crescent ambulance also came to treat the mother. Luckily, she only suffered dry blows. Bentzi enhanced the drama by acting as if he limped, claiming that one of our accompaniers kicked him – this is how he meant to incriminate him. The police never arrived at the scene.
End of the matter: as if nothing happened, but everything happened. The Palestinians and accompaniers agreed not to lodge mutual complaints.
The 4 accompaniers remained to spend the night for protective presence at Ein Al Hilwa, Farisiya and Khallat Makhoul. The night passed quietly.
Another occupation day was over.
Location Description
'Ein al-Hilwe
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Ein al-Hilwe is a natural spring and a Palestinian grazing area in the Jordan Valley that was used by the Palestinian shepherd communities for watering their flocks and for daily use. As of 2021, settlers from the Maskyot settlement took control of the spring: they fenced it off, built a wading pool and a mikveh, and installed flags and recreational facilities.
Palestinians are effectively denied access to the spring, and are forced to make do with running water in a remote wadi or, when the road is blocked, buy water from vendors at high prices.
The spring is located in the heart of an area where illegal outposts are being established, as part of a broader trend of pushing Palestinian communities away by denying them access to essential resources. Neighboring communities such as Umm Jamal and Khirbet Samra have already left due to the pressure.
Over the years, MachsomWatch members have reported arrests on false claims by settlers, harassment and violence, including damage to herds, intrusion into homes, and the intimidation of children. MachsomWatch volunteers participate in a protective presence in areas around the spring to prevent harassment of shepherds due to the presence of settlers.
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Al-Farisiya / 'Ein a-sakut
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Al-Farisiya / 'Ein a-sakutA community of shepherds in the Jordan Valley opposite the settlement of "Rotem". Making a living from grazing sheep, the residents are exposed to harassment, abuse and theft from settlers who come to them from outposts and settlements in the area, and their grazing area is shrinking due to settler takeovers, fire zones and declared nature reserves.Machsom Watch companies participate in shepherd escort activities and provide a 24/7 protective presence, and there is continuous and warm contact with the community.
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Bardala
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A relatively large township in Area B in the northern part of the Valley, home to about 300 families of farmers and other families. The villages of Bardala and Kardala, located nearby, sit on a very large reservoir of groundwater. In 1968, an "agreement" was signed between the occupier (represented by the Mekorot water company) and three villages (including Ein al-Bida), stipulating that in exchange for their agreement to stop pumping water their wells, Mekorot would establish its own pumping stations on their land and allocate them a "generous" quota of waterinfo-iconfor at the cost of pumping only (a few cents per cubic meter). Over the years, Mekorot violated the agreement, decreased the quotas drastically (from 240 cubic meters per hour to 100 and sometimes 40 cubic meters), and quadrupled the price. The residents refused to pay, and the PA paid for them. In late 2024, the army began paving a new road around Karbala and Bardala. According to the plan, the road will surround and Karbala from the south and Bardala from north and west, and finally turn east to Highway 90. The road will completely surround Bardala on all sides, cutting off the village from all its lands and imprisoning the village within its boundaries. The residents will no longer be able to come and work their lands freely. Our friends were unable to see the roadworks because the army had set up a checkpoint on the road to the new route.
Nurit PopperJul-7-2025Olive trees, many of them ancient, are dumped along the road to the Ma'ale Levona settlement
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Khalet Makhul
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Khalet Makhul
A small settlement of a shepherd community located on the way to the settlement of Hemdat. Two nearby outposts make life miserable for the Palestinians, who make a living from grazing, and the army backs the settlers. As a result, the possible grazing areas are getting smaller.
The local children attend school in the settlement of Ein Al-Beida. Long lines of 3 hours sometimes stretch out at the Hamra and Tayasir checkpoints leading to the town of Tubas, making it difficult to get water, supplies, and sell the cheese, milk, and meat that the residents produce for their living.
Following a deadly attack at the Tayasir checkpoint in February 2025, the checkpoint was closed completely for the time being.
(Updated March 2025)
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