Jordan Valley: D9 bulldozer destroyed a family home in Al Burj
Morning shift at Al Farisiya – Ziv accompanying grazing, I in the neighborhood, a peaceful day, no special events to report
On our way there, we saw a truck bearing a D9 bulldozer. We wondered where it was headed. Later that morning we were notified that the home of N. at Um Al-Jamal area was demolished. I knew there was no one there already. Um Al-Jamal no longer exists and then the settlers outpost next to it was erected. Still, I went there and someone from somewhere else joined me. We saw the rubble. There was no mistaking the orderly way to the outpost and next to it, the rubble of the destroyed house.
Later on it appeared the D9 passed there in its way to another demolition, so it demolished this house too. The real demolition took place at Al-Burj, a village situated further west of Tyassir. That morning the residence of a family, two tents, an outhouse, solar panels and the rest of the equipment were destroyed.
Later, on our way home, a Palestinian from Humsa told me a cattle-grazing settler had situated himself with his cattle flock on the Palestinian-owned field.
We looked for our way there, and with the inhabitants’ help we saw the Palestinian on a donkey far from us. We tried to make our way through the dirt track that somehow became our way, and finally saw the cattle on the field from afar, but didn’t manage to get really close. We noted our failure. It was late, and our name is not Arik Asherman…
So we gave up, wrote it down, and made our way home, feeling terrible.
Location Description
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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