Jordan Valley, El Farisiya: The settlers do not stop stealing water and pastures from the frightened community of shepherds

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Observers: 
iki Fisher (reporting) and activists of the Palestinian Jordan Valley
May-24-2024
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Morning
Jewish Terror

Al Farisiya - shepherd accompaniers and protective presence

May 24-25, 2024

M

 

Friday night, May 24th was quiet at Farisiya, no special incidents.

 

Saturday, May 25th:

A day full of obstacles and grazing denial of Palestinian shepherds.

When we arrived at Al Farisiya, we saw Israeli flags from afar flying over the hill on Al Farisiya land. The settlers planted them there on the eve of Independence Day, 20 meters from the village houses. Shepherd accompaniers summoned the army and police that day, and complained about the invasion of Farisiya land. The army’s answer: Nothing doing. These are state lands (blatant lie). A discussion took place on Whatsapp what to do, should we uproot the flats? The Palestinians decided to ignore tham and thus prevent the settlers from reacting violently, and leading to arrests and expulsions.

 

At the same time, 6:30 a.m., around the Beqa’ot colony, a 20-minute ride south of Farisiya, two accompaniers went out to graze with N. He crossed the road with his flock to the west of Road 578, the Allon Road, on his way to graze on the eastern side. It is a field that is rightfully owned by a Palestinian. N. has leased it and has won wheat and barley there. Now the grain is ripe and the sheep were busy eating their fill.

At 7:35 three soldiers arrived, commanded by Yuval. They ordered N. to cross the road back to the west. Yuval did not way who gave the order, and did not show any legal document to remove the shepherd. N.’s accompaniers claimed this was a legally registered Palestinian field, and the order illegal. The Jericho DCO confirmed this, but Yuval stuck to the instruction given by some unknown entity and insisted that N. leave.

N. took his flock back to the western side of the road at 8:20 a.m. and continued grazing there. He already realized he could not change the harassment of settlers and the soldiers who do their bidding.

 

7:30  I (Miki) and Simona went out to the grazing grounds with A., and together we came down to the stream on the eastern side of Allon Road. Five minutes later, while the flock was already drinking peacefully, Daniel - security official of Rotem Colony gamce and demanded that A. go up to the grain field he leases. Ahmad obeyed in order not to quarrel, but that wasn’t the end of it. 20 minutes later Daniel appeared in his pickup truck and told A. he couldn’t graze in the grain field either, although everyone knew this is rightful Palestinian land and only two weeks earlier the army and security official agreed he could graze there.

Daniel brought Yuval and his soldiers again. After a discussion, and after our saying that A.’s removal was unlawful, the army security official simply told A. to split. The shepherd tried to argue, as did we, nut nothing helped. The army does not exercise its own judgment but rather acts in accordance with the settlers and they have the last word. The shepherd moved to the north and continued there, where there was almost no grass to be seen.

 

At Farisiya, two volunteers did creative work with the children who had a good time and willfully collaborated. In the meantime, volunteers from Haifa came with a food donation from Tiv’on for Farisiya families.

People were taken to Khirbet Adir and told of the process the villagers have undergone since 1967. Until the Israeli occupation, shepherds used well and spring water to irrigate their flocks and land. With the occupation, Mekorot (Israel’s national water company) managed to convince them that water would reach them more easily with its own pumps, and since then they have been dependent on the company for irrigation water. The pumps and pipes to the fields are purchased by them from Mekorot and they pay five times as much as any locality in Israel or colony in the West Bank. The settlers from Shadmot Mekhola who covet their land and harass them, steal their transformers, sabotage the pipes and chase the flocks.

They are threatened all the time and are unable to keep watch over such a large area.

In the past two years the settlers have also appropriated the spring water. They built beautiful recreation corners there for Jews only, who come from all over the West Bank, also stealing watermelons and melons. The army does not intervene.

 

At 4:30 p.m. we were called to En Hilwa, as F. told us the settlers were there. We drove fast and found out that the settlers had entered the women’s quarters but already left. This time it was ‘just’ intimidation.

 

We got back to Farisiya and at 5 p.m. we were replaced by the night shift and drove back home.