Jordan Valley: A new concept, confiscation of goods by the army, no one knows how to get out of it
We began our day at Azoun, with an exchange – giving and receiving goods for the Palestinian Jordan Valley. S., the lady of the house, knit the padding and offers knitting services for anyone interested.
The Palestinian Jordan Valley:
The notion “goods” is taken from the official form that has starred for a long time now in this area – of confiscating goods. Usually it means confiscating vehicles that serve their owners for work (tractors, shuffdozers of all kinds) or any other reason for prevention that enable the Israeli army to confiscate the equipment (the goods) on the grounds of “closed military zone” orders for an indefinite time, and lay heavy fines on the “guilty” party. This is a model official form that sends its recipient into a bureaucratic tangle, and even when he finds his way, nothing really happens. Even great experts have not yet learned how to cope with this blow. And thus people lose their source of livelihood and remain helpless. After a two-month-long correspondence with the Civil Administration I passed the matter on to a lawyer who said it’s an unknown, but was willing to try.
Since there were no special events this time we could focus on an amazing bird formation and clouds wondering deep over the road, interesting and wonderful as usual.
'Azzun
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Azoun (updated February 2019)
A Palestinian town situated in Area B (under civil Palestinian control and Israeli security control),
on road 5 between Nablus and Qalqiliya, east of Nabi Elias village. The inhabitants are allowed to construct and improve infrastructures. The Separation Fence has confiscated lands belonging to the town's people. In 2018 olive tree groves owned by one of its inhabitants were confiscated for the sake of paving a road to bypass Nabi Elias. Azoun population numbers 13,000, its economic state dire. Its infrastructures are poor, neglect and poverty rampant. In the meantime, the town council has completed paving an internal road for the inhabitants' welfare.
Because of its proximity to the Jewish settler-colony of Karnei Shomron and its outposts, the town suffers the intense presence of the Israeli army, especially at nighttime: soldiers enter homes, arrest suspects, trash the house and sometimes ruin it, as they do in numerous places in the West Bank. At times a checkpoint closes the entrance to the town, so no one can come in or get out.
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Jordan Valley
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Jordan Valley The Jordan Valley is the eastern strip of the West Bank. Its area consists of almost a third of the West Bank area. About 10,000 settlers live there, about 65,000 Palestinian residents in the villages and towns. In addition, about 15,000 are scattered in small shepherd communities. These communities are living in severe distress because of two types of harassment: the military declaring some of their living areas, as fire zones, evicting them for long hours from their residence to the scorching heat of the summer and the bitter cold of the winter. The other type is abuse by rioters who cling to the grazing areas of the shepherd communities, and the declared fire areas (without being deported). The many groundwaters in the Jordan Valley belong to Mekorot and are not available to Palestinians living in the Jordan Valley. The Palestinians bring water to their needs in high-cost followers.
Rachel AfekApr-11-2025Samar, the girl from Faresya
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