Plans to confiscate more Palestinian land in the northern Jordan Valley have been disclosed by the occupation through a military order issued to Palestinians in the area. The orders lists details of large area of private Palestinian  land that will be confiscated under the premise of building a road. the areas, shown on a map, extend from Bir al-Meyyaar (east of the village of Atuf) to the Umm al-Kubaish area (a mountainous area considered one of key strategic importance to the occupation). This comes just a few weeks after plans to confiscate land and cut off Palestinian farmers from their land with the building of a new 22km wall. This ‘wall’ will be built on a strip of land 0.5km wide, with military roads, security fencing and surveillance. It will run from Atuf to Tubas, preventing Palestinian farmers form accessing their land.

This latest military plan shows that an additional area, covering 1000’s of dunums of agricultural land will be annexed, which is adjacent to that covered by the proposed 22km wall.

This comes as Palestinians are facing regular and brutal attacks by settlers armed with M16s, who are roaming the hills, invading their villages and terrorising everyone from the youngest children to the oldest men and women. These violent vigilante settlers are being praised and encouraged by their government. Notably, the occupation’s finance minister Smotrich, who recently met with settlers from the Jordan Valley and told them: “I see the results of your wonderful work. We have returned to the water wells and taken control of all these areas. It is enjoyable to walk around here. You are heroes. Keep it up.” The meaning behind this is clear. He is encouraging and justifying their violence. He is also clarifying the occupation’s clear policy to deprive Palestinians of drinking water, to weaken their grip on thier land, destroy their economy and agriculture and facilitate the displacement process. 

Finance Minister Smotrich speaking in the Jordan Valley

But the violence of the occupation comes in many forms. At the beginning of December the Israeli media carried reports of an archaeological dig at Qarn Sartaba, also in the northern Jordan Valley. The occupation has escalated its excavation work to facilitate the control of archaeological sites, including Mount Qarn Sartaba, situated on the lands of Aqraba town. This is part of a policy aimed at imposing control over antiquities in the West Bank to perpetuate the Zionist narrative and deny Palestinians their land and history.

Occupation archaeological dig at Qarn Sartuba