In Ras al-Ahmar, in the occupied West Bank, a road that used to take less than 10 minutes now takes up to 3 hours. Palestinian residents say checkpoints, road closures and patrols by the Israeli army and settlers have become part of their daily lives, Al Jazeera reports. The village in the northern Jordan Valley is almost isolated. Most entrances have been closed, while the only remaining road is a rough track, passable mostly only by powerful vehicles.
The situation has worsened following Israeli operations in the area, which have destroyed water wells that supplied Palestinian farmers. As a result, many agricultural lands have been left without water and crops have been severely damaged.
The Jordan Valley is considered one of the most fertile areas of the West Bank, where olives, grapes, bananas and other crops are grown. But farmers say that after the water supply was cut off, many greenhouses and fields have been abandoned, while crops are drying up. Palestinian residents claim that in recent weeks the pressure on them has increased, with the destruction of irrigation pipelines, wells, greenhouses and the confiscation of agricultural equipment. At the center of the conflict is a new Israeli project called the “Red Thread”, a barrier that includes a large canal and a military road of about 22 kilometers between the Ein Shibli and Tayasir checkpoints.
Israel says the project aims to prevent arms smuggling from Jordan, but Palestinians and monitoring organizations see it as a way to separate Palestinian communities from their agricultural lands and expand Israeli control over the area.
According to Palestinian organizations, Israeli authorities have issued dozens of land confiscation orders this year. Meanwhile, Israeli organizations that monitor land policies say the use of military orders and the expansion of Jewish settlements have created constant pressure on Palestinian communities.
Residents of the area say that many families have fled due to fear of settler attacks and restrictions on movement. They claim that dozens of families have lost their homes, land and livelihoods. After the construction of the barrier, Palestinians fear that communities will be cut off from basic services, such as hospitals, schools and emergency centers. Meanwhile, the lack of water has significantly increased costs for residents. They say that agricultural production in the area has fallen sharply and many families have lost a large part of their livestock due to the inability to use pastures.
Palestinians accuse Israel of taking measures aimed at gradually removing them from the area and taking control of agricultural lands, while Israel argues that the actions are related to security issues.