JORDAN VALLEY, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), More than 47 Palestinian families, comprising over 300 people, nearly half of them children, face the imminent threat of forced displacement from their homes in the northern Jordan Valley after Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and settlers destroyed and severed water networks and pipelines supplying their communities.
Reports by specialized human rights organizations said the measures are part of a systematic escalation aimed at pressuring farmers and livestock herders, whose livelihoods depend on the land, in an effort to force them to abandon their homes and land permanently.
Rights groups said attacks on water infrastructure have expanded in recent days to include the communities of Ras al-Ahmar, al-Thala and areas east of Atouf, where IOF and settler groups have cut water supply lines and prevented tanker trucks from reaching residents.
The severe water deprivation coincides with accelerated excavation and bulldozing by the IOF troops to construct a new separation wall known as the “Crimson Thread” in the northern Jordan Valley, threatening large areas of Palestinian-owned farmland, orchards, greenhouses and freshwater wells.
The planned wall stretches approximately 22 kilometers, from the Ein Shibli area to the Tayasir military checkpoint in the north, cutting through the lands of Khirbet Atouf, Ras al-Ahmar and several neighboring communities, as well as privately owned land belonging to Palestinians from Tubas, Tammun and Atouf.
The wall is expected to completely separate residents from their land and lead to the seizure of approximately 50,000 dunums of fertile agricultural and grazing land, threatening the economic foundations and livelihoods of these communities.
Human rights documentation indicates that since excavation and construction work began in March 2026, the area has suffered extensive damage from the bulldozing of farmland, uprooting of mature olive trees, destruction of crops and demolition of kilometers of irrigation lines.
The destruction comes alongside intensified daily settler attacks carried out under Israeli military protection, including raids on Palestinian communities and grazing areas, road closures, and direct attacks and intimidation aimed at preventing families from grazing their livestock or reaching remaining water sources.
These developments are part of a broader settlement campaign targeting the Palestinian Jordan Valley, which makes up roughly one-third of the occupied West Bank and is considered a vital agricultural and strategic region for Palestinians.
For decades, Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley have faced policies contributing to both direct and indirect displacement, including the designation of more than 85% of the area as closed military zones or nature reserves while Israeli settlements continue to expand. Residents have also been deprived of basic necessities, including electricity, water and essential services.
The latest escalation reflects an intensified effort to force Palestinian communities from the area and consolidate Israeli control by isolating residents, depriving them of essential resources and leaving their land abandoned.
