Jordan Valley: Settler youth graze their cattle on Palestinian land
Until noon it was relatively quiet. A.’s, Z.’s, H.’s and F.’s grazing areas Hamamat and Al-Mayteh passed without special incident. The outstanding morning event was that we found the phone of one of the activists which the settlers threw away the day before.
Fron noon on, things began to heat up.
At Makhoul the army disturbed grazing.
At Samara, a settler’s flock from the new outpost grazed on Palestinian lands, with an accompanying ATV. As they grew far, a military vehicle with a skull-capped major driver arrived. He told us he respected us (!) and continued. At first it sounded as though he thought we were settlers, but coming back a few moments later and I spoke with him, it became clear that he knows who we are. He said again that respected us for coming from Tel Aviv to Samara on our free day. He said he doesn’t stand with our views, but he appreciates our determination.
When I asked him if he knows about the harassments suffered by the Palestinians, he said he didn’t. Then one of the activists recognized him in the photos and said that the fellow had been in Makhoul, harassing, honking near B.’s home and chasing A.’s children.
At al Hadadiya, the army arrested a shepherd while grazing. He was released a few hours later.
Around 3 p.m. 5 boys came to the Hamam, apparently from the near settlers outpost, with their cattle. The police refused to come, saying they would only if there were a real attack or someone injured. No help came when we explained that the situation is getting out of hand and that the settlers come closer so they could claim we attacked them. Five activists and two internationals at the site managed to block the cattle’s ascent to the trail and documented the settler boys walking around among the pens.
They left an hour later. Two activists went home and we remained to make sure the boys would not return. Half an hour later two of the boys did return and continued to harass, threaten and disturb the Palestinians. They tried to enter the residential compound, pushed us and the internationals and tried to make our phones fall while yelling things like “Don’t touch me!”, “Why are you pushing me?”, threats such as “I’ll show you what’s what”. There were no bodily injuries on either side.
We summoned the police. It came after the settler boys had left. The policemen said that if we took visual evidence of violence, we could lodge a complaint – and left.
The night passed quietly.
Location Description
'Ein al-Hilwe
See all reports for this place-
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.
-
Hamam al-Maleh
See all reports for this placeJordan Valley
See all reports for this place-
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-9-2026Samra. The Hill Boys in Action
-