Israeli settlers reportedly seized hundreds of sheep from a Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley, according to local residents. This incident marks one of the most significant recent occurrences of violence and harassment faced by Bedouins in the region.
Since the onset of the Gaza conflict, such attacks have become more frequent, but witnesses noted that the scale of the incident on Friday near Ein al-Auja, located north of Jericho in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was unprecedented.
“This was the largest incident we’ve experienced,” stated Hani Zayed, a community member who lost 70 sheep during the attack. He expressed skepticism about seeking assistance from local law enforcement, noting that previous attempts had yielded no results.
“The police are unresponsive; they have never assisted us. If you report that a settler is taking your sheep, they will question whether the sheep actually belong to you,” he added.
Residents estimated that around 1,500 sheep and goats were taken by the settlers, who moved the animals from the village in full view of police and soldiers or loaded them onto pickup trucks.
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An announcement from the Israeli police refuted the account of the incident as described. The Israeli military did not provide a comment, and a representative group for settlers in the region also did not respond.
According to local residents and human rights organizations, settlers are placing increasing pressure on the Jordan Valley, an area that is relatively thinly inhabited and located near the Jordan River.
For many Bedouin herders, the death of a flock translates to the loss of their sole means of income. Like numerous Palestinians, the semi-nomadic herders in Ein al-Auja perceive a broader objective to forcibly remove them from their land to facilitate complete Israeli control.
Amid speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump, having lifted sanctions on aggressive settlers, may endorse total annexation of the West Bank, Israeli officials have expressed openly their intentions for a full takeover of the territory that has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Middle East conflict.
The encampment, locals claim, was founded about 40 years ago and lacks electricity except for what is generated through mobile solar panels. Water is supplied by tankers, even though a significant spring lies just a few hundred meters away, designated exclusively for settlers.
Musa Abayat, visiting his father-in-law in the encampment, stated, “The objective of these assaults is to cleanse the area of its population.” He emphasized that this is their sole means of subsistence.
Bedouin families reported that the event on Friday commenced at approximately 9:00 p.m. (1900 GMT) when Israeli settlers drove some of their own sheep into the Bedouin encampment and summoned police, accusing the Bedouin of theft.
Dozens of armed settlers in pickup trucks arrived alongside police and soldiers who, according to witnesses, either stood by or participated as settlers invaded homes and drove away sheep and goats from their pens.
“We were frightened when the settlers attacked,” recounted Nayfeh Salameh, who has five children. “The kids bolted from their beds at the sounds of shouting and the settlers’ voices. It was terrifying for them.”
Activists from the Israeli rights group Mistaclim (Looking the Occupation in the Eye), who have set up a constant monitoring station after previous assaults, recorded footage of sheep and goats being driven away at night.
“Everything happened extremely quickly,” noted Gili Avidor, an Israeli volunteer with the organization.
She observed masked settlers arriving in about a dozen vehicles, following police cars into the encampment where she witnessed settlers entering homes and later herding hundreds of sheep away. “They took all of them away,” she recounted.
Naif Tarif, who claimed to have lost 250 sheep during the attack, reported that residents attempted to file reports with the police but waited for hours before being told to return the following day, and only one individual was permitted to speak to the police regarding his loss.
“These sheep represent our lives,” he expressed.
When asked for specifics regarding the incident, the Israeli military, having overall authority in the West Bank, directed inquiries to the police.
The police stated that a Palestinian had been apprehended and interrogated, admitting to stealing 50 sheep from a Jewish farmer, which were subsequently returned. Simultaneously, 15 sheep belonging to a Palestinian owner, which had mingled with the flock of the Jewish farm owner, were also returned, according to their report.
Reuters was unable to make contact with anyone from the outposts near Ein al-Auja, and a spokesperson for the Jordan Valley Council, which represents the settlements in the area, did not respond to a request for commentary.
The majority of countries regard Israeli settlements as illegal. In contrast, Israel disputes this stance and refers to its historical and biblical connections to the land.
