On Thursday, January 15th, eyewitnesses reported that Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) were carrying out land leveling and destruction of agricultural fields in the village of Atuf in the northern Jordan Valley, with the aim of opening a new military road. Atuf is one of the last Palestinian villages next to the Green Line, the barrier which separates the West Bank from the Israeli occupied ‘48 territories. 

Eyewitnesses stated the destruction began on Wednesday evening and that these works caused significant damage to agricultural lands and to the livelihoods of local residents. They come as part of an ongoing policy to impose control over Palestinian lands in the area and to prepare for further military infrastructure and settlement expansion.

These actions fall within repeatedly stated zionist aims of annexing the Jordan Valley and depriving Palestinians of access to their lands, which constitute some of the most fertile and water-rich lands in all of historical Palestine. The Jordan Valley is a vital component of the agricultural sector and the Palestinian economy.

The occupation forces made public their intent to build a new military road in the north Jordan Valley in December 2025. The plan threatens multiple Palestinian villages and important farming and shepherding communities who have called the area home for decades.