July 2, Jordan Valley, West Bank – Israeli settlers, with the support of Israeli forces, are displacing once again families in Khirbet Samra, in the Northern Jordan Valley.
On June 22, settlers threatened one of the families in the hamlet (who chose to remain anonymous fearing further retaliation) telling them they have eight days to leave their land. These settlers come from Asa’el Kurnitz’s outpost and are, as usual, backed by occupation forces in the form of military, police, and settler security. The day after the threat, Israeli police went to Samra and asked the family to move out, declaring it was “forbidden” for them to live there, although they didn’t show any official document to prove this claim.
In the days that followed, settlers have been driving on ATVs on the hills immediately surrounding the hamlet, in an attempt to reiterate their threats and to make it clear to the family that they consider Khirbet Samra “theirs.” Due to the threats and constant fear of settler attacks, one of the families of the Khirbet has already left and others are preparing to leave.
The group of settlers who came on June 22 are known to Palestinians and international activists in the area. Earlier this year, right before the beginning of Ramadan, the same settlers built an outpost (which is illegal even under Israeli law) on the hill over the house of Yasser Abu Aram, who was also a resident of Khirbet Samra. Abu Aram, his family and his herd of sheep were forcibly displaced because of the constant harassment, theft, and increasing danger caused by the settlers. They were not the first family to face harassment and displacement at Khirbet Samra.
These threats are not new, settler Uri Cohen, head of the self-named illegal outpost, has been regularly coming to threaten the family, saying this is not their land and they need to leave, although they’ve been living here for more than 20 years.
These violent settlers are nothing less than another armed branch of the Zionist entity. As international activists, we stand firmly against the illegal and inhumane strategy of ethnic cleansing carried out in the Jordan Valley and throughout the West Bank.
The farmers of Khirbet Samra need all the support they can get to resist and fight for their right to live peacefully on their land with their families and their sheep, which are also their only source of income. We urge media outlets and human rights organisations to share their story and stand in solidarity to prevent the creation of another illegal outpost that would cause the displacement of more families in this already wounded community.
Background: The Jordan Valley comprises about 30% of the West Bank, and almost 90% of the region is designated as Area C, meaning it is fully controlled by Israeli authorities. Closed military zones and nature reserves, where Palestinian access and development are forbidden, comprise 60% of the Jordan Valley. Since October 7, the pressure on families here and in other parts of the West Bank has increased sharply.
Last year, communities were forcibly displaced from Umm al-Jamal, north of the Jordan Valley.
