Israeli Settler Destroys Palestinian Tents in Jordan Valley, Residents Petition Supreme Court
Residents of the Palestinian community of Ein al-Hilweh in the northern Jordan Valley reported that five tents used as family homes were destroyed on Thursday morning by a local Israeli settler operating a bulldozer. Laal Dragmeh, a resident who says his family has lived in the area since before 1967, stated that despite a court order preventing their eviction, the settler arrived claiming to perform agricultural maintenance but then began demolishing the tents where Dragmeh’s extended family, including young children and an eight-month-old infant, lived. The destruction left the families homeless and without reliable access to water. Dragmeh said he contacted the police during the incident, but no officers arrived at the scene.
This event adds to ongoing tensions in the Jordan Valley, where Palestinian herding communities live near Israeli settlements and outposts. Repeated reports have documented demolitions of structures deemed illegal by Israeli authorities, land disputes, and clashes, with conflicting narratives surrounding each incident. Residents describe living under constant pressure, fearing further demolitions and lacking basic infrastructure. Dragmeh emphasized their desire to live peacefully without conflict.
In response, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed an urgent petition to the Supreme Court on behalf of seven remaining Palestinian herding communities in Area C of the northern Jordan Valley, including Ein al-Hilweh, demanding immediate measures to prevent further forced displacement and to allow the return of communities already evicted. The petition calls for the state to enforce military authority against settler violence, crack down on illegal construction, publish maps of settler grazing lands, and ensure Palestinian access to vital grazing areas and water sources.
The petition alleges a deliberate policy since October 2023 aimed at uprooting Palestinian herding communities through settler violence, illegal outpost expansion, restricted access to land and water, discriminatory enforcement, and lack of state protection. Eleven communities have already been displaced, with seven more at imminent risk. Attorney Reut Shaar of the Association for Civil Rights described the situation as a calculated ethnic cleansing, noting that previous petitions failed to prevent evictions and expressing hope the Supreme Court will now recognize the severity of the issue.
The Israeli Civil Administration stated that enforcement actions targeted two illegal encampments and were conducted according to the law. The police confirmed the operation was authorized by the Civil Administration.
