Over the past two weeks, settlers in the north of the Jordan Valley have become jealous of the success that the settlers in the south of the Valley and center of the West Bank have had in forcing shepherds out, and are trying to find other ways to harass those in their area.

Settler Gilad Amossi from the Tenne Yarok outpost (annexed to the Rotem settlement) has decided to block the way for the shepherds’ flocks. In the summer, the shepherds live in Ein a-Sakut (east of Route 90) and graze their flocks in fields of stubble (corn and barley) that they have leased from Palestinian residents of Ein el-Beida. In the dry summer, this is the way they can feed their flocks with essential green food. The way to get there is via an underpass beneath Route 90.

Amossi’s achieves his scheme by regularly sitting with his flock beside the underpass, thereby blocking the way for the Palestinian flocks. Should the flocks intermingle, it would be very hard to separate them, and presumably the settler would claim that the Palestinians stole his sheep.

For that reason, the Palestinians weren’t always able to cross the road last week and they had to call the police. The police wavered over their decision as to whether to tell Gilad to move or to claim that it’s his right to sit there, etc. It’s clear that if the sheep can’t get to the field, the shepherds will have to consider leaving them at El-Farisiya and buying very expensive food for them, or selling them and losing their source of income!

On Saturday July 26, Gilad stayed home to rest and the path was clear. The shepherds crossed without hindrance and the sheep grazed peacefully at Ein a-Sakut.

The terrible heat (37-41 degrees Celsius, at midday) kept the other settlers in their air-conditioned homes and the morning and afternoon were quiet at El-Farisiya, El-Hamir, Ein a-Sakut, and Bardala. The escorts at Bardala make sure there is a protective presence whenever the irrigation pipes are turned on. Were they not there, the settlers would assault the Palestinians with threats and real violence.

We accompanied F from Ein al Hilwa to the spring for his flock to drink and there were no disturbances.

At 6:00 p.m., four youths and young men in their white Sabbath shirts were spotted going down from Maskiyot towards the Ein al Hilwa encampments. This time, they didn’t go into the living quarters and didn’t harass anyone. They simply walked back and forth along the main road to show their presence.

The night shifts also passed quietly apart from three youths from the settlement of Mehola, driving an ATV round the shepherds’ sleeping quarters at Ein Sukkot to scare them. When they saw the volunteers’ car, they left.

Such is the life of the persecuted communities of shepherds. The only constant variable is the uncertainty of what’s going to happen at any time, now or soon after. It’s hardly a bed of roses, more like a hell of thorns, thistles, and settlers.