ISRAELI MILITARY RENDERS TWENTY PALESTINIANS HOMELESS, CONFISCATES JORDAN VALLEY LAND
For Immediate Release
Contact: Molly Simons 0599943157
This morning at 8:30 am, The Israeli military demolished the small village of Al-Hadidya in the Jordan Valley. The four small homes that comprised the village were demolished and twenty Palestinians were left homeless. The homes were the property of four nuclear families, who have lived in the village since 1982, after the Israeli military evicted them from their previous dwellings in Al-Ruwak. Three weeks ago, the Israeli occupation forces informed the families that they had three weeks to move from the village. The Israeli occupation forces confiscated a tractor that was used to transport tanks of water in order to expedite the Palestinians’ departure. The army confirmed for Amnesty International and other HRWs in the area that the families would have to pay a fee of 4500 NIS in order to get the tractor back.
The Israeli occupation forces plan to use the area for shooting exercises and have been open about confiscating limited water resources for exclusive use by nearby illegal Israeli settlements. This incident is part of a larger Israeli plan to drive Palestinians out of the area through confiscating water resources, restricting movement and demolishing homes. In forcing out local Palestinians, Israel hopes to annex the Jordan Valley, preventing this area from becoming part of a future Palestinian state. According to B’tselem, every Israeli government has considered the Jordan Valley to be the eastern border of Israel and has sought to annex it. Israel has established 26 illegal Jewish-only settlements in the area and has instituted a system of harsh restrictions for local residents.