Homecoming to the village of Bardala

by Rashed Khudairy, Coordinator of Jordan Valley Solidarity Campaign

My family left the village of Bardala in the north of the Jordan Valley 35 years ago, because of the Israeli forces’ occupation and closure of the Valley. My family had worked the land and herded cattle for generations on this land, but theft of the water authorities by the Israeli occupation made these traditional activities impossible.
A year ago my family decided to return to the village of Bardala to launch an agricultural project and build a house where they could once again live in the village.
We built a fence around the agricultural land to protect the farm and then bought some water from other local Palestinians to irrigate the land.
The next stage will be to install some water pipes. We are also working on the return of all the displaced families to create a sustainable future in their homes in this area of the Jordan Valley.