Israeli settlers suffocating Palestinian shepherds with land theft
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Settler intimidation has caused 18 pastoral groups to leave their homes in the Jordan Valley, according to data released by the Israeli B'Tselem in March.
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A man stands in the doorway of a house damaged in a reported Israeli settlers attack in the town of Burqah near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on May 16, 2024. (AFP)
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are reporting an increase in land theft by armed Israeli settlers who are setting up temporary shepherding outposts and refusing to leave the region.
Shepherds living in the occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley face numerous issues like their sheep being confined to enclosures. At the same time, the adjacent grazing field is unavailable owing to violent settlers who have taken over the region, the Israeli daily Haaretz said on Saturday.
Human rights groups have stated that Israeli settlers in shepherding outposts are armed and have employed attack dogs to intimidate Palestinians, resulting in cattle deaths and property damage. To make matters worse, the expensive cost of food deprives these shepherds of their primary source of life.
Settler intimidation has caused 18 pastoral groups to leave their homes in the Jordan Valley, according to data released by the Israeli B'Tselem back in March.
Ethnic cleansing is at an all-time high with four complete villages and another 25 lone families forced to flee the central Jordan Valley's ridge alone, all as a result of illegal Israeli settlers' unrelenting violence.
In a March report, the rights organization B'Tselem highlighted a surge in attacks, including instances where Israeli settlers in vehicles deliberately drove recklessly into Palestinian flocks and herds. B'Tselem also highlighted that Israeli occupation forces provided support to settler groups.
In one example in November, settlers broke into Jamal's sheep enclosure while he was gone and pierced 35 animals' ears, tagged them with their numbers, and informed police that the animals were stolen from them.
Jamal was imprisoned and fined nearly $4,700 and is forced to monitor his herd from a neighboring property, while his children observe their lost sheep as they roam what was once their land.
In another example, settlers erected an Israeli flag in the middle of the area, and when a shepherd tried to destroy it, settlers assaulted and battered him and his neighbors.
According to the Israeli settlement monitoring organization Peace Now, "Israel" has seized over 1,000 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank this year. In March, Israeli occupation authorities designated 800 hectares adjacent to a Palestinian farmer's residence near the Jordan Valley village of al-Jiftlik as "state land", a decision that frequently results in limitations on Palestinian access.
Clad in shepherds' attire, armed Israeli settlers usurp West Bank land
Palestinians report a growing trend of armed Israeli settlers looting their lands by establishing makeshift shepherding outposts and adamantly refusing to vacate their premises in the occupied West Bank.
Recently, witnesses observed a settler arriving near sunset on a hilltop close to the village of Deir Jarir. Clad in a black shirt and a green headscarf reminiscent of Palestinian farmers, the settler's presence raised concerns among the owners of the land.
A member of a Palestinian anti-settler group said as quoted by AFP that "the settlers imitate us in every way," adding that they also employ violence and "throw stones at us and block roads."
Gazing sorrowfully across the landscape near Ramallah, Haidar Abu Makho, a 50-year-old Palestinian, observed the sight of Israeli settlers' sheep grazing on his family's hill, expressing a sense of melancholy.
He indicated that the land, where settlers' bungalows and vehicles were visible, enclosed by a wire fence, is rightfully the inheritance of his grandfather and father, intended to be preserved and passed down through successive generations.
He heartfully stressed that it "rightfully belongs to my grandfather and father and is meant to be passed down through the generations."
But now, he said, "this shepherd, who is a settler... has obstructed my access to my land".
'Hilltop youth': One facade of Israeli settler's violence
Human rights organizations revealed a surge in Israeli settler attacks and land seizures against Palestinians since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Particularly extremist is the "hilltop youth" group, typically teenagers who drop out of school. They aspire to establish settlements across "the biblical land of Israel."
Israeli analyst Elhanan Miller said, as quoted by AFP, that the hilltop shepherds are "far-right extremists who settle Palestinian land illegally," mostly in the southern West Bank and Jordan Valley.
Miller stressed that a significant number of these settlers are marginalized youths who dropped out of school prematurely. They exploit shepherding activities involving sheep and goats as a pretext to usurp Palestinian land and exploit its natural resources.
According to rights organizations, Israeli settlers at shepherding outposts are armed and have deployed attack dogs to intimidate and assault Palestinians, resulting in the killing of livestock and destruction of property. This activity has been particularly prevalent in the vicinity of Deir Jarir, a village with approximately 5,000 Palestinians, as reported by Abu Makho.
