Palestinians fear displacement from annexed Jordan Valley
Loss of farm and grazing land could force many to relocate
For generations, the people of Fasayil herded animals on the desert bluffs and palm-shaded lowlands of the Jordan Valley. Today, nearly every man in the Palestinian village works for Jewish colonists in the sprawling modern farms to the north and south.
The grazing lands to the west and east, leading down to the banks of the Jordan River, have been swallowed up by colonies or fenced off by the Israeli military. So instead of leading sheep out to pasture, the men rise before dawn to work in the colonies for around $3 an hour — or they move away.
“Everyone here works in the colonies, there’s nothing else,” said Iyad Taamra, a member of the village council who runs a small grocery store. “If you have some money you go somewhere else where there is a future.”
Uncertain future
Palestinians fear communities across the Jordan Valley will meet a similar fate if Israel proceeds with its plans to annex the territory.
The Jordan Valley is home to around 60,000 Palestinians, according to the UN, but nearly 90 per cent of the land is part of what is known as
Area C, the three-fifths of the West Bank that is under complete Israeli control.
Anything built without a permit, from home extensions to tents, animal pens and irrigation networks, is at risk of demolition by the Israeli military.
“If you dig a well they will come the next day and fill it with concrete,” said Hani Saida, a farmer from the town of Al Auja. “They may annex this area, but they will never give us equal rights. They’ll keep trying to drive us away.”
Mohannad Saida, a cousin of Hani, agreed. “Nothing is going to change,” he said.