Jordan Valley, Hamra: Pasture passed in peace

I picked up Ben Zion this morning and we went to accompany  the shepherds M. and his uncle R. near the settlement of Hamra in the northern Jordan valley.

We left M.’s house for the fields at 06:45 by the road that runs above the illegal settlement belonging to Moshe and Moria Sharvit.  We saw Moshe with his flock watching us from several terraces below.  We continued with the flock towards Mitzpeh Lebo and beyond it, making sure to keep to the upper terraces as the army had instructed us to do previously.  We went on until we reached a rich pasture southwest of Hamra.  We hoped that Moshe would not call the army who would force us to leave on the pretext that this is a closed military area, with or without a written order.   There was pleasant fall weather and everything went well aside from the fact that M. felt ill and returned home on the back of his donkey. 

On our way back we looked at Moshe’s holding which is expanding and which now had new buildings under construction.   We also saw a huge truck leaving the holding, but did not see what it was carrying