Key facts
- Israeli forces destroyed three water wells in the Palestinian community of Ras al-Ahmar in the Jordan Valley.
- The wells were a primary water source for over 47 families, approximately 600 people, and irrigated about 7,500 dunams of farmland.
- Residents are now incurring higher costs to transport water from distant towns.
- The destruction follows repeated cutting of pipelines by Israeli settlers in recent months.
- Human rights activists state that water infrastructure destruction is part of a broader strategy to displace Palestinians from the Jordan Valley.
Israeli forces have destroyed three vital water wells in the Palestinian community of Ras al-Ahmar in the northern Jordan Valley, leaving residents struggling to secure water for their families, crops, and livestock. The wells, which supplied over 47 families (around 600 people) and irrigated approximately 7,500 dunams of farmland, were the community's primary water source. Residents now face significantly higher costs and logistical challenges in transporting water from distant towns, with movement restrictions and checkpoints frequently impeding delivery.
Residents attribute the destruction to an escalation of a months-long water crisis fueled by repeated attacks from Israeli settlers who have previously cut pipelines. They believe the destruction of the wells is a deliberate tactic to force them to leave the land, a sentiment echoed by human rights activists who describe the actions as part of a 'silent war' over natural resources in the Jordan Valley.
Aref Daraghmeh, a human rights activist, stated that the occupation controls many Palestinian water sources, leaving insufficient water for agriculture and sustaining life. He noted that restrictions on water access, coupled with movement limitations, are contributing to the decline of Palestinian agriculture and increasing pressure on communities to relocate, while settlement agriculture expands. Despite these challenges, residents like Ali Bani Odeh, who was displaced as a child, express a determination to remain on their ancestral land.