Jordan Valley – shepherd accompaniers
Dedicated to the late Yohanan Darom in grief and loving respect
We accompanied Burhan of Khalet Makhul. It is a pleasant winter day, the hills are greening, a wonderful landscape stretches over the hills, the Jordanian villages in the east and the mountains behind, and in the west, the hills are colored depending on the clouded-over sun. In the south – the colony of Roi and next to it, Abu Saker’s encampment. Surrounded by the 3 military bases in the area.
It was a quiet morning. Just as we got back to the encampment, it began to drizzle. Then giant drops began to fall, as if quite intended. On the one hand, this delights the shepherds. On the other, cold weather is not good for birthing. But that’s life, each shepherd whispers. We begin to see the newborn lambs. May they thrive…
My own little shepherdess joined us in our accompaniment:
The sheep are able to eat nonstop. They return from grazing to their troughs, filled with almond peels, a bit of straw and water, and then go to rest.
We pass the time speaking about Yohanan Darom who died this week while accompanying the shepherds. Sorrow fills all our hearts. The two of us – Rachel A. and Rachel A. – have known him from our phone talks and WhatsApp messages, whereas Burhan, Yusuf and Smaher knew him as a father, a friend, whom they adored. See machsom.watch Instagram posting about this. It is hardly imaginable how deeply he affected the shepherds and us.
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.
Sarah PostecDec-27-2026Hammam al-Malih: Border Guard and settlers in the compound
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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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