Mohammed Ahmed Alian AliOn Sunday 4th March, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) fined a shepherd from Ein El Hilwe NIS1000 for crossing the road with his sheep.

Mohammed Ahmed Alian Awad, 23, crosses the road to graze his families’ sheep every morning and returns in the evening. He said that every time him or his brother pass Tayasir checkpoint the soldiers warn them not to go within 1 km of nearby Maskiyot settlement.

Mohammed commented, ‘Where can we go to live? I need to cross the road to feed the sheep.’

The community of Ein El Hilwe suffers constant harassment and violence from Israeli settlers, and IOF.

Ein El Hilwe community

Ein El Hilwe is a Bedouin community located in the north west of the Jordan Valley. The village consists of around 130 people and is strategically located next to one of the few natural springs in the Jordan Valley that has not been confiscated by the Israeli government. The village takes its name from this spring: Ein El Hilwe (Sweet Spring). The village itself is located off of the main highway in the Jordan Valley, at the foot of surrounding hills. Taken out of context of the Israeli occupation, Ein El Hilwe would be a picturesque manifestation of simplicity and tranquillity. The spring provides enough clean water for the whole village and the land is fertile, good for crops and also grazing the villagers’ animals.

Unfortunately for the residents of the community, Ein El Hilwe is surrounded by five illegal Israeli settlements and is situated in a designated military firing area. One of these settlements, Maskyiot stands on the top of the small hill which directly over-looks the main area of the village. Maskyiot settlers are notoriously violent and regular attacks on the community are perpetrated by the settlers with impunity. As Maskiyot has expanded in recent years, they have worked hand-in-hand with the Israeli army to pressurise Palestinians to leave the area. The spring is watched by the setters and the Palestinian villagers’ are attacked when they try to access it.  The animals owed by Palestinians in Ein El Hilwe are not allowed to roam in the areas outside the centre of the village, and the farmers whose animals do stray are fined and sometimes the animals are confiscated by the Israeli Army. The village has been demolished in the past and its inhabitants are still living under the constant threat of demolition.

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