The Jordan Valley

The village of al-Hadidiyah

12 January 2014

The village of al-Hadidiyah is located in the northern Jordan Valley, near the settlement of Ro'i, on land leased from residents of Tubas. The village's approximately ninety residents earn their living as shepherds and farmers. The village is not hooked up to the water grid and its average water consumption is twenty liters per person per day - far less than the 100 liters per person per day recommended by the World Health Organization. The village is cut off from any regular water supply despite its proximity to a Mekorot (Israeli national water company) pump (Beqa’ot 2), which provides water to the nearby settlements of Ro’i and Beqa’ot. The per diem water allotment per person in these settlements, for household use alone, is over 460 liters – at least 23 times the consumption of water in al-Hadidiyah.


On 21 June 2011 the civil administration demolished 8 structures in the village of al-Hadidiyah, leaving 36 people, including 15 minors, homeless. The demolition was filmed by B'Tselem filed researcher 'Ataf Abu a-Rub

Before the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, residents of al-Hadidiyah lived a few kilometers east of the village's current location, but the site was declared a firing zone and the residents were ordered to vacate it in 1997. A petition to the High Court of Justice the residents filed against the expulsion was rejected in 2003, and they were forced to leave. However, the Civil Administration issued demolition orders for structures built in the new location as well, claiming it was agricultural land. A petition the villagers filed in March 2004 against the Civil Administration's policy in their village was rejected in December 2006, after the Court declined to intervene in the considerations of the Civil Administration. The justices accepted the arguments presented by the military and the Civil Administration for prioritizing the evacuation of al-Hadidiyah: a security argument regarding the village's proximity to the settlement of Ro'i  and a planning argument, based on the concern that the tents are in fact "the beginnings of a village", contrary to the area's agricultural zoning.

Since then, the Civil Administration has demolished the village homes several times. Some of the recent demolitions, in June 2011, were carried out on the grounds that the villagers were in a firing zone. The area of the village, however, is not defined as a firing zone. According to testimonies collected from residents, they had never encountered military exercises in the area and this argument was not brought up by the State in its response to the residents’ March 2004 petition.  

Suggested items

תושב ח'ירבת חומסה אל-פוקה עומד בתוך רכוש הקהילה שכוחות ישראליים השליכו ליד עין א-שיבלי. צילום: אורן זיו, אקטיבסטילס, 7.7.21

Communities Facing Expulsion

Court sanctioned war crime committed in broad daylight

Yesterday, Israel committed an attempted forcible transfer – a war crime – against residents of Humsah. In a break from the previous five demolitions in the community within less than a year, yesterday, Israeli soldiers and Civil Administration staff removed the contents of some residents’ homes and transported the items to an area located near ‘Ein Shibli, where Israel has been trying to forcibly relocate residents. Israel misrepresented these actions as being part of dialog and consent, proving, if anyone still entertained any doubts, it is intent on expelling these residents from their homes permanently. The military’s response, as it appeared in the media, highlighted the fact that the attempted expulsion was carried out with the approval of Israel’s High Court of Justice. Indeed, when the ICC looks into forcible transfers as part of its investigation of Israel, it will have to assess the responsibility of justices as well as ministers and top military commanders. On Wednesday, at around 8:00 A.M., soldiers and Civil Administration staff arrived at the community of Khirbet Humsah in the northern Jordan Valley. The forces declared the area a closed military zone and denied journalists, human rights activists and diplomats access. The forces dismantled nine tents and four huts used as residences, as well as 17 agricultural structures, all together belonging to nine families with a total of 61 members, including 34 minors. The forces also destroyed four water tanks, water lines, fencing and farming equipment. The residents’ belongings were loaded onto trucks that transported them to the ‘Ein Shibli community, which lies west of Khirbet Humsah. Community members fled to the mountains with their flocks, leaving the buses brought in to forcibly relocate them to ‘Ein Shibli empty.

9 July 2021

Alan Dagharmeh and members of his family, residents of al-Farsiya, with the remains of their property. Photo: ‘Atef Abu a-Rub, B'Tselem, 10 August 2010. 

The Jordan Valley

The village of al-Farisiyah – demolitions for alleged construction in firing zone

Al-Farisiyah, a village in the northern Jordan Valley that existed since before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, and was completely demolished by Israel in 2010: The community currently comprises five compounds. About 300 people live in the community year-round, and another 200 live there only in winter. All the residents live in tents or shacks and earn their living as shepherds and farmers. The compounds of the communities compounds are not connected to the power or water grids; and average water consumption is just 20 liters a day, far short of the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum of 100 liters per person per day. There are no schools in al-Farisiya, so the children must walk about five kilometers every day to reach school in the village of ‘Ein al-Beida. There are two schools in ‘Ein al-Baida, one for boys and one for girls, each combining an elementary school and a high school. Settlements and settlement outposts completely surround the community: Giv’at Sal’it and Mehola to the north of al-Farisiyah; Shadmot Mehola and Rotem to the east; and Maskiyyot to the south. The military has also declared the village and extensive areas to its south, north, and west as a firing zone. Other nearby land has been declared part of the jurisdiction or municipal area of nearby settlements. Israel uses these designations to completely block off access by al-Farisiyah residents to most of the surrounding land, where they have grazed their flocks for years.

6 January 2014

Agriculture

Acting the Landlord

60% of the West Bank is designated Area C, under exclusive Israeli control. It is home to 180,000 Palestinians and includes most West Bank land reserves. Israel, citing “state lands” or “firing zones”, largely prohibits Palestinian construction. Israel’s planning policy ignores local needs: refuses to recognize villages or draft plans; blocks development and infrastructure hook-ups; and demolishes homes. Thousands are in danger of expulsion for living in firing zones or “illegal” communities. Israel has appropriated most water sources and restricts Palestinian access to them.

4 June 2013