Hamra Junction: Soldiers and Settlers Detained a Woman with Three Small Children
We went out for escort duties in the Jordan Valley despite the war with Iran that began two days earlier. We were a reduced group, as some escorts had to cancel due to concerns from their families.
The roads were nearly empty. We felt a sense of duty—at least to provide some security to those whom settlers might try to harm, especially during this period of Israeli hubris and euphoria that had just begun. On the way, we saw a spectacular display in the sky of white trails from missiles and drones exploding (I admit—there is a fascist part of my soul that enjoys wartime activity).
We managed, along with those remaining from the night shift, to assist all the shepherds who requested escorts.
We accompanied the shepherds from al-Farsiya at Ein al-Sakut, and Sh. from al-Farsiya al-Hamayir, to the stubble fields of corn and wheat they had leased. We were happy to see the sheep grazing peacefully, unaware of what is happening among Homo sapiens who refuse to accept that all were created in the image [of God].
- from Ein al-Hilweh also received escort up into the hills where his cattle were enjoying a bit of green grass. At the end, the escorts went with him down to the spring, which was quite empty, and enjoyed the water undisturbed.
In al-Farsiya, several escorts remained for protective presence (round-the-clock presence with the shepherds’ families), and there too, no disturbances were recorded—not even from a drone or missile.
At 10:00 a.m., after completing our escort tasks, one team drove to accompany M. from Bardala, who was irrigating his fields so his crops would continue to grow.
From a distance, a war raged, but in the calm of the morning, peace fell over the Jordan Valley. The settlers stayed in their homes, and the shepherds and farmers took advantage of the temporary calm to feed their flocks and earn their livelihoods.
But peace is never guaranteed.
At 2:00 p.m., we received a call from N., a shepherd from al-Maksar who hadn’t asked for help in a long time. He told us that at Hamra Junction, he saw a woman with three small children—one of them an infant in her arms. The woman was standing in the sun, surrounded by military jeeps and vehicles from the Jordan Valley Council, while her car lay overturned.
Two of us drove quickly to the scene. They approached the soldiers and asked why the woman was being detained. The soldiers pushed them away and told them not to approach because it was a “closed military zone.” These were apparently rapid-response teams from nearby settlements who had been militarized that same Saturday and felt no obligation to explain themselves to us.
We contacted the Civil Administration (DCO) and the army through one of our contacts, and the woman was eventually released. She had been standing in the middle of the road with three toddlers.
The two team members approached her and discovered that she was from Sanur, near Jenin, and was apparently trying to return home. Since the Hamra checkpoint was closed, she had attempted a different route, and the soldiers suspected her of being a terrorist.
We contacted N., who sent some of his relatives to help. They flipped the car back into drivable condition and helped the woman cross a dirt path on her way home to Sanur.
At 5:00 p.m. at Ein al-Hilweh, as a light breeze began blowing through the valley, children from Maskiyot and Na’ariya came down dressed in white Sabbath shirts to carry out the usual weekly harassment ritual.
This time, a particularly bold child—around ten years old—and his 14-year-old friend accused K. of taking down and damaging the Israeli flags they had hung under every leafy tree and at the entrance of every Palestinian shepherd’s community. These young boys had clearly absorbed and memorized the messages of their elders. They threatened K. that if he dared to do it again, they would rehang the flags and call settlers and soldiers to arrest him.
Later, another 10 boys arrived from the direction of the Bentsi outpost. They went down to S.’s home and roamed freely around the private compound as if it were their own. They even tried to enter the houses. The smallest among them told one of the escorts that if he had problems with his wife or work, he’d be happy to help solve them (!).
The escorts physically blocked the boys from entering S.’s living quarters. The children left after about half an hour, crossed toward Ein al-Hilweh, and walked home to their settlement in Maskiyot.
This is what the Sabbath delight of the Boko Haram children of Maskiyot looks like—harassment and vulgarity.
The night passed quietly except for two episodes of war involving drones or missiles crossing the skies of the valley on their way to Israel.
Another day of occupation has passed…
Location Description
'Ein al-Hilwe
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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.
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Al-Farisiya / 'Ein a-sakut
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Al-Farisiya / 'Ein a-sakutA community of shepherds in the Jordan Valley opposite the settlement of "Rotem". Making a living from grazing sheep, the residents are exposed to harassment, abuse and theft from settlers who come to them from outposts and settlements in the area, and their grazing area is shrinking due to settler takeovers, fire zones and declared nature reserves.Machsom Watch companies participate in shepherd escort activities and provide a 24/7 protective presence, and there is continuous and warm contact with the community.
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Bardala
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A relatively large township in Area B in the northern part of the Valley, home to about 300 families of farmers and other families. The villages of Bardala and Kardala, located nearby, sit on a very large reservoir of groundwater. In 1968, an "agreement" was signed between the occupier (represented by the Mekorot water company) and three villages (including Ein al-Bida), stipulating that in exchange for their agreement to stop pumping water their wells, Mekorot would establish its own pumping stations on their land and allocate them a "generous" quota of waterinfo-iconfor at the cost of pumping only (a few cents per cubic meter). Over the years, Mekorot violated the agreement, decreased the quotas drastically (from 240 cubic meters per hour to 100 and sometimes 40 cubic meters), and quadrupled the price. The residents refused to pay, and the PA paid for them. In late 2024, the army began paving a new road around Karbala and Bardala. According to the plan, the road will surround and Karbala from the south and Bardala from north and west, and finally turn east to Highway 90. The road will completely surround Bardala on all sides, cutting off the village from all its lands and imprisoning the village within its boundaries. The residents will no longer be able to come and work their lands freely. Our friends were unable to see the roadworks because the army had set up a checkpoint on the road to the new route.
Sarah PostecDec-27-2026Hammam al-Malih: Border Guard and settlers in the compound
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Hamra (Beqaot)
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One of the Jordan Rift Valley checkpoints that prevent direct transit between the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, in addition to Tayasir Checkpoint. Located next to Hamra settlement, on Route 57 and the Allon Road.
Read about the peple of the Jordan Valley and the quiet transfer happening there.
Shahar ShilohNov-3-2021Ein Shibli: grazing begins close to home
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